For most people, a beautiful smile is the most obvious benefit of orthodontic treatment.

An orthodontist completes several years of extensive training beyond dental school to become an expert at correcting jaw problems and straightening teeth.  A dentist may see only a handful of cases a year amid all their drilling and filling.  An orthodontist only practices orthodontics and treats hundreds of cases a year.  An orthodontist doesn’t clean teeth, fill cavities, extract teeth or perform any of the routine procedures offered by your general dentist.  It is not our area of expertise. So be sure to see your dentist every six months for cleaning and checkups while wearing braces.

When it comes to the challenges and complexities of orthodontic treatment, most people prefer a specialist well trained and experienced.  You can depend on Get It Straight Orthodontics for the best of both worlds: a well functioning bite and the smile of your life! 

The Kings Firecrackers are an amazing performance jump rope team from the Kings Local School District in Ohio and was rated the #1 halftime touring team in 2009. The team is made up of talented 4th-8th graders and their foot work, skill and cardio-conditioning will take your breath away! They perform at venues across the country under the coaching of Lynn Kelley.You will not be surprised to learn that they have graced performances such as the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, a Presidential Inauguration and an appearance on The David Letterman Show.

We are constantly amazed everyday with the kids in our practice here in our three locations in Pittsford, Macedon, and our soon to be new location in Rochester, NY. The Kings Firecrackers are a great example of what can happen with dedicated hard work, a fun environment, and inspirational coaching. Go KINGS!

Let us know what you think about this amazing young team and their accomplishments. Leave a comment below. Would love to hear from you!

The Get it Straight orthodontists and  team are taking extra precautions to help curb the spread of germs and asking patients and parents to help. For the protection of all patients and our staff, we continue to stress the importance of rescheduling patient appointments if you or your child have any symptoms of illness that can infect others when visiting our office.

To promote a healthy and clean environment, we spend a great deal of time and attention on sanitation and sterilization in both our locations in Pittsford and Macedon, NY.  We follow all guidelines for sterilizing instruments and work surfaces to protect our patients and their families in our care.

Maintaining and protecting your home environment is also important during flu season. You may never have thought about it, but bacteria breeds on toothbrushes. Here are a few tips to follow to help protect you and your family at home:

• Wash your hands before and after brushing and flossing your teeth. 
• Allow toothbrushes to air dry out on the counter after each use.  Oxygen kills bacteria found on toothbrushes.
• Store the toothbrush in an upright position to allow water to drain and dry faster
• Replace a toothbrush after every cold or flu bout of each family member or every 2-3 months when bristles appear worn.

Hope this helps and give us a call if you have any questions! Stay healthy! 

Let us know if you have any suggestions on how to protect each other during cold and flu season.  Leave a comment below.

• Whitening
• Bonding
• Veneers
• Crowns

 Our society is very focused on appearance and often we look for the quick fix or instant gratification when looking to create a dental makeover to improve our smile.  At Get It Straight Orthodontics our goal is to educate parents and patients on the best options to attain an incredible smile while maintaining long term dental health.

Damon Braces or Invisalign are often the best option when looking to achieve a cosmetic result that will sustain itself over a lifetime.  It is also one of the least expensive alternatives over the long haul when you consider cosmetic procedures often need to be repeated and veneers and crowns must be replaced numerous times throughout life.

Obviously there are pros and cons to everything.  As orthodontists, our priority is positioning of teeth and sometimes repositioning of jaws to create the best possible occlusion or bite possible for long term good dental health.  During the process, whether it is with Invisalign or braces, an enhanced smile is a benefit of treatment.  If you are going to invest in your smile, orthodontics today is a win… win… all the way around. 

Below is a video produced by the American Association of Orthodontics for YouTube discussing why orthodontic treatment is often the smarter choice, not cosmetic quick fixes, when looking for ways to improve your appearance over a lifetime.  A good bite or occlusion should be the foundation on which a beautiful smile is built for best results.

After watching this video, what are your thoughts on straightening your teeth with orthodontic treatment vs artificially altering their structure to enhance your smile?  Be honest… we can take it!

Enjoy this poem that extends our warmest wishes for the coming new year in 2010.

Get It Straight

There is some truth to the myth, however: chewing gum is not digested. It contains resins, sometimes natural and sometimes synthetic, which our bodies cannot break down. Gum is simply passed along our digestive tract.

In rare cases, excessive amounts of swallowed gum can lead to constipation and intestinal blockage in young children. But parents need not be alarmed. Young children are not more susceptible to complications involving swallowed gum; young children are simply the only people who might swallow enough gum to cause digestive problems. Kids often forget or may not understand that gum is for chewing and not swallowing.

Simply put, an individual must swallow multiple pieces of gum in a very short period of time or swallow one great big wad of chewing gum to create a potential digestive risk. At one time or another, every kid puts five or six pieces of gum in their mouth to achieve an ultra-dense, cheek-bulging wad, especially with bubble gum if they want to blow big bubbles. If they swallowed that particular wad of gum, well, that could pose a problem. The truth, however, is the occasional swallowed piece of chewing gum is going to have no effect on the body.

Now that we have established the truth about swallowing gum, let’s talk a little about what kind of gum is right for your kids. Is gum really bad for a child’s teeth? Does chewing sugary gum lead directly to cavities? This depends a lot on the volume of gum and the brushing habits of the child.

What happens when we chew gum is the sugars are broken down by the saliva and absorbed or swallowed. What are left on the teeth are acidic byproducts—these eat away at tooth enamel and create cavities.

 The orthodontists at Get It Straight want to assure you that chewing gum will not have much effect on overall dental health as long as the chewer practices good oral hygiene and brushes three times a day. Chewing several pieces of sugary gum every day without brushing properly will certainly accelerate tooth decay and cause cavities.  However, from an orthodontic point of view, chewing gum can damage the brackets and wires we place during treatment which is why we ask our patients not to chew gum while wearing braces. 

So if your kids aren't wearing braces, does that mean you should only allow them to chew sugar-free gum? This is where the debate gets personal. Some health professionals suggest sugar-free gum is not any healthier than regular gum because of its synthetic sweeteners. The Internet is flooded with literature about aspartame (the chemical sweetener used in NutraSweet and Equal), saccharine (Sweet’N’Low, Carefree gum), and also sucralose (the artificial sweetener in Splenda). Study the facts and decide for yourself what is best for you and your family.

Drs Giangreco, Preston, and Cortese continue to stress the importance of helping those less fortunate during tough economic times. As always, we make it fun for our patients to contribute by combining the food drive with our holiday contest. For each non-perishable food item donated at either of our two locations in Pittsford, NY and Macedon, NY  you receive a raffle ticket to possibly win one of three prizes. Winners for the drawings will be notified after the 12/31/09 drawing.  For more information on how the contest works, watch our video to the left.

It has been a rough year for many not only in our Rochester NY community, but around the country. There has been an increase the number of families requiring assistance and it is still increasing. Food agencies are finding it difficult to keep up with the demand. Every little bit counts…so bring whatever you don't need.  When we all work together helping those less fortunate, we have the power to make a difference, especially with families that are food challenged. Watch the video below to see what is going on in other areas of the country.

In order to become an orthodontist, just like your dentist, an orthodontist goes to dental school. After dental school however, the orthodontists at Get It Straight continued their dental education by attending an orthodontic graduate program, for a few more years, to become experts in orthodontic treatment using many different types of braces

Below is a video put out by the American Association of Orthodontics discussing the importance of choosing an orthodontist to improve your smile.

Unlike your general dentist who takes care of your overall dental health by cleaning your teeth, removing decay, and rebuilding broken down or discolored teeth with crowns and veneers, at Get It Straight… all we do is create beautiful smiles every day with braces.

We have chosen to limit our practice to what we do best, straightening teeth and correcting jaw problems due to heredity, bad habits such as thumb sucking, and abnormal growth of the jaw. This is why we send our patients back to their general dentist for routine cleanings and checkups every six months, instead of doing it ourselves.

Other dental specialties you may know about are:

• Endodontist: dentist who only treats the soft tissue inside your teeth that may no longer be healthy and causing tooth discomfort
• Periodontist: dentist who only takes care of the gums and other tissues surrounding your teeth
• Pedodontist: dentist who works only with children
• Oral Surgeon: dentist who only removes teeth and other surgical procedures involving the teeth, mouth, and jaws

Be rest assured, at Get It Straight you and your family will receive the best possible orthodontic care available today in Pittsford NY and the greater Rochester NY area.

Many types of candy can be harmful to braces that patients find in their candy bags.  Here are some tips and tricks for all family members to help keep emergency visits to the orthodontist down and still allow them to enjoy some of the treats.

There are lots of candies orthodontic patients can enjoy, but most should be avoided:

• Gummy bears, Sourpatch kids, tootsie rolls or pops, taffy, or licorice.  Anything that is sticky or chewy and can stick to appliances
• Hard candy of any kind.  Even if you suck on them, you may forget and crunch down bending a wire or breaking a bracket or appliance
• Anything with caramel, toffee, and/or nuts that is chewy like Snicker bars or Paydays
• Caramel apples

Safe Candy is usually made of chocolate:

• Reeses Peanut Butter Cups
• Hershey Bars or kisses

To keep all kids in the family happy… we suggest a candy swap.  Spread all the candy out on the floor.  Kids with braces can trade the no no candy for safe candy with their siblings.  Make is a family effort to support the child wearing braces.

However, no matter what, it is important to brush your teeth after eating any type of candy, because the sugars in the candies can lead to tooth decay.

Breaking appliances slows down treatment and is a great inconvience to the family, especially if you have to take a child out of school or take time off work to fix a problem that may have been avoided.   However, if you do have an orthodontic emergency visit our website for suggestions on how to temporarily handle the situation and call our office to schedule an appointment to repair appliances during patient hours.

In the meantime, we thought we would give moms some early ideas on what sweets they can make for kids wearing braces so they don't feel left out.  This video was put out by the Food Network and the American Association of Orthodontics. For those who like to get an early jump on things, we are posting early…  See what kids of all ages can eat without destroying their orthodontic appliances before and after Halloween.