Do You Have TMJ?

Do you have an aching pain in your jaw that hurts when you chew and is giving you headaches?  You may have TMJ.

TMJ, or the Temporomandibular Joint, acts as a hinge that connects your jaw bone (mandibular) to your skull.  TMJ disorder causes a pain in the joint and the surrounding muscles due to a slippage or erosion of the joint disk.  This slippage or erosion is usually due to arthritis, a hard blow to the jaw, stress, or continued clenching of the jaw.  It most commonly occurs in women between 20 and 40 years old but can happen at any age regardless of gender.  TMJ can have a wide variety of symptoms including:

• Pain or tenderness of your jaw
• Aching pain in and around your ear
• Difficulty or discomfort chewing
• Aching facial pain
• Locking of the joint that may cause a clicking sound

When Should I See My Doctor?

Usually TMJ can subside with home treatment such as massaging the joint area, unclenching your jaw, applying heat and cold packs, and taking pain medication.  However, if the pain continues and you are having trouble eating or opening your jaw you should call your dentist right away.  You may need to be fitted for a jaw splint or bite guard to help ease the inflammation and rubbing.

If you think you may have TMJ and the pain is not subsiding, call Reed Orthodontics for a consult today.

Why Should You Wear a Mouthguard?

Braces can be a great way to fix your smile, but some precautions must be taken to make sure your smile stays that way. Mouthguards are crucial to your health and safety. They not only protect your teeth but they prevent concussions and other head injuries. 

Originally thought to be just a small head trauma, information about the effects of the concussions have come to light over the past few years. Concussions can lead to memory loss, depression, and headaches. Helmets help, but mouthguards make a true difference, especially for those sports without helmets.

However, just wearing a mouthguard will not fully protect you. The mouthguard must be properly fitted and molded to your mouth, just like braces! Otherwise, they might not be as effective.  Today, many dentists and orthodontists have begun to make custom mouthguards for young athletes. One Ohio dental assistant stated:

The No. 1 cause of concussions is not wearing a mouth guard. Athletes who don’t wear mouth guards, particularly hockey, football or any high-impact sport, when the player gets hit, the lower jaw bangs into the upper jaw and that consequently is what causes a concussion.  Custom, lab-processed mouth guards will prevent it nine times out of 10.

Be sure to ask your dentist or orthodontist to be fitted for a mouthguard, especially if you have braces. 

To schedule an appointment with Tina Reed Orthodontics, call us today at (412) 421-8565!

Will Braces Change My Facial Structure?

If you’re interested in getting braces for yourself, chances are, you’re doing it to achieve a better looking, healthier smile. And sometimes, the shifting of the teeth does cause slight changes in the shape of your face.

After all, your teeth are part of your face! (Along with your other facial tissue and bone structure.) Particularly if you have maloclussion—misalignment of the teeth—it is quite possible that your new smile will make your face look a little different. However, these changes almost always work to bring more balance to your facial features and add up to an overall more attractive appearance. In fact, many orthodontic treatments were designed to improve unbalanced facial features.

For example, if you have a protruding mouth or chin, wearing braces that are properly aligned by a skilled orthodontist can absolutely correct the problem. You may even see noticeable changes in your profile and jawline within the first year of wearing braces—so not only will you have a straighter smile, but you’ll also have a perfectly proportioned face!

If you’re especially worried about major changes to your facial structure, consider lingual braces—installed behind the teeth, they’re 100% customizable and result in straight teeth without making drastic, negative changes to the shape of your mouth or jaw. These are a great choice for adults who are hesitant about having metal wires and brackets wrapped in front of their teeth.

To schedule an appointment with Tina Reed Orthodontics, call us today at 412.421.8565 or click here to send our staff a message.

What “Causes” Bad Teeth?

It’s completely normal and common for new patients to come in feeling a little embarrassed about their teeth. Having teeth that you don’t feel confident showing off can be a big source of stress and some patients may even take it personally that they don’t have the most perfect teeth in the world from the get-go.

But new research tells us that we actually have very little control over our teeth—we are born with them, after all. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine have determined that genetics are in fact the most important factor when it comes to your teeth. However, of course we do have some control—brushing regularly, flossing, and avoiding sugary foods are great ways to make the most out of the teeth that you do have.

Here are some of the key facts courtesy of CNN.com:

About 60% of the risk for tooth decay appears to be due to genetic factors, says Mary L. Marazita, director of the Center for Craniofacial and Dental Genetics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine.

The other 40% has to do with environment: diet, brushing frequency, smoking habits, dental care access, culture, even socioeconomic factors, according to Robert J. Weyant, chairman of the University of Pittsburgh's Department of Dental Public Health.

So far, the single biggest environmental factor scientists have identified that encourages tooth decay is the consumption of sugary drinks, Weyant said. Any sugary treat can hurt, but sugary drinks are particularly adept at spreading sugar to every corner of your mouth to feed the bacteria that cause decay.

Click here to read the full article on CNN.com.

To schedule an appointment with Tina Reed Orthodontics, call us today at 412.421.8565 or click here to send our staff a message.

Fourth of July Festivities in Pittsburgh

With July 4 approaching, Pittsburghers are gearing up for a busy weekend of Independence Day Celebrations. And fortunately, there’s lots going on!

Year after year, the Three Rivers Regatta is one of the biggest, most fun events celebrating our rivers and some of our city’s most talented people. Here’s some info on this year’s Regatta, courtesy of WTAE:

Highlights will include the F-2 Powerboat North American Championships, the K9 Crew Frisbee Dog Show, a BMX stunt show, the Anything That Floats competition and a Zambelli fireworks show to light up the sky over the Golden Triangle on the Fourth.

Previously announced was Pogopalooza, the annual world championship of extreme pogo, featuring high-flying stunts and flips by competitors from the U.S., Canada, South America, and Europe.

Or, if you’re more of a night owl and are really looking forward to this year’s fireworks display, there are lots of secret and not-so-secret spots that’ll give you a great view. About.com’s Pittsburgh section gathered some of the best fireworks viewing spots in the city:

• If you like your fireworks up close and personal, then head downtown early to stake out a lawn spot at Point State Park where the fountain is finally up and running again!
• Great lawn spots are also available on the North Shore riverfront. Parking may be at a premium, so to avoid the worst of the crowds try parking in one of the downtown Pittsburgh garages and then walk over the Roberto Clemente Bridge to the North Shore.
• For a true front seat view, Kayak Pittsburgh offers a special 4th of July paddle. The fun begins with a leisurely paddle upstream at 7:00 p.m., and then a float back to the Point at sunset for a gorgeous view of the fireworks. Cost is $70.00 for Venture Outdoors members and $95.00 for non-members.
• There's a front row seat waiting for you at the Carnegie Science Center too. For $39.00 per person, you can enjoy a special evening of activities at the Science Center's Fireworks Blowout, plus a guaranteed spot for spectacular views of the fireworks from the lawn! For a premium, you can even stake out seats atop the U.S.S. Requim, or the roof of the Science Center.

Click here to read the full article!

Investing in a Smile that Returns the Favor

Some of the best things in life, you can’t put a dollar sign on. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have value.

A smile is one of those things—you can’t put a price on a great smile, but when you’ve got one, the rewards are extraordinary. Scientific study after study reveals the various social and psychological benefits of genuine smiling, both on you, and the people who surround you. One study followed some college-aged women for 30 years who smiled in their college yearbook photos. Those who had smiled the most in those yearbook photos had happier lives and marriages, as well as fewer personal setbacks in the following years. 

On the Huffington Post, marketing strategist Ted Rubin explored some of the ways that a smile can enhance your “personal brand”—and your life. He writes:

I sent something out on Instagram recently -- a photo collage of the smiling faces of friends -- with the following comment: "Smile at your customers, Smile at your employees, Smile at your vendors, Smile at your family and friends, Smile at strangers. Smile... the ROI will amaze you!" It got more than 30 likes almost immediately. I sent the same message (and photo) out on Facebook, with even more engagement.

… 

However, I think the true ROI of a smile lies in the bond it creates when we share a smile with others. People can't help but be drawn to you when you smile. So the more we make a conscious effort to do it, the more habitual the act becomes. The law of attraction states that "like attracts like," so the more you smile, the more positive people you'll draw to yourself naturally.

An investment in a smile isn’t just an investment in your own personal well-being—it’s an investment in the happiness of those around you. It creates an infinite circle of smiles. And isn’t that what life should be all about?

To schedule an appointment with Tina Reed Orthodontics, call us today at 412.421.8565 or click here to send our staff a message.

Surprising Smiling Facts!

We’ve always known that smiling is important for your self esteem, but new research indicates that it might mean even more than we thoughts.

Dr. Peter Collett, a behavioral psychologist, has outlined some surprising facts about smiling. Here are some of our favorites: A body language expert from Oxford has pinpointed six types of smiles: These include flirty, submissive, honest, secretive and dominant

• Keeping your eyebrows level while smiling makes you seem more powerful, while raising them suggests submissiveness.
• The ‘look-up’ smile can be used to appear seductive and flirtatious 
• It is also thought to be contagious because it mimics laughter
• Study has found that 67 per cent of women worry about their smiles and both sexes think it's the most attractive feature in a partner
• Up to twelve facial muscles are involved in smiling – slightly more, it’s been observed, than the number of muscles involved in frowning. 
• The most important of these are the Zygomatic major muscles, which hoist up the corners of the mouth and expose the top teeth, the risorius muscles which pull the corners of the mouth sideways, and the orbicularis oculi which contract around the eyes, creating wrinkles outside the eyes. 
• There are several things that distinguish fake smiles from genuine smiles. One is asymmetry, where the smile appears more on one side of the face than the other. 
• Another is the sudden appearance and disappearance of the smile. 
• As a rule, genuine smiles involve the muscles around the mouth as well as the orbicularis oculi – those supposedly involuntary muscles around the eyes – whereas false smiles only involve the muscles around the mouth
• Psychologists have discovered that women typically smile more than men, and men tend to reduce their smiling in order to appear more dominant.
• It’s possible to spot someone’s nationality from how they smile. 
• American smiles, for example, concentrate on the Zygomatic major muscles - the muscles that pull up the corners of the mouth and expose the top teeth - whereas English smiles often enlist the risorius muscles, which pull the corners of the mouth sideways, so that the lips remain sealed and the teeth aren’t exposed at all. 
• Researchers analysed the photographs of a large sample of women who had appeared in a college yearbook in the late 1950s. They then contacted the women and interviewed them thirty years later. They found that those young students with the biggest smiles had gone on to have the most stable marriages in later life, and that they’d also experienced fewer physical and psychological problems.

Click here to read the full article!