How to prevent bad breath, with Adams Orthodontics

Dr. Blair Adams, your Ottawa orthodontist, recognizes that many of our patients are concerned about bad breath, or halitosis. While some cases of bad breath are persistent (chronic bad breath), generally bad breath is transient, and can be prevented.

We recently came across this helpful video about bad breath and thought it was worth sharing with our patients. The video explains what might cause bad breath and some ways that it can be avoided. In most instances, bad breath can be prevented by practicing common oral hygiene techniques that you have probably heard us emphasize during a visit to Adams Orthodontics, such as brushing and flossing daily. We encourage you to watch this video for additional tips on how to keep bad breath at bay. Enjoy!

Invisalign and your oral health, with Adams Orthodontics

When considering treatment options, patients often ask us how Invisalign treatment is so different than traditional braces. Well, there are more reasons to smile about Invisalign with Adams Orthodontics than you may know. Invisalign is a series of removable aligners that are nearly invisible, and besides straightening your teeth, can improve your oral health. Here’s how:

Healthy Gums: Straight teeth allow a close fit for gums. This lessens the gum stress that is caused by crowded or widely spaced teeth, thus also reducing red and swollen gums.

Easy cleaning: Invisalign is removable, therefore brushing and flossing is easier and you are able to maintain a healthy mouth. These habits are vital to avoiding tooth decay, plaque and even gum disease.

Improved speech and chewing: Properly-aligned teeth don’t have the discomfort or compound speech impediments that can be caused by crowded teeth or a deteriorating jawbone.

If you have any questions about Invisalign, just ask Dr. Blair Adams the next time you’re in for an appointment. Or, you may post your question on our Facebook page! You can also read this article for more information on Invisalign and your oral health.

Dr. Adams shares pool safety tips

Summer is here, and with summer comes lots of swimming! Our team at Adams Orthodontics found some helpful pool safety tips that we’d like to share with you, courtesy of our friends at the American Association of Pediatricians.

* Install a fence at least four-feet high around all four sides of the pool. The fence should not have openings or protrusions that a young child could use to get over, under, or through.

* Make sure pool gates open out from the pool, and self-close and self-latch at a height children can't reach.

* Never leave children alone in or near the pool, even for a moment.

* Keep rescue equipment (a shepherd's hook - a long pole with a hook on the end - and life preserver) and a portable telephone near the pool. Choose a shepherd's hook and other rescue equipment made of fiberglass or other materials that do not conduct electricity.

* Avoid inflatable swimming aids such as "floaties." They are not a substitute for approved life vests and can give children a false sense of security.

* Children may not be developmentally ready for swim lessons until after their fourth birthday. Swim programs for children under 4 should not be seen as a way to decrease the risk of drowning.

* Whenever infants or toddlers are in or around water, an adult should be within arm's length, providing "touch supervision."

Have more questions about your children and their safety this summer? Give us a call!

Smile wider, live longer, from Adams Orthodontics

Folks with big smiles may actually live longer than those who don’t, according to a recent study at Michigan’s Wayne State University. Dr. Adams has known for quite some time that positive emotion has been linked to both physical and mental health, but researchers at the university did something quite interesting: they looked at photos of 230 ball-players who began their careers in baseball prior to 1950 and studied their smile intensity (ranging from big smile, no smile or partial smile). The players' smile ratings were compared with data from deaths that occurred from 2006 through 2009. The researchers then took into account other factors that impact life longevity, including body mass index, career length and even college attendance.

The results? Researchers found that players who weren't smiling in the photos died at the average age of 72.9 years. Players with partial smiles lived to be 75. Those with big smiles, however, lived on average to be 79.9 years old.

The take-away from the new study? Smile now, smile often and you might just live longer! Have you been perfecting your smile by visiting Adams Orthodontics on a regular basis? If not, give us a call!

Happy Canada Day, from all of us at Adams Orthodontics!

Today is Canada Day and Canada is turning 144 years old! We'd love to know: How are you celebrating Canada Day? Are you out in the sun? Do you plan to watch fireworks? Are you going to grill up your favorite summer foods? Are you staying in town or heading somewhere else? If you have a Canada Day tradition, we would love to hear about it.

However you're celebrating, our team hopes you have a fun and safe holiday! Feel free to upload your Canada Day photos to our Facebook page and let us know how your Canada Day turned out this year.