PRIOR LAKE, LAKEVILLE AND MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – When you think about it, it’s amazing how much information we accept as factual, only to learn later that it’s a myth, or research is lacking to make a determination.

Shaved hair grows back thicker and faster. Drink at least eight glasses of water per day. Reading in dim light damages eyesight. These are things we’ve long viewed as gospel truths. We’ve got another to add to the list: wisdom teeth must be removed to prevent them from making your teeth crooked.

Also known as third molars, wisdom teeth have been held responsible for incisor crowding for more than 150 years, according to an American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons white paper on third molar data. In addition to being a concept widely accepted by the general public, many oral surgeons and orthodontists also believe it.

Today we’re exploring this myth, because it’s a concern many patients raise with orthodontist in St. Paul area.

“On the surface, it seems to make sense,” says Dr. Trudy Bonvino, who specializes in pediatric orthodontics and treatment for adults.

Most of our patients are children and adolescents. Some of them haven’t lost all of their baby teeth yet, while others have all their adult teeth except the wisdom teeth, which haven’t yet erupted. So it may seem reasonable that if you’ve completed orthodontic treatment, your teeth are beginning to become crowded again, and your wisdom teeth begin to erupt, they’re the culprit.

“There is research that refutes and supports this notion,” says Dr. Bonvino, who also provides braces in Minneapolis. “However, much of the supporting research suggests while wisdom teeth may play some role in crowding, the role might not be clinically significant.”
Research performed at the University of Iowa by Dr. Tom Southard, a professor who heads the Department of Orthodontics, found that wisdom teeth fail to exert enough pressure on the teeth in front of them to shift them out of alignment.

Those who authored the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons white paper pointed out that there is a dearth of evidence thanks to a lack of studies designed in a fashion to isolate the wisdom teeth’s effect from all other factors potentially associated with crowding.

“Therefore, a cause and effect relationship between third molars and dental crowding is difficult to establish,” the paper states.
Wisdom teeth typically are seen as unnecessary and should be removed. But that belief may be shifting, according to Dr. Ruben Cohen, a board certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon. He wrote an article for Huffpost Healthy Living in 2011 that addressed the debate of whether wisdom teeth need extracting. He offered several factors people can consider and ask their dentist, orthodontist or oral surgeon when determining whether they will have their wisdom teeth pulled.
Those factors include:

• Second molar health; whether they’re compromised by wisdom teeth’s position.
• Pocket depth behind the second molars. This can make gum disease more likely.
• Patient age. Complications and recovery time increase with age.

While it is likely that third molars play some sort of role- albeit minor- in causing crowding, they are just one factor to consider when determining whether the wisdom teeth should be removed, the white paper states.

“Even after orthodontic treatment is completed, some people will experience shifting teeth throughout their lives, particularly if they don’t wear their retainers periodically,” Dr. Bonvino says. “So maybe before you blame your wisdom teeth for the problem, you should think about whether you’ve been wearing your retainer.”

© 2012 Sinai Marketing and Dr. Jennifer Eisenhuth. Authorization to post is granted, with the stipulation that Sinai Marketing and Dr. Jennifer Eisenhuth are credited as sole source. Linking to other sites from this press release is strictly prohibited, with the exception of herein imbedded links.

PRIOR LAKE, SAVAGE AND LAKEVILLE, MINNESOTA- It has been said that the mouth is the window to your overall health because what goes on in the mouth can be an indicator of other health issues including heart disease and diabetes.

“Today, we’re sharing information about the oral health/whole body connection, but we won’t go all the way to the heart. Instead, we’ll stop at the tonsils and adenoids,” says Dr. Bonvino, a Prior Lake orthodontics expert.

[More]

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.

[More]

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, ST. PAUL AND MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – The Lakeville and Savage orthodontists at Cosmopolitan Orthodontics recently served as sponsors to two popular Lakeville events.

Cosmopolitan Orthodontics was a fireworks sponsor for the 2010 Panorama of Progress, and also sponsored the Lakeville Amazing Family Race, the city’s version of the popular CBS TV show “Amazing Race,” said Savage Orthodontist Dr. Jennifer Eisenhuth, who owns Cosmopolitan Orthodontics.

The Lakeville and Savage orthodontics office opened in June 2009, and Dr. Trudy Bonvino is the orthodontist on staff there. [More]

Shakopee – Cosmopolitan Orthodontics, a new Shakopee orthodontics practice, will sponsor the children’s activities at the city of Lakeville’s upcoming July 4th celebration.

This will be the first year participating in the event, but hopefully not the last, said Shakopee orthodontist Dr. Jennifer Eisenhuth, who owns the practice.

Cosmopolitan Orthodontics’ sponsorship will provide inflatables for children to play in while awaiting the fireworks, said Dr. Trudy Bonvino, a Shakopee Invisalign specialist who is the orthodontist on staff at the practice, which opened in June. This will be the first time inflatables will be a part of this 43-year-old event, said Patty Dexter, Lakeville’s recreation supervisor. [More]