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Long days in the sun’s rays offer you lots of options for outdoor activities. Beach time? Vacation? Open-air concerts? Baseball, biking, board sports? No matter what plans you have for these sunny days in New Bedford or Mattapoisett, MA, we have some tips to keep your smile beaming.

Use Sunscreen

Sunscreen is good for all ages and skin tones, and it’s also designed to protect your smile. Lip tissue is thin and delicate, and can easily be damaged by the ultraviolet rays which cause skin cancer and premature aging. 

If your regular sunscreen isn’t suitable for your lips, there are many protective lip balms designed especially for your smile.

• Make sure you get the proper level of protection. Dermatologists recommend lip balms with a minimum SPF (Sun Protection Factor) of 30.
• Reapply at least every two hours, and sooner if your lips get wet or if you’re eating or drinking.

Protect Your Smile with a Mouthguard

Mouthguards help protect your teeth from damage caused by impact, whether from hard surfaces or hard elbows! Any time there’s a chance of a fall or a collision, a mouthguard is a good idea. Use your guard for:

• Biking, in-line skating, skateboarding, or any activity where an unexpected fall is possible 
• Contact or low-contact sports like baseball, basketball, and soccer, where bodies collide with equipment or other bodies

If you play organized sports, you might already own a mouthguard. If not, talk to Dr. Neil Oliveira and Dr. Derek Wolkowicz about over-the-counter options or a custom-fitted model. And if you wear braces, no need to stay indoors! There are mouthguards designed to protect your teeth, cheeks, lips, and braces. Ask the team at Orthodontic Specialists of Southeastern Massachusetts for recommendations.

Hydrate

On hot days, our brains help regulate our body temperature. How? By sending the signal to start sweating! Some heat is transferred from our bodies to evaporate perspiration, which helps cool the skin. But that cooling perspiration comes at a cost—the water we lose through sweat can lead to dehydration. 

Water is essential for our health, and especially when it’s scorching outside. Drinking water throughout the day is healthier than drinking lots of water at one time, and your doctor can let you know the right amount of water for your body, since we’re not all built the same. A bottle of water doesn’t contain artificial ingredients, caffeine, or sugars, so it’s a great, healthy outdoor companion. 

More? Water is also great for your smile!

• Water washes food particles and bacteria away from teeth and gums for fresher breath and a healthier mouth.
• Most communities add fluoride to their water, and fluoride strengthens tooth enamel to help you fight cavities. If your local water supply isn’t fluoridated, talk to your dentist about other treatments which can provide fluoride’s cavity protection.
• Hydrating helps prevent dry mouth. Normal saliva production doesn’t just keep the mouth moist for eating and speaking—it also protects our teeth and gums as it washes away food particles and helps counteract excess acidity in the mouth.

Summer’s a Great Time for Dental Care

It’s easy to get distracted with summer activities and vacations—after all, they’re designed to be distracting! But don’t let your well-deserved fun in the sun distract you from your regular dental care. 

• If you haven’t started orthodontic treatment, summer is a terrific time to begin. You’ll have several weeks to get used to your braces or aligners before school starts in the fall.
• If you’re going on vacation, let Dr. Neil Oliveira and Dr. Derek Wolkowicz know. It’s necessary to keep adjustments to your braces or aligners on schedule so you can enjoy your beautiful smile as soon as you possibly can. Don’t delay your progress by missing appointments.
• Wear your appliances or bands as directed. If you don’t put in the hours with your aligners or your bands, you’ll be spending more time in treatment than you need to.
• Regular dental exams catch small problems before they become larger ones, and cleanings make sure your smile is bright all summer long. If you’re overdue for a visit to your dentist, make room in your schedule for a checkup.

Summer can be a time to relax, renew, and recharge. While you’re enjoying those extra hours of sun, take care of your oral health for a beaming smile which will look great on you any time of year!

Dr. Neil Oliveira and Dr. Derek Wolkowicz and our team hear this question a lot. Some of the common reasons for crooked teeth include:

• Thumb sucking
• Tongue thrusting or improper use of the tongue during speaking and swallowing
• Premature loss of baby teeth, which causes teeth to drift and shift
• Poor breathing airway caused by enlarged adenoids or tonsils

There are also hereditary factors we get from our parents, like:

• Extra teeth
• Large teeth
• Missing teeth
• Wide spaces between teeth
• Small jaws

Dr. Neil Oliveira and Dr. Derek Wolkowicz and our team know that having crooked teeth isn’t just a cosmetic issue; it can lead to serious health problems as well. Crooked teeth can:

• Interfere with proper chewing
• Make keeping teeth clean more of a challenge, increasing the risk of tooth decay, cavities, and gingivitis
• Strain the teeth, jaws, and muscles, increasing the risk of breaking a tooth

There are several treatment options we offer at Orthodontic Specialists of Southeastern Massachusetts that can help correct crooked teeth. Please give us a call at our convenient New Bedford or Mattapoisett, MA office to learn more or to schedule an initial consultation.

Dr. Neil Oliveira and Dr. Derek Wolkowicz and our team at Orthodontic Specialists of Southeastern Massachusetts know that for some of our patients wearing braces, it can be difficult to weave through those wires and brackets as you brush and floss during your treatment.

Some of our patients use a water pick to flush out food and other particles and bacteria stuck between their teeth as the water can reach behind the metal wires and hit spots where your floss simply cannot reach. People suffering from gum disease also find water picks quite effective because of their ability to flush out bacteria from inside the deep pockets.

Water picks are friendly to braces and are also gentle on the gums. They are less likely to cause bleeding for people with sensitive teeth or gums. But as many benefits as they may have, Dr. Neil Oliveira and Dr. Derek Wolkowicz and our team want you to know that water picks should never be used as a substitute for flossing. Though they are great tools for helping improve oral health while you are in treatment, they are just not a good enough tool on their own to keep your mouth and gums gingivitis- and decay-free. Water picks are also incapable of removing plaque from teeth as effectively as floss can. While water picks rinse the sticky bacteria off your teeth, flossing is actually more effective as it actually scrapes the bacteria off of your pearly whites.

If you have any questions about water picks or any general questions or concerns about your orthodontic treatment, we encourage you to please ask us below or give us a call!

Parents usually have numerous questions about orthodontic treatment for their children. According to the American Association of Orthodontists, orthodontic treatment for children should start at around seven years of age. This allows Dr. Neil Oliveira and Dr. Derek Wolkowicz to evaluate the child’s existing and incoming teeth to determine whether or not early treatment might be necessary.

What is early orthodontic treatment?

Early orthodontic treatment, known as Phase One, usually begins when the child is eight or nine years old. The goal is to correct bite problems such as an underbite as well as guide the jaw’s growth pattern. It also helps to make room in the mouth for the permanent teeth to be properly placed as they come in. This will greatly reduce the risk of the child needing extractions later in life due to his or her teeth getting crowded.

Does your child need early orthodontic treatment?

There are several ways that you can determine whether your child needs early treatment. If you observe any of these characteristics or behaviors, you should talk to Dr. Neil Oliveira and Dr. Derek Wolkowicz.

• Early loss of baby teeth (before age five)
• Late loss of baby teeth (after age five or six)
• The child’s teeth do not meet properly or at all
• The child is a mouth breather
• Front teeth are crowded (you won’t see this until the child is about seven or eight)
• Protruding teeth, typically in the front
• Biting or chewing difficulties
• A speech impediment
• The child’s jaw shifts when he or she opens or closes the mouth
• The child is older than five years and still sucks a thumb

What are the benefits of seeking orthodontic treatment early?

Early orthodontic treatment is begun while the child’s jaw bones are still soft. They do not harden until the children reach their late teens. Because the bones are still pliable, corrective procedures such as braces work faster than they do for adults.

In short, early treatment at our New Bedford or Mattapoisett, MA office often allows your child to avoid lengthy procedures, extraction, and surgery in adulthood. Early treatment is an effective preventive measure that lays the foundation for a healthy, stable mouth in adulthood.