Cold Weather Safety Tips From Dr. Kossoff

The holiday season is here, but with it also comes unpredictable weather. This week, Dr. Kossoff and team would like to share a few winter safety tips that we found on the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry website. These tips include everything from what to wear outdoors to tips for winter snow sports. Enjoy!

• Older babies and young children should generally be dressed in one more layer of clothing than an adult would wear in the same conditions
• Several thin clothing layers will keep an infant or child dry and warm. Warm boots, gloves, mittens, and a hat are necessities!
• A cold air humidifier, saline nose drops, and petrolatum will help a child that suffers from winter nosebleeds.
• It is important for children to wash their hands frequently, and to use the bend of their elbow if they need to sneeze or cough to prevent the spread of colds and flu.
• Never ski or snowboard alone. Adults should supervise young children participating in winter sports.
• When sledding, it is preferable to separate young children from older children, and to avoid crowded areas.
• The AAP recommends that children under age 16 not operate snowmobiles and that children under age 6 never ride on snowmobiles.

We hope that these tips help keep you and your loved ones safe and sound this winter season. Please give us a call if you have any questions, or if you would like to schedule your next appointment at Kossoff Orthodontics.

Celebrities get braces, too!

Did you know that back in 2002, Tom Cruise had braces? During this time, he was 40 years old and filmed Minority Report, Austin Powers in Goldmember and the Last Samurai. Check out his smile in Jerry Maguire, Rain Man or The Firm and compare to the post-braces Tom Cruise in Valkyrie or Tropic Thunder. The fact is, movie stars need to look their best for the silver screen, and it wouldn't be possible without orthodontists like Dr. Kossoff.

In fact, lots of Hollywood stars have had orthodontic treatment. Check out this slideshow of famous faces with braces. If you’ve thought about getting the perfect smile you’ve always wanted, please give Kossoff Orthodontics a call.

Top ten tips for keeping your BRACES sparklin’ clean, from Kossoff Orthodontics

Keeping your teeth clean is more important than ever when you have braces. Food bits have more spots than usual to hide in your mouth, so you must be diligent in order to avoid bad breath, swollen gums, discolored teeth and cavities. If you remove plaque regularly during treatment, you'll experience better results and shorter treatment time. Keep plaque at bay with these top ten tips:

1. One tooth at a time. When you brush, take time with each individual tooth – at least 10 seconds each – and pay careful attention to the spots where your teeth touch your braces.

2. It’s all about the angles. Brush the tops of your teeth and braces with your brush angled down toward where they meet. Brush the bottoms of your teeth and braces with your brush angled up.

3. The tooth, the whole tooth, nothing but the tooth. While the front surface of your teeth may seem like the most logical to clean, it’s equally important to clean the inner surface of your teeth (tongue side) as well as the chewing surface. And be sure to clean along your gum line – a key spot for plaque buildup.

4. Step 1: eat, step 2: clean. While you’re in treatment, it’s important to brush after every meal. Bits of food can easily get caught between braces and teeth, and these food bits interact with bacteria in your mouth to cause decay. The longer food is in contact with your teeth, the greater opportunity for plaque to form. If you are eating somewhere that you can’t brush, thoroughly rinse your mouth with water.

5. Like a Boy Scout, always be prepared. The easiest way to be sure you can brush after every meal is to get in the habit of taking a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss with you wherever you go. Designate a special container just for your teeth-cleaning tools and keep it in your purse, backpack, or laptop case.

6. Remove the moving parts. If you have elastic bands or headgear, remove these parts before you brush or floss.

7. Fluoride is your friend. Fluoride helps prevent cavities. Be sure to brush with fluoride toothpaste, and rinse with fluoride mouthwash.

8. Pointy brushes reach tiny places. Interproximal brushes (sometimes called proxa brushes or interdental brushes) are cone-shaped and come in very handy for reaching spots around your braces that standard brushes can’t.

9. Find the floss for you. Regular floss works for some patients, but others find it easier to work with a floss threader, which helps you get the floss into tight places. Other patients like an all-in-one product called Superfloss, which comes with a stiff end for easy threading, a spongy section for cleaning wide spaces, and regular floss for narrow spaces.

10. Make time for the pros. It’s your job to take care of the everyday cleaning. But make sure to visit your dentist regularly while in treatment, to get the deep, thorough cleaning that only a professional can provide. If you need help finding the right Dentist for you, feel free to contact our office - we’d love to help!

Ask Dr. Kossoff: Am I too old for braces?

Who’s afraid of “metal mouth” and the appearance of braces? Not adults, apparently. Recently, our staff at Kossoff Orthodontics read a fascinating statistic: the number of adults getting braces has climbed 24 percent since 1996! Yes, braces help make your pearly whites strong, healthy and perfectly-aligned, but perhaps another reason for the spike in adult braces is this: people want to look and feel great. In an age—and society—where looks matter as much as anything, and at a time when evenly-aligned and sparkling teeth might be the difference between getting a job or a promotion, adults are choosing—wisely, we might add—to invest in orthodontics. Orthodontic treatment with Dr. Kossoff can be successful at any age, and adults especially appreciate the benefits of a beautiful smile.

If you’ve been thinking about getting that perfect smile, Dr. Kossoff would love to have you visit for a consultation. Please give us a call to set one up!

Thanks to Invisalign®, mom and dad can have a perfect smile, too! From Kossoff Orthodontics

Hey parents! Focusing on your kids' teeth and oral health so much that you're neglecting your own? If you've been thinking wistfully about having your own set of perfect teeth, our staff at Kossoff Orthodontics can help! We are specially trained to offer an adult-friendly option for straightening teeth called Invisalign.

This course of treatment consists of a set of clear aligners that are molded to fit your teeth using a proprietary technology. You wear them all day and night, except for meals, brushing, and flossing – when you can easily slip them out to make eating and cleaning a snap!

Because they're clear, your teeth will be steadily straightening – and no one will know it but you!

Please give us a call to set up a consultation, so we can discuss the specifics of your treatment.

Kossoff Orthodontics presents: Orthodontic fun facts!

Everyone loves fun facts. They're just so much fun! The American Association of Orthodontists, or AAO, has come up with some fun facts about orthodontics that our team at Kossoff Orthodontics thought you might enjoy.

• There are nearly 4 million people in orthodontic treatment throughout the United States. Three out of four are younger than 18.

• The first mechanical treatment for correcting irregular teeth was suggested by Gaius Plinius Secundus (A.D 23-79).The American Association of Orthodontists is comprised of more than 12,000 members in the United States, Canada and abroad.

• The time required to complete orthodontic treatment ranges from 12 to 36 months depending on the nature and severity of the problem.

• Of the 160,000 dentists in the United States and Canada, 8,000 are practicing orthodontists.

• The cement that attaches the braces to the teeth is now made with a special fluoride-releasing substance.

• Wires activated by body heat used in today's braces originally were developed by NASA for use in the space program.

• In addition to alleviating or preventing physical health problems, orthodontics can boost self-esteem as treatment aligns teeth, jaws and lips.

• Famous orthodontic patients include: Dr. Joyce Brothers, Hale Irwin, Cher, Diana Ross, Phyllis Diller, Chelsea Clinton, Whoopi Goldberg, Daisy Fuentes and Brandi.

The importance of retainers, from Kossoff Orthodontics

If you recently completed treatment at Kossoff Orthodontics, we’d like to congratulate you! Now that your braces have been removed, Dr. Kossoff will provide—or has provided you—with retainers. After braces are removed, teeth can shift out of position if they are not stabilized. Retainers, however, always provide that stabilization. They are designed to hold teeth in their corrected, ideal positions until the bones and gums adapt to the treatment changes. Wearing retainers exactly as instructed by Dr. Kossoff is the best insurance that the treatment improvements last for a lifetime.

To learn more about the advantages of wearing retainers after your orthodontic treatment with Dr. Kossoff, please read this helpful article about retainers from KidsHealth or give us a call!

Kossoff Orthodontics, Wishing You a Happy Fourth of July!

This Sunday,our team will celebrate America's 234th birthday. For most people, Independence Day is a time to celebrate, as well as commemorate, the anniversary of the signing of America's Declaration of Independence. It's also a time for most Americans to pay homage to all our soldiers - past and present - who lost their lives in battle - and those soldiers who continue to place themselves in danger every day so that Americans everywhere may celebrate our freedom.

Today, we thought we'd ask: what are your Fourth of July weekend plans? Are you heading to a barbecue? Hitting the great American open road with family?

We invite you to post your responses on our Facebook page! Please feel free to post photos as well!

Whatever you end up doing over Independence Day weekend, our entire staff hope you have a safe and happy Fourth of July weekend!

Smile--June is National Smile Month!

Now that we’re in June, our staff at Kossoff Orthodontics thought we’d tell you June is National Smile Month, and a good time to remind all our patients to practice good oral hygiene between your visits to us and your general dentist.

Below are a few simple steps you can take to improve your oral health so that you may celebrate National Smile Month for many, many years to come:

* Brush at least twice a day with fluoride toothpaste.
* Floss everyday to clean between your teeth and braces.
* Reduce your intake of sugary foods and drinks during your orthodontic treatment
* Visit your dentist regularly (every 6 months)!

If you have questions about any of these tips, we encourage you to give us a call.

Ask Kossoff Orthodontics: Why is it so important to have straight teeth?

Some people wonder why Chagrin Falls and Mentor, OH orthodontist Dr. Howard Kossoff and our team work tirelessly to give our patients straight teeth. Of course it’s nice to have a smile full of evenly aligned teeth, but did you know that straightening your teeth at Kossoff Orthodontics can keep them healthier? Straight teeth lead to better oral hygiene, increasing your chances of keeping your own natural teeth for a lifetime!
Straight teeth are less prone to decay, because they collect less plaque—the sticky colorless substance that forms on our teeth and leads to tooth decay; and they are easier to keep clean!

If you’re wondering whether your teeth might cause problems because they are out of alignment, please give us a call to set up a no pressure, complimentary consultation. Dr. Kossoff can help you decide whether or not you will benefit from orthodontic treatment.

Meet Our Orthodontist

Born and raised in Cleveland, Dr. Kossoff is a true Buckeye. He began his journey toward becoming an orthodontist after graduating from Brush High School and attending Ohio State University, where he graduated from Dental School in 1971.

After graduating, Dr. Kossoff served in the Army Dental Corps for two years. Once out of the army, Dr. Kossoff returned to Cleveland, where he attended Case Western Reserve University to receive his Master’s of Science Degree in Orthodontics.

In 1975, Dr. Kossoff opened his practice, and ever since that very first day as an orthodontist, it has been his goal to serve the orthodontic needs of his patients in a fun, caring environment! Dr. Kossoff’s greatest joy as an orthodontist is getting to see the happiness on the face of a patient who before receiving orthodontic treatment hated to smile, and now loves to smile with confidence.

Dr. Kossoff received the Most Treasured Volunteer Award for providing orthodontic care from the Cleveland Free Clinic. He also served as a member of the craniofacial team at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital for over 25 years, and he continues to teach and lecture at the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine Orthodontic Department.