Maxfield Orthodontics

Why do I need a retainer? What type should I choose?

2011-04-14T12:11:00.000-07:00

When a patient is at the end of their active orthodontic treatment they move into the retention phase of treatment. The purpose of retainers is to maintain the corrected alignment of the teeth. Sometimes the teeth want to relapse back to their original positions. For this reason patients are encouraged to practice loyal and frequent retainer wear.

The length of time a patient wears a retainer varies also. Their are basically three different types of retainers which will be described in more detail in the following paragraphs. Each type has their strengths and weaknesses and the doctor will discuss which type is best for you. The recommended wear for removable retainers is every night in the beginning and then a few nights a week after 6 months.

Removable Hawley Retainer- Hawley retainers consist of a hard acrylic (plastic) that covers the roof of the mouth or the tongue side of the lower arch and is combined with a wire in front of the teeth. This works to hold the teeth in place with light force against the front of the teeth. The acrylic is available in different colors. We sometimes use a variation of this retainer, a spring retainer, to move teeth into position if they have moved slightly. This is done with little springs placed in the acrylic.

Essix or shell retainer- This retainer resembles an Invisalign tray. It is made with clear plastic that covers all the teeth. It is made with a vacuum that sucks the plastic down over a model of the patients teeth. It is an excellent retainer in holding spaces closed and is very esthetic. Due to the thin esthetic plastic this retainer deteriorates at a faster rate than the Hawley and will need to be replaced more frequently.

Fixed or permanent retainer- These are customized wires that have been fitted to the tongue side of your front teeth. They are bonded to the teeth and can make flossing a little more challenging. They are excellent for maintaining the position of the front teeth.

Care and maintainence of all three types is important. Food and bacteria can adhere to any retainer. Please use a toothbrush to remove the debris. Soaking retainers in denture cleaners or a retainer cleaner will also help remove debris. Never boil or microwave any retainer, this will distort the retainer and it will no longer fit properly. Flossing and brushing is the best method to keep fixed retainers clean.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your retainer, please talk to your doctor, they can always find a solution!!

Even celebrities have worn braces!!!

2011-03-31T13:24:00.000-07:00

No matter the age, celebrities have been spotted wearing braces. It is wonderful to see them wearing stainless steel braces and not just clear braces and Invisalign. In an industry where looks are so critical, I'm sure it is difficult to get the okay from the agent to proceed with orthodontics. I mean it is usually a two year committment, but the results are very worth it.

Can you think of any celebrities with orthodontics that we may have missed?

Contest Winners for our Cutest Couple Contest!!!!

2011-03-15T08:43:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to our winners of the latest contest!! What a fun contest it was, trying to guess each of the famous couples. Our winners are: Samantha Taylor, Isabella White and Gage Kowalis. They guessed all twenty characters correctly. The answers are as follows: #1-Ron and Hermione, #2-Mickey and Minnie, #3-Troy and Gabriella, #4-Hiccup and Astrid, #5-Edward and Bella, #6-Mikey and Celia, #7-Flynn and Repunzel, #8-Will and Elizabeth, #9-Eric and Ariel, and #10-Popeye and Olive Oyl.

Our next contest involves our staff!! Can you guess each staff members favorite animal? Come in and give it a try!

Definition of Orthodontics

2011-02-17T15:51:00.000-08:00

Orthodontics is the specialty in dentistry that is concerned with the treatment and correction of improper bites(malocclusion). Malocclusion can be from tooth irregularity, improper jaw relations or both. Orthodontic treatment entails correcting the alignment of the teeth along with the correction of the jaw alignment. Some orthodontics are done for the purely esthetic purpose of straightening teeth but most include bite corrections as well.

The methods used to achieve the best results are metal wires inserted into brackets(braces), which can be made from stainless steel or porcelain. The wires and brackets work together to move teeth into the desired positions. There are different gauges of wires, treatment is started with a thin, flexible wire and then is gradually changed to thicker and stiffer wires.

Invisalign may also be an option. Invisalign consists of a series of clear trays that allow the Dr. to realign the teeth without braces. It does have limitations to its use.

After active treatment is finished the Dr. will generally use retainers to hold the bite in the correct position. Retainers can include clear plastic shells that resemble Invisalign trays, bonded retainers that are glued to the lingual side of the front teeth or the traditional Hawley retainers which are acrylic with a wire that is placed in the front of the front teeth. Many orthodontists recommend part time retainer wear for many years after treatment is finished.

Please feel free to contact our office if you have any questions or concerns.

10 top orthodontic myths

2011-02-03T11:12:00.000-08:00

We always have patients come in for their consultations full of questions regarding braces and what they have heard. Below are some of the most common myths that we have found.

1. Braces have to hurt to work- Braces have come a long way from the old days. Stiff wires were all that were available and they used heavy forces which caused discomfort for patiens. New technology has brought us low force wires so there is minimal discomfort.

2. The tighter the faster the teeth move-Too much force can cause damage to the tooth, bone, and tissues. The teeth will not move faster by using heavier forces, it has to be a balance of forces.

3. Wires have to be changed at every visit-We start with thin, flexible wires and gradually change to thicker, stiffer wires. We do not use a lot of wires, so there will be times that we are changing the colors only. This is due to several factors. The wires are designed to be active for 10 to 12 weeks and we see our patients every 5-6 weeks. Also, as we progress in wires the doctor is making adjustments in the wire to correct alignment and therefore no new wire is needed.

4. To achieve straight teeth, braces are needed- We do use Invisalign which are clear trays that can align teeth to a degree. There are limitations that may make traditional braces a better option.

5. My teeth will be straight soon after I get braces- Many patients have unrealistic expectations of the time frame of orthodontics. Most cases take 18-24 months to perfect the bite. Teeth can only move a small amount each month without causing damage to the tooth tissues. If they move too quickly there can be root resorption.

6. My teeth will stay straight forever- Retainers are an important part of treatment. They hold the teeth in their corrected position. teeth are surrounded by a ligament that has elasticity that could relapse with out the aid of retainers. We like patients to wear their retainers indefinetly.

7. Wisdom teeth are making my teeth crooked-There is no evidence that wisdom teeth can cause crowding. Teeth can drift over time regardless of whether you have wisdom teeth or not.

8. Overbites of any kind are bad- A mild overbite protects the front teeth from wear. We prefer an overbite of 2-3 millimeters.

9. My braces will come off exactly 24 months from when I had them placed- We can not give precise dates for the lenghth of treatment. There are several factors that add time to treatment, not wearing elastics, poor hygiene, broken brackets, missed appointments. Patient compliance is a huge factor in getting your braces off on time.

10. Changing orthodontists is an easy task- Every orthodontist uses different methods and appliances to reach the end goal. Also financially it is a difficult transition due to insurance as well as appliances. You will probably end up paying more if you switch. Some brackets and wires do not correlate with others, they have different slot sizes and dimensions. In this case the orthodontist may have to change all the brackets to finish the case started elsewhere.

Christmas Contest Winners!!

2011-01-13T13:47:00.000-08:00

The holidays are over! Are we all feeling a little sad or excited for spring? We had some excited contest winners. They must have been avid Christmas movie watchers to get all ten movies correct and the characters that matched. We tried to make a few very hard but these four patients were able to figure them out. Our winners were Josh Woodbrey, Dylan Woodbrey, Aaron Dudley, and Tyler Liddiard. They won $25 Visa gift cards!

Let's challenge the romantics with our new contest, Cutest Couples!!! Can you name each of the characters in our contest? I have uploaded the photos so you may enter from here. Just go to comments at the bottom of this blog entry and give your name and phone number along with your answers. Good Luck!!

Free photo collage generated with Smilebox

Christmas at the Office!!!

2010-12-10T10:40:00.000-08:00

We have had a very busy week!!! We delivered seventy-five of these beautiful poinsettas to referring dentist offices on Monday and Tuesday. They were so big that five or six of them filled our whole cars. It was great seeing the faces of the office staff at each dental practice when we walked in. Many of them were so excited they immediately knew where they were going to place the poinsettas. We make deliveries like these every quarter to show our appreciation to those offices. Its a wonderful way for our staff to meet their staff also. Thanks again to all those doctors and their staff.

Thursday night, we had our office Christmas party. We started out by having dinner at Chili's, which was no easy feat with thirty-four people. The service and food were excellent, they really went above and beyond to make sure we all had our food at the same time and were finished in time for the next phase of our night. We went to the Hale Center Theatre to see "A Christmas Carol". What a fantastic production! If you have the opportunity you should go see it. They did a fabulous job, even the children. Its done in the round so every seat is a good one. The special effects they can create in the small area they have to work in is quite amazing. We all had a lovely time and thank our doctors immensely for taking us to this marvelous play.

Happy Holidays!!!!

Contest Winners and Our next Contest!!!

2010-11-16T14:59:00.000-08:00

The winners for the Disney Villains contest were Elly Smith, Ellie Grass, Michelle Howard and Josh Hancock. Each of them won a $25 Visa gift card. The object of the contest was to name the 10 Disney Villains and the movie they were from. This contest was so popular that we decided to stick with the same format for our next contest.

The theme for this contest is Christmas movies and characters from the movie. Are you a Christmas movie buff? Come in and give it a try!!

Halloween Antics!!

2010-11-04T11:45:00.000-07:00

Halloween was so fun this year at our office!! Dr. Norm had decided he wanted to be the Mad Hatter from the newest Alice in Wonderland movie. We called around to find a costume and could only find one available for Tuesday, October 26th. We decided we would dress up that day and have fun. We went to lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. The looks we got from the customers was great!! Dr. Norm was The Mad Hatter, of course, Dr. Blake was the Knave of Hearts, and the rest of us as follows: Ashley (Tweedle Dee), Katie (Tweedle Dum), Joyce (White Queen), Jan (White Rabbit), Malorie (Queen of Hearts), Francis (Alice), and Jodi (Cheshire Cat). After lunch we paraded through the food court. It was so fun to watch the little kids faces light up as they saw us. Dr. Norm even did the fudderwhacker dance.

Friday, we girls decided we needed another dress up day so we came as nerds. We all had our glasses with tape on and floods or a skirt. It was an enjoyable day with our patients. We didn't see too many patients dressed up though. Next year, we should have a costume contest for our patients. Can't wait to see how creative you all are!!!

Hope everyone had a happy and safe Halloween!!

Online payments

2010-10-21T12:04:00.000-07:00

We now have the capability to accept online payments through our website http://www.drmaxfield.com/. If you are interested in using this service please call the office at 801-263-1333 and give us your email address. The directions for setting up the service will then be sent to you. You will set up your own personal user ID and password. We hope this will be a great convenience for our wonderful patients and families.

Halloween!!!

2010-10-11T14:51:00.000-07:00

Halloween is coming in a few weeks and we haven't decided how to dress up here in the office yet. Dr. Maxfield always has an awesome costume. In the previous years he has been: the joker, the incredible hulk, a farmer, Captain Hook, and Frankenstein. We have some great pictures hanging around the office of the staff all dressed up. We have had some great suggestions from our Facebook page; Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Yo Gabba Gabba Gang. One of our staff members suggested Alice in Wonderland with Dr being the Mad Hatter!! How fun would that be? Can't wait to see what we finally decide on, you should stop by the office on Friday, October 29th to see what we are wearing!!

Price is Right Contest Winners!!!

2010-09-27T11:16:00.000-07:00

We had four lucky winners in our Price is Right guessing game. Each winner received a $25 Visa gift card. They had to guess the price of sixteen different school items. We had backpacks, markers, notebooks, crayons, etc. The guesses closest to the total without going over were the winners. We chose two from each office. The Redwood office winners were Aria Andrus and Rooster Villareal. The Highland office winners were Selina Fawson and Lia Kinikini. Congratulations!! Our next contest will be a Halloween themed contest so look for it next time you're in the office.

Sweet Treats for Back to School!!!

2010-09-07T14:29:00.000-07:00

Last week we delivered our quarterly goodies to our wonderful referring doctors and their staff. We appreciate all the support they give us and wanted to treat them with a little special sweet. We delivered gourmet caramel apples from Kneaders. They were so yummy!! Each office received three apples, (one caramel, one apple pie, and one chocolate caramel) in a gift wrapped package with a little note from us telling them Thank you.

We can not tell our referring doctors and staff how much we appreciate them. They are an integral part of our practice.We enjoy meeting the staff members and having the opportunity to work with such wonderful individuals. Thanks to all of you, patients, parents, and offices who recommend our office to your friends and families. We are grateful for your continued confidence and support!!!

The Price Is Right!!!

2010-08-19T15:41:00.000-07:00

We have such a fun contest we are doing right now!! We have a poster with 16 school items on it, you have to estimate how much each item costs. We add up the totals and whoever comes the closest to the actual price will win gift cards. It has been so fun seeing how different the guesses can be. Come on in and try your luck or maybe its your expertise. Thanks to everyone who participates!!!

Butterscotch Brownies Anyone!!

2010-08-06T13:35:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
(optional: 1 cup butterscotch chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 40 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine oil and brown sugar, using an electric mixer and blending well. Add eggs. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt, then add vanilla.

Spread batter into a greased 9"x9" pan. If desired, sprinkle with butterscotch chips over top. Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees. After cooling one minute, swirl the chips with a knofe to give marbelized effect.

To keep brownies soft, cover pan with foil while still hot, or cut the brownies in squares and store them in a covered container. Makes two dozen.

Famous Politicians Contest Winners

2010-07-29T14:05:00.000-07:00

http://www.ragingwaters.com/

Congratulations to our contest winners; Megan Patterson, Amy Delamare, Emily Clark and Tyler Liddiard. They each guessed all the politicians correctly. What smart patients we have. They each received two passes to Raging Waters!!!! Hope you have a wonderful time playing in the water!!

Random Ortho Trivia

2010-07-23T11:22:00.000-07:00

1. If you are right handed, you probably chew most of the time with the teeth on the right side of your mouth.

2. Around 400 B.C. in Greece, the great medical scientist Hippocrates wrote of attempts to straighten teeth.

3. Dr Edward Angle (1855-1930) is considered to be "The Father of Modern Orthodontics". He founded the world's first school for orthodontic education in St. Louis, Missouri in 1989.

4. As recently as the 1960's, it could take 8 hours to put braces on a patient.

5. Model Cindy Crawford, singer Gwen Stafani and actress Cameron Diaz have all worn braces as adults.

6. Levi Spear Parmly (1790-1859), a New Orleans dentist, promoted flossing teeth with silk thread in 1815. Floss was patented in 1898 by Johnson and Johnson.

7. In 1848, Milton Waldo Hanchett of Syracuse, NY patented the dental chair.

8. In Paris, Pierre Fauchard (1678-1761) wrote the book, The Surgeon Dentist, which included a chapter on how to straighten teeth.

9. In the 17th and early 18th centuries, French dentists encouraged people to brush their teeth.

10. The nickel-titanium wires used by orthodontists today where developed by NASA.

Soft Crust Pizza Recipe

2010-07-15T12:45:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

1 Tbl corn meal
3 cups biscuit mix
1 1/2 cups water
cooking spray (Pam)
2 to 3 cups purchased pizza sauce
1 to 1 1/2 cups of grated mozzarella cheese
Your choice of toppings:green peppers, sausage, cooked and crumbled bacon, pepperoni slices, mushrooms, etc. chopped in small pieces

Preheat oven to 450*. Pre bake crust for 4 minutes, then bake complete pizza for 13 minutes.

Sprinkle corn meal all over a cookie sheet or pizza pan. In a large bowl, with a spoon, stir together the biscuit mix and the water. Sprinkle your hands with flour, then pat dough into pan. Build dough up at edges to form rim to hold in sauce. Spray crust with cooking spray. Bake for 4 minutes.

Carefully pour sauce on top of crust, then add toppings and cheese. Bake for 13 minutes, checking that edges are just golden to keep them soft. Yummy!!!

Patriotic Quiz!!!

2010-06-28T11:07:00.000-07:00

Can you name the famous politicians?

Come in to either of our offices and try your luck. The winners will receive two passes to Raging Waters!!

Hope you all have a happy and safe 4th of July!!

Why my Dad is Amazing!!! Contest Winners

2010-06-22T14:50:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of our patients who filled out entries for our latest contest. It was so difficult to choose the winners. We chose four winners who all won $25 Visa gift cards, Congratulations. One of our winners chose not to be identified, and another winner Mimi Nguyen chose not to have her entry published. We are so happy that they participated and gave our staff the opportunity to read their entries. Here are the other two winning entries, Enjoy!

My dad is amazing because of everything he has gone through & he's still strong & smiling. He has cancer & he just got a bone marrow transplant. He is such an inspiration to me. I love him.

Whitney Sorensen

My dad is amazing because my dad fought for our freedom. He died doing it and was a hero. My step dad is amazing because he does everything my dad can't be here to do.

Maddie Smith

Those are truly wonderful sentiments from some special children.

Our next contest is a patriotic quiz where you have to guess the famous politician!! Good luck to all of our patients.

Yummy quiche recipe that is braces friendly!!

2010-06-03T13:04:00.000-07:00

Quiche

Ingredients:

1 store bought pie shell

1/8 tsp pepper

2 cups shredded cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup cream

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup finely chopped green peppers

5 beaten eggs

8 oz shredded cheese

1 Tbl cooking oil

Instructions:

1. Saute the vegetables with cooking oil in a skillet

2. Place sauteed veggies in the pie shell

3. Scatter half of the cheese over the veggies

4. Pour the eggs and cream over the cheese and veggies

5. Cover with the rest of the cheese and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes

Enjoy!!!!

Thank you to our referring Dentists and their amazing staff!!!

2010-05-27T12:05:00.000-07:00

Tuesday morning our office delivered a fresh fruit bowl to our wonderful referring Dentists and their staff. It was so fun to visit the offices and meet the faces to go with the voices we speak with. We enjoyed hearing the positive feedback we received from these offices both on the job we are doing and on the pleasure of our gift. We greatly appreciate these offices for their continued faith and support of our abilities to treat their patients. Thank you again to a fabulous group of people!!!

Background info

2010-05-24T13:33:00.000-07:00

Dr. Norman A. Maxfield D.D.S., M.S. received his degree from Georgetown University Dental School in Washington, D.C. He continued on at Georgetown to receive his Master's degree and Specialization in Orthodontics. He has been in practice in Salt Lake for over 20 years. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Salt Lake Dental Society and is a former president of the Utah Orthodontic Association.

Dr. Blake J. Maxfield D.D.S., M.S.D. graduated in the top of his dental class at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond. He remained in Richmond to complete his Orthodontic Residency and received his Master of Science degree specializing in Orthodontics. He has been published i orthodontic journals and his most recent research is currently being submitted for publication. Dr. Blake haas extensive experience with difficult interdisciplinary cases as a former member of the VCU Craniofacial/Facial Reconstruction Team.