Talking retainers with Bernard & Eimer Orthodontics

If you recently completed treatment at Bernard & Eimer Orthodontics, we’d like to congratulate you! Now that your braces have been removed, Drs. Bernard or Eimer will provide—or have provided you—with retainers. After braces are removed, teeth can shift out of position if they are not stabilized. Retainers, however, provide the stabilization needed. 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 Drs. Bernard or Eimer is the best insurance that the treatment improvements last for a lifetime. Here are some things to remember when you receive your retainers:

* Wear your retainers full time, until Drs. Bernard or Eimer instruct otherwise. Wearing your retainers at night ensures that your pearly whites won’t relapse.

* 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.

* Retainers are breakable, so treat them with care. If retainers are lost or broken, give us a call immediately.

* 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, soccer, etc.).

We hope this helps! You can always contact our team by calling (330) 494-4310 if you have any questions! Happy Monday!!

Austin Grooms and Harriet Whitzel, our Smile for a Lifetime scholarship recipients!

Austin Grooms and Harriet Whitzel were awarded the second two scholarships for free orthodontic treatment in our practice. Our 10 Board members rated these children the most needy in terms of malocclusion and financial hardship.

Austin is 11 and in the 6th grade at Alliance Middle School. He had letters of recommendation from his dentist, pediatrician, and mother’s co-worker. Harriet is a 14 year old 8th grader at Minerva Middle School. She was recommended by her dentist and school counselor.

Two more candidates will be chosen in the fall and applications for Smile for a Lifetime can be downloaded from our website, www.drsosbern.com or picked up at school guidance offices, YMCAs, and community centers.

Bernard & Eimer Orthodontics, supporting the Moms For Mouth Guards Campaign

Our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists posted a great video about their Moms For Mouth Guards campaign, a program promoting the importance of mouth guards for our kids' sports activities. Through the Moms For Mouth Guards Campaign, football great Emmitt Smith and the AAO are educating parents and coaches about the importance of wearing mouth guards and other protective gear while kids are out on the field. The campaign encourages parents and coaches to take the Moms For Mouth Guards Pledge to keep their young athletes safer on the field. For every pledge received, the AAO makes a donation to the National Alliance of Youth Sports.

Remember, only by using a mouth guard can kids with and without braces avoid serious sports injuries. The next time you're in for a visit with Drs. Bernard or Eimer, be sure to ask us for a mouth guard, and we will provide one for you! We hope you're enjoying your summer so far!

National Smile Week at Bernard & Eimer Orthodontics!

It’s National Smile Week, and a GREAT time to remind our patients at Bernard and Eimer Orthodontics to practice good oral hygiene to keep those teeth shining during your orthodontic treatment! This includes brushing and flossing regularly, avoiding foods that can stain your teeth such as tea and coffee (and many others) and visiting your general dentist on a regular basis.

And remember to smile at people you come across throughout the week, whether you know them or not. Smiles are contagious, and are a good thing to give and to get. In addition, smiling can actually help you live longer, according to a recent study! We hope you're having a relaxing and wonderful summer!

From the Bernard and Eimer Orthodontics staff

Hygiene appreciation at Bernard & Eimer Orthodontics

We will be incorporating a contest for your dentist’s hygienist. We will be changing the blue card that you return to us for Wahoos after you have been to the dentist for a cleaning. The bottom of the card will have a tear off to put your hygienist in a contest thru our office to win a gift card to their favorite place!!

Happy Monday everybody!