Lakeville, Farmington & St. Paul Orthodontist, MN – Blog

LAKEVILLE AND SAVAGE, MINNESOTA – Patients of all ages who seek orthodontic treatment more frequently inquire about Invisalign.

The teenage population has some specific needs in terms of orthodontic treatment and Align Technologies, the makers of Invisalign, addressed those when they introduced Invisalign Teen.

Following are the key differences between Invisalign and Invisalign Teen:

1- Extra aligners.

“Let’s face it- teens are active and may not always have their orthodontic treatment at the forefront of their minds,” says Prior Lake Invisalign Teen specialist Dr. Trudy Bonvino, of the orthodontic dental practiceCosmopolitan Orthodontics.

Traditional, fixed braces for kidsdon’t provide the opportunities for loss that removable, clear aligners do, so Invisalign Teen comes with six free replacement aligners, should your child misplace an aligner or two during treatment.

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LAKEVILLE, SAVAGE AND ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA – Tooth sensitivity can be a real pain. No one wants to wince in pain each time they bite into a popsicle or drink a cup of hot chocolate.

Tooth sensitivity is fairly common- one in five adults deals with it- but there are some measures you can take if you are a tooth sensitivity sufferer.

Before we share our recommendations for alleviating tooth sensitivity, let’s share a bit about what causes it. We sometimes have patients at our Lakeville, Savage and St. Paul orthodontics office who complain of sensitivity after getting their dental braces. There is a difference between sensitivity and soreness. The “sensitivity” that a new braces wearer might experience is temporary and goes away when the teeth have adjusted to having appliances on them, says Dr. Trudy Bonvino, the adult and children’s orthodontiston staff at Cosmopolitan Orthodontics.

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LAKEVILLE, SAVAGE & ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA – Parents of infants often wonder when is the right time to get their youngster into an oral hygiene regimen.

We’re glad they ask the question, because getting started on the right foot with good information can prevent trouble down the road.

“Good oral care should begin before a child’s first teeth appear,” says Dr. Trudy Bonvino, a Savage and Lakeville orthodontist who treats patients from throughout the area, including St. Paul.

Here at Cosmopolitan Orthodontics, we may not see your child until they’re age seven, but we want to provide parents will all the tools necessary to keep your children’s teeth healthy in the mean time.
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SAVAGE, LAKEVILLE AND BURNSVILLE, MINNESOTA- Even if you never need braces, the chances are pretty good that you will deal with a canker sore or even a cold sore at some point in your life.

Let’s explain a bit about each, so that in the event you’re ever faced with one of these situations, you’ll have a better idea of what to expect and what your treatment options include.

Canker Sores
These pesky ailments are the most common mouth ulcer.

“What’s really frustrating about these ulcers is that their cause is largely unknown,” says Dr. Trudy Bonvino, a children’s orthodontist at the Lakeville and Burnsville pediatric orthodontics office of Cosmopolitan Orthodontics.

A canker sore is a painful sore that can appear inside the mouth in the cheeks, lips, on the tongue or at the base of your gums. Although it is not believed that having braces can create a canker sore, orthodontic treatment can make them more uncomfortable if parts of braces rub against them, says Dr. Bonvino, who also is an Invisalign provider.

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SAVAGE AND LAKEVILLE, MINNESOTA – Occasionally we come across parents who don’t view their child’s baby teeth as a priority in terms of oral  health. Because their child ultimately will lose those teeth, they sometimes act as though losing them early is no big deal.

Nothing could be farther from the truth, says Dr. Trudy Bonvino, a Savage Invisalign Teen provider who also offers conventional braces for kids and adults. Baby teeth serve a variety of important functions, including maintaining proper spacing for when adult teeth begin to erupt.

“Each and every baby tooth in your child’s mouth serves as a guide for the adult teeth,” Dr. Bonvino says. “If a baby tooth is lost before the adult tooth erupts, it could erupt incorrectly.”

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LAKEVILLE, SAVAGE & FARMINGTON, MINNESOTA – This holiday season tends to be associated with giving and with remembering those in our communities who don’t have all of their needs met.

We’re asking our patients to think about those who might be facing tough economic times this year by donating a new, unwrapped gift to Toys for Tots. Giving is easy, as both of our Cosmopolitan Orthodontics locations are drop-off points again this year. The donation boxes will be at our offices through Dec. 19.

Dr. Trudy Bonvino, of the Savage and Farmington orthodontist’s office, is reminding patients that not only will giving make them feel good; they’ll get something in return.

“Our patients who bring toys to donate will be rewarded with tokens, which they are able to collect and redeem for great prizes,” says Dr. Bonvino, who provides orthodontics for kids and adults. “Since our office opened, we have made an effort to be part of community-related activities, and Toys for Tots is an ideal opportunity for us to get our patients involved, too.” [More]

SAVAGE, LAKEVILLE AND SHAKOPEE, MINNESOTA – Shakopee orthodontists Dr. Trudy Bonvino says with the holiday season fast approaching, it’s wise to brush up on oral health care tips.

Practicing good oral hygiene can help take the bite out of sugary sweets and keep them from taking a bite out of your teeth.

Save the Best for Last
If you’re indulging in sweets, Lakeville and Savage children’s orthodontist recommend saving them until after meals, when saliva production is at its height. Saliva acts as a natural protector of your teeth.

Brush & Floss for Dental Fitness
Chewing hard candies not only can be detrimental to traditional braces by damaging appliances, but for those who wear clear orthodontic braces or aren’t in orthodontic treatment at all, hard candy can get stuck between your teeth and lead to cavities, says Dr. Bonvino, who provides braces for children and adults. Don’t forget to floss daily to keep the areas between teeth free of food debris, and brush after meals.

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SAVAGE, LAKEVILLE & PRIOR LAKE, MINNESOTA – Although appearances always seem to be at the forefront, it’s not the sole reason why orthodontic appliances and treatment were created, says Dr. Trudy Bonvino, our resident expert at our Savage and Prior Lake children’s orthodontist’s office.In addition to looks- and often more importantly- orthodontic treatment was designed to correct function problems in children and adults.

Braces for kids and adults, and in many cases, Invisalign treatment can address the following issues:

In terms of function, the job of orthodontic treatment is to correct the improper bite relationship between your child’s upper and lower teeth, says Dr. Bonvino. Orthodontics also can create a proper relationship between your child’s upper and lower jaws and correct his/her bite, making it possible for your child to chew food better.

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SAVAGE, LAKEVILLE & FARMINGTON, MINNESOTA- No one wants dull, tainted teeth, but the drive to achieve a megawatt smile with uber-white appears occasionally to have overwhelming proportions.

Are those of us who turn to chewing gum for its teeth whitening capabilities desperate, delusional or actually on to a good thing?

People seem to be willing to try almost anything to get white teeth in short order, says Savage, Lakeville and Farmington orthodontist Dr. Trudy Bonvino. Certain brands of professional and over-the-counter teeth whitening gels, mouth rinses, toothpastes- and yes, even chewing gum- all claim to have teeth whitening capabilities.

Wired Magazine wrote in 2008 that one particular chewing gum maker that claims whitening capabilities includes sodium bicarbonate- otherwise known as baking soda – as one of the ingredients. Baking soda is mildly abrasive and discourages plaque development while cleaning teeth without harming tooth enamel.
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SAVAGE, LAKEVILLE AND FARMINGTON, MINNESOTA – Dentists and orthodontists spend a great deal of time advising patients on combating the harmful effects that various foods can have on the teeth.

Because the holiday season is fast approaching and many people will indulge in lots of sugary sweets that can lead to tooth decay, this is a great time to educate you on the ability of some foods to actually fight decay, says Lakeville, Savage and Farmington orthodontics expert Dr. Trudy Bonvino of Cosmopolitan Orthodontics.

“There is a variety of foods that are good for you in terms of their decay-fighting abilities,” says Dr. Bonvino, who treats a variety of orthodontic problems in patients of all ages. “I suspect that many people aren’t aware of this.”

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