Tell Dau Orthodontics what’s on your mind!

By now, you're probably familiar with the drill, right? Every week, our creative team at Dau Orthodontics blog about important topics pertinent to orthodontic care and your well-being, including innovative orthodontic techniques Dr. Dau offers.

This week, however, Dr. Dau and team thought we’d step back and ask you, our wonderful patients and readers: what’s on your mind? What would you like to know about the always-changing field of orthodontics? What would you like us to focus on our blog? Perhaps there’s something you’ve wanted to ask us for a while now? Let us know by posting here or on our interactive Facebook fan page!

Gum disease and YOU, from Dr. Steven Dau

It’s easy to tell when you have a cavity, but unfortunately, gum disease can exist in your mouth without you even knowing, says Dr. Dau. In fact, you can have the beginning stages of gum disease without noticing any pain or discomfort. Since gum disease can be undetectable, it’s important to watch for warning signs in order to prevent the disease from worsening!

Signs to watch for:

• Gums that appear red or swollen
• Gums that feel tender
• Gums that bleed easily (during brushing or flossing)
• Gums that recede or pull away from the teeth
• Persistent bad breath
• Loose teeth
• Any change in the way teeth come together in the biting position
• Any change in the way partial dentures fit

If you or someone in your family is showing these signs, schedule an appointment right away by giving us a call at (813) 235-4730. We can diagnose the problem and begin treatment to save your teeth and give you back a healthy mouth!

The importance of retainers, from Dau Orthodontics

If you recently completed treatment at Dau Orthodontics, we’d like to congratulate you! Now that your braces have been removed, Dr. Steven Dau will provide you with retainers. Retainers are important as they hold your teeth in their corrected positions your braces have been removed.

Without retainers, your teeth may relapse out of their newly-aligned positions and regress to their original positions. If a relapse occurs, it usually requires braces to correct the alignment of teeth again. Here are some things to remember when you receiver your retainers from Dr. Dau:

* Wear your retainers full time, until the doctor instructs otherwise.
* Take your retainers out when eating...and always put retainers in their case! (Most appliances are lost in school lunch rooms or restaurants.)
* Clean retainers thoroughly once a day with a toothbrush and only a small amount of toothpaste. Use warm but not hot water.
* When retainers are not in your mouth they should ALWAYS be in a retainer case.
* Initially, you may find it difficult to speak. Practice speaking, reading, or singing aloud to get used to them quicker.
* Retainers are breakable, so treat them with care. If retainers are lost or broken, give us a call immediately.
* Try to remember to bring your retainers to your appointments.
* Retainer replacement is expensive...with proper care they will last for years!
* Remove retainers when swimming or during any sporting activity in which the retainers could fall out and get broken or lost (cheerleading, basketball, etc.) or when you should be wearing a mouth guard (football, lacrosse, etc.).
* Keep retainers away from hot water, hot car dashboards, pockets, the washing machine, and napkins.

We hope this helps! You can always give our team a call if you have any questions!

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

Who’s afraid of “metal mouth” and the appearance of braces? Not adults, apparently. Recently, our dedicated staff at Dau Orthodontics read a fascinating statistic: adults getting braces has jumped 24 percent from just 14 years ago. In fact, more than 30 percent of orthodontic patients today are adults. Yes, braces help make your pearly whites strong, healthy and perfectly-aligned, but perhaps another reason for the spike in adult braces is this: cosmetics. In an age—and society—where looks matter as much as anything, and at a time when evenly-aligned teeth might be the difference between getting a job or a promotion, adults are choosing to invest in orthodontics.

While orthodontic treatment is often associated with children and teenagers, adult orthodontics and braces at our Tampa and Lutz orthodontic offices can achieve amazing results for adult patients. With treatments such as Invisalign®, In-Ovation Braces and clear ceramic braces,you can have your teeth straightened less noticeably. Orthodontic treatment with Dr. Steven Dau 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. Dau, as well as our entire team, would love to have you visit for a consultation. Give us a call to set one up!

Getting social at Dau Orthodontics

At Dau Orthodontics, we love and embrace technology, whether it’s through the innovative orthodontic treatments Dr. Steven Dau offers, our high-tech web site or our Facebook fan page.

As you can probably tell, we love connecting with our patients online, whether it’s by sharing news on our blog or communicating ideas on our fan page. For social media to work, we understand that conversation is vital, and that’s why we invite you to join in and tell us what’s on your mind. Although social networks are hugely popular these days, Dr. Dau and team know they’re unpredictable and ever-changing.

While Dr. Dau and our dedicated staff take a little time to research how to best use social media, we thought we’d ask you, our loyal patients: How would you like us to use our social networks? What would you like us to share on our blog? Please post your thoughts or feel free to give us a call!