Dental Blog | Orthodontics In St. Louis, MO

19/May/2024

Braces certainly complicate things when it comes to the food you eat, but no matter if you have braces or not, there are many foods that are good for your teeth and many that are not so good.

Tooth decay is ultimately caused by acid eating away at the enamel of your teeth. Orthodontists and dentists will always tell you to brush and floss in order to reduce the amount of plaque buildup on your teeth. Plaque is a layer of bacteria that accumulates on the surface of your teeth. That bacteria then produces acid, which is what causes decay.

Many of the worst foods for your teeth are those that stick to or get stuck between your teeth, and those that contain sugar. Both kinds of food will attract bacteria, which jump-starts the process described above.

The best foods are the ones that either fortify the minerals in your teeth, those that encourage the production of saliva to wash away bacteria, and those that can actually help to remove food particles from your teeth.

Let’s look at a few of the best and the worst, as suggested by a prominent dental school:

Good for your teeth:

Fiber-rich fruits and vegetables are said to have a detergent-like effect in your mouth, and they promote saliva flow. Both of these effects help to clean and fortify teeth.

Cheese, milk, plain yogurt, and other dairy products generate saliva and are good sources of calcium.

Green and black teas both contain polyphenols that either kill or suppress bacteria.

Sugarless chewing gum is a good saliva generator that also removes food particles from your teeth.

Foods with fluoride like fluoridated drinking water help teeth by washing away bacteria and by adding fluoride.

Bad for your teeth:

Sticky candies and sweets stay in your mouth longer and contain loads of sugar.

Starchy foods like soft bread and potato chips can get stuck in your mouth or between teeth.

Carbonated soft drinks contain tons of both sugar and acid, making them extremely harmful to teeth.

In addition to paying closer attention to your diet, good oral hygiene like brushing and flossing is always the best way to prevent tooth decay whether you have braces or not.

For more information about taking care of your teeth before, during, or after an orthodontic treatment like braces, contact orthodontist Dr. Frost either online or by calling (314) 567-1888. We look forward to assisting you with braces in Creve Coeur.

Frost Orthodontics

19/May/2024

When we think of braces, we often think of kids or teenagers. For those of us who grew up in the last 20 or 30 years, we probably knew many kids in school who had braces, or we may even have had braces ourselves. Now we may be considering braces for our own kids as they get older.

But what if you didn’t get braces as a kid? Does that mean you can’t have straight teeth now?

Absolutely not. In fact, adults considering orthodontic treatment are becoming a bigger and bigger part of our market. With so many options ranging from Invisalign to traditional braces, many adults are seeing that having straight teeth may not be as much of an ordeal as it was when they were kids.

Just like kids though, the goals of orthodontic treatment are the first things an adult should consider. For example, do you want “perfect” teeth? That is, are you looking for a purely aesthetic solution? Is there a functional or oral health problem that needs to be addressed? Or do you simply want to protect the smile you have and not allow your current situation to get worse?

The many options currently available for orthodontic treatment also means there are more options to address various problems. For many problems adults face, Invisalign may be the best option. For others, an orthodontic retainer may be most sensible. And still for others traditional braces may be the best route. All of this will depend on the orthodontist’s evaluation of the patient’s individual case as well as the patient’s preference.

Also, don’t be led into thinking that because fewer adults wear braces than kids, adults are more difficult to treat. Both adults’ and children’s teeth present their own challenges, and an orthodontist is trained more than well enough to handle patients of all ages and with all kinds of difficulties and desires.

If you are an adult in St. Louis or Creve Coeur and you are unhappy with the appearance, function, or health of your teeth, stop in to see Dr. Frost for a consultation. We will be happy to give you an honest evaluation and explain your options so you get the best personalized treatment. Contact us to learn more about braces treatment in Creve Coeur!

Frost Orthodontics

19/May/2024

When we have never worked in a certain profession, we usually don’t have any idea about its particularities. For example, working at McDonald’s may look pretty straightforward: your order is taken, your order is made, and you get your order. What most of us don’t see however, is everything else that makes the business run: inventory, floor scrubbing, grease changing, personnel management, fixing broken equipment…suddenly that job isn’t so simple!

Some patients think about doctors (including orthodontists) the same way: they go to school for a long time, but after that they show up to their practice and fix people’s problems. It’s true that doctors are required to retain a huge amount of knowledge and are expected to meet a high professional standard, but there are still many intricacies that most patients will never see.

Ethics is a very delicate subject for medical professionals, and as such it must always be a fundamental concern. A recent article in the American Journal of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics has brought up another ethical issue which many doctors face, including orthodontists. The article brings up a hypothetical issue in which an orthodontist is treating the wife of a senior dentist colleague. The orthodontist discovers that the patient’s gums have problems that were not addressed by her husband, so he must tell his more senior colleague and friend that his wife needs specialist co-treatment (and thereby implying that he’s not doing his “job” correctly).

The article points out that one of the principal components of the Hippocratic Oath—the basis for medical ethics—is nonmaleficence, that is, that a doctor should do no harm to his or her patients. However, the principal component of the Oath is gratitude, or a doctor’s respect for his or her teachers and/or senior professional colleagues.

Here’s the problem: does the orthodontist risk “disrespect” of his elder colleague by suggesting co-treatment by another professional, or does he do what he believes is best for his patient? I think the best course of action here would be to have a conversation, first with the patient’s husband. The orthodontist should explain his opinion and provide necessary evidence. It’s possible that the aging husband may simply have overlooked the issue, and thus will most likely agree to further treatment. If he does disagree, however, the orthodontist has the option to refuse to treat his colleague’s wife because of his concern for her wellbeing. Hopefully her husband would give respect in return to another experienced professional and the two can remain friends.

If you are in need of braces or other orthodontic treatment in Creve Coeur or St. Louis, contact Dr. Frost today!

Frost Orthodontics

19/May/2024

It is interesting how often unusual orthodontic situations can be discovered with a simple exam and X-ray. Just this week I have diagnosed young children (8 to 10 years of age) with multiple missing permanent teeth and/or supernumerary (extra) teeth.

Both missing permanent teeth and supernumerary teeth are common conditions, and they can only be first seen with an X-ray. This is because permanent teeth form underneath baby teeth long before they ‘push up’ to the surface of the gums. By seeing where and how teeth are forming (as well as how many), an orthodontist can adjust a patient’s treatment plan accordingly.

In the X-ray image below, you can see how clear it is that this patient has several extra teeth coming in below the permanent teeth:

x-ray orthodontist 63141 — (Image credit: http://www.cda-adc.ca/)

Supernumerary teeth can mean crowding for existing or future permanent teeth, or these teeth could possibly come in at other places in the mouth. A lack of permanent teeth, on the other hand, results in gaps and spaces.

Fortunately, there are many treatment options available whether a patient will have too many–or not enough–permanent teeth. A combination of timely extractions, oral surgery, orthodontic treatment, or cosmetic treatments will make sure a child will have a great looking smile as an adult.

In both cases I saw this week, these diagnoses made a significant impact on the patients’ treatment plans. Although their treatment (braces) will not happen for a year or two, we were able to make sure the treatment works best at that time through the use of X-rays.

Treating a patient whose permanent teeth are still coming in and changing makes this process more difficult. So if your child has not seen an orthodontist by 8 or 9 years of age, please schedule a consultation soon. The earlier your child’s orthodontist knows how his or her teeth will come in, the easier the treatment process will be. It can really make a difference.

Frost Orthodontics

19/May/2024

An earlier blog, “Does your child need braces twice?” briefly addressed the trend of correcting smiles in two phases, once when a child is between the ages of 6 and 9, and again in the child’s early teens.

Orthodontists know from many studies and from experience that two treatments will not produce a significantly different result, so why is this recommendation still made by dentists and orthodontists?

This is a tough question to answer. First, not all dentists and orthodontists may be aware of the research regarding two phase treatment. Secondly, you are always going to encounter unethical practitioners in any business, and orthodontics is no different. There are some orthodontists that will recommend two stages of treatment for children knowing that while it will not necessarily help anything, it will not hurt anything either (besides the parent’s wallet).

Second, children often want to have straight teeth, and many parents are not averse to treatment before all permanent teeth have come in if it may mean a straighter smile now as well as down the road. Some orthodontists believe there is cultural pressure on kids to have straight teeth–as well as other aspects of their appearance–at younger and younger ages. If well-meaning parents see other young kids with braces and an orthodontist approves, many of them will go along with it, even if it means a higher overall cost.

Even though a first treatment at a young age does not make a difference in most cases, that is not to say that no child could benefit. In exceptional cases such as those which inhibit the normal function of the mouth, early braces would certainly be beneficial. And of course, if a patient wants to improve the look of his or her young smile, that can be done. Problems arise, however, when a young patient or parent is led to believe that early braces are absolutely necessary when that is often not the case.

The fact is that teeth and jaws tend to move back to their original position after correction, especially in growing children. Therefore, it’s crucial that you do your homework, get second opinions, and find a professional orthodontist in St. Louis that you can trust. A good orthodontist will want you to make an informed decision based on what is best for your individual smile. Period.

Frost Orthodontics

19/May/2024

“Do I need braces to preserve the health of my teeth? My only concern is to keep my teeth for the rest of my life.”

A recent article in the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics (AJO-DO) by Associate Editor of the journal Peter M. Greco addressed this question and the importance of ethics and trust in orthodontics.

The article presented a hypothetical situation in which an opera singer is referred to an orthodontist. The patient’s teeth could use some improvement, but he practices good hygiene and is primarily concerned about his health. In this situation, an experienced orthodontist begins to consider the possibilities of giving this patient a more beautiful smile:

“You ponder for a moment, and in your mind’s eye, you picture the dramatic esthetic change your treatment could provide. You’d certainly like to close those spaces for this high-proﬁle performer. You would like to tell him that your services would enhance his dental health and prognosis—and you wouldn’t mind starting another patient—but how should you respond?”

Greco points out that in most cases there is little or no evidence to suggest that orthodontic correction will improve the health of already-healthy teeth, so while correction wouldn’t hurt, would it help enough to justify doing?

Here, the orthodontist faces a choice. He or she can:

Tell the patient that correction will improve his dental health and gain a patient
Or, risk losing a patient by telling him that correction may or may not improve his health of his teeth, but it will definitely improve how they look

An orthodontist interested in maintaining trust and respect for his or her patients (and their patients’ respect for them) will choose the second option. It is the responsibility of an orthodontist to make sure that a patient is as informed as possible in order to make the right decision for their teeth.

If the patient in Greco’s article only wants to do what is best for the health of his teeth, he may not choose correction. However, if he likes the idea of a more beautiful smile, he may decide to do it. The choice is ultimately his, and it’s the orthodontist’s responsibility to make sure that that choice is the best one for the patient.

Frost Orthodontics

19/May/2024

It seems that more and more orthodontic patients seek 2nd opinions for themselves and their children. I am never surprised by what I hear at our consultations. I have recently seen a number of patients who have had what seems to be ineffective expansion treatment. Not all patients need expanders or retainers before their braces. In fact, the majority do not. If you are wondering about you or your child’s treatment plan please call our office at 567-1888 for a complimentary consultation.

Frost Orthodontics

19/May/2024

The most important question your orthodontist can ask at your initial examination is “what can we do for you today?” At our St. Louis orthodontics practice we strive to listen to our patients and their parents and direct our treatment to what is wanted and needed. There are many ways to get from point a to point b–and one size definitely does not fit all. Be assured that we will listen first and act second. We look forward to seeing you in our office and helping you with braces in Creve Coeur.

Frost Orthodontics

19/May/2024

One of the things we are most proud of at Frost Orthodontics is the long term commitment our staff has made to our practice. In fact, all of our staff have over 25 years of experience working with patients of all ages and their parents. We love our patients and we look forward to working with you.

Frost Orthodontics

19/May/2024

December 14, 2012

How often do patients with braces need to be seen in the office?

At Dr. Frost’s office adolescent patients are usually seen every five weeks. Adult patients are usually seen every three to four weeks. Patients with special circumstances might need to be seen more often. Examples of these type of patients may include those with impacted teeth, patients that need a lot of space closed or patients near the end of their treatment.

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The Best and Worst Foods for Your Teeth, Whether You Have Braces or Not

Good for your teeth:

Bad for your teeth:

Adults Can Get Braces Just as Easily as Kids!

The Hippocratic Oath and Orthodontists

X-Rays Reveal Potential Treatment Problems

Early Braces: How Young Should Children Get Braces?

Do you trust your orthodontist?

the 2nd opinion

Who needs braces?

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How often do patients with braces need to be seen in the office?