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Your  patient child’s teeth are important, even if they still have their baby teeth. Getting a hit straight to the mouth can push teeth out of position, which can affect the growth of adult teeth. If your child has shed their baby teeth, then a mouth guard becomes even more important to protect their permanent teeth from damage during sports. When should you consider recommending a mouth guard for your children?

The U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association requires a mouth guard for certain sports, including football, hockey, and lacrosse. The American Dental Association goes much further, suggesting a mouth guard for basketball, boxing, gymnastics, martial arts, rugby,…

Sleep apnea steals precious sleep, but it also steals something much more valuable: oxygen. According to the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, sleep apnea steals sleep and oxygen from as many as 18 million Americans. Individuals with sleep apnea can stop breathing as many as 100 times a night or more, depriving the body of vital oxygen.

Your brain thrives on oxygen. In fact, it uses approximately three times the amount of oxygen that muscles do. And because brain cells are highly sensitive to drops in oxygen, they begin to die soon after deprivation.

When this occurs night after night – as it does with sleep apnea -- the brain’s ability to heal and process important memories is impaired.

Retention on the Removable Side

Having touched earlier in this series upon fixed final retention options, it would be remiss not to give equal time to removable options.That being said, removable retention appliances – when properly designed to not interfere with normal occlusion – are not only the most hygienic option (allowing patient to floss and brush freely) but can also be worn 24/7 if need be.

Another plus? When bruxism is part of the treatment scenario, a bruxism splint can be employed as a final retainer.

SOME OPTIONS:

The Wraparound Hawley The COR Appliance The Talon Splint 

For a Free Copy of our Comprehensive Guide to Final Retention, Click Here. 

How to Help Patients Stay Splint-Compliant 

Dental splints continue to be one of the most effective ways to manage bruxism. Yet, although it may seem simple enough to pop in a dental splint at night, you will likely find that a certain portion of your patients find even that simple act of compliance a challenge. They may find the splints to be uncomfortable, inconvenient, or simply forget to put them in.

One way to help these individuals become more compliant is to challenge them to wear the splint each night for 30 days…and track their progress. After 30 days of carefully monitored compliance and accountability, the action becomes automatic…and the benefits more evident. Patients should start noticing a difference after consistent wear --…

Ask ten orthodontists their opinion of the lingual bonded retainer, and you are sure to get ten different answers. Some orthodontists love them, others hate them. Most fall somewhere in the middle. Why are some orthodontists so squarely in the bonded retainer camp while others are so against it?

The Pros of the Lingual Bonded Retainer

Perhaps the biggest benefit of a choosing a bonded retainer is avoiding the common compliance issues encountered with removable retainer patients. Teens (and even adults) may wear their retainer for a while, but eventually they stop, and their teeth begin to shift. The best way to ensure that the teeth stay in place is with a bonded retainer. If they…