Abby, a junior at Saint Basil Academy and an orthodontic patient of Dr. Appel’s, won the contest based on several factors: public speaking and support of a cause (bullying prevention and self-esteem), fitness, talent (in Abby’s case, vocal talent), and poise and beauty—which includes the beautiful pageant smile Abby got with the help of Dr. Appel!

The nationwide Miss America Outstanding Teen program is designed “to encourage and reward the talent, communication skills, community service, and academic achievement of girls between 13 and 17 years of age.”

Abby will compete in the Miss Pennsylvania’s Outstanding Teen pageant in June. Here’s wishing her all the best from Appel Orthodontics—where outstanding teens get outstanding smiles!

Well, it’s official. Invisalign has named Appel Orthodontics as an Elite Preferred Provider of Invisalign and Invisalign Teen again for 2013. In addition, we’ve also been ranked in the Top 1% of all providers in North America. How cool is that?

Invisalign’s ranking system is based on an orthodontist’s experience. Each year, Dr. Appel works with more than 200 teen and adult patients who prefer the customized clear aligners to traditional braces. The total number of patients he’s worked with over the years gives him more experience with Invisalign than 99% of orthodontists on the continent!  We’re the only Top 1% provider in the Philadelphia area and in the whole Delaware Valley. (See Dr. Appel’s profile on the Invisalign site here.)

If you’re ready to improve your smile and start benefiting from Invisalign’s many advantages, give us a call at 215-676-3070 and schedule a free consultation. You’re gonna love your smile!

Sometimes it seems that once you’re in braces, you’re surrounded by yummy snacks that you can’t eat. No more gooey caramels. No more popcorn at the movies. Thankfully, it’s all temporary—and more than worth it when we reveal your beautiful new Dr. Appel smile.

So how about today we talk about delicious things that you CAN eat—foods that will work hand in hand with us to get you the strongest, healthiest smile possible?

Dairy

Everyone knows that milk is good for your smile. But not everyone likes milk, which is okay. Foods like yogurt and cheese contain the same calcium and casein, a protein that helps re-mineralize and strengthen teeth enamel.

Fresh fruits and veggies

Yes, apples, pears, carrots and celery are still good for you and your new smile.
Just remember to cut them up first, and not to bite into whole fruits or large pieces. Pears are especially good, since they have chemicals that help to neutralize the acids in your mouth that can cause cavities.

Nuts

Nuts are great healthy snacks. There’s so many to choose from: peanuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts … we could go on. They’re already small enough to chew in the back of your mouth, away from delicate front brackets. They offer tons of healthy teeth-building nutrients, including folic acid, iron and protein. Always remember, putting good stuff in will help keep your smile strong from the inside.

Mints with Xylitol

Not gum, mints. (Gum makes for a sticky mess and is always off-limits!)  The sweetener Xylitol is great at working against bacteria that can cause tooth decay and can actually help prevent cavities.

Of course, don’t forget …

Remember no matter what you eat, proper brushing is essential. Even the best foods, when hiding around the nooks and crannies of your braces (which gum is especially likely to do), become bacteria traps. And just like you wouldn’t leave cheese or other foods out in the heat for a few days, you don’t want to leave food stuck around your braces either!

So eat well and clean up after, and you’ll have the perfect, healthy smile soon enough!

Photo credit: Sharon Taylor via Compfight

You can watch the video here:

Opal Seal is a special protective sealant that is made especially for patients with braces. It is an invisible coating that provides a long term, low dose of fluoride to your enamel throughout your treatment with us at Appel Orthodontics.

Although brushing and flossing will still always be important, Opal Seal provides an extra barrier between your enamel and plaque. This helps drastically reduce staining, scarring and the white chalky marks that indicate decalcification, which is an irreversible softening of the tooth enamel.

This is just one more step we found to help you on your way to loving your new smile!

Photo credit:  mark sebastian via Compfight

Safe:

Chocolate

Any plain chocolate is fine. Most candy bars are okay too, especially in ‘fun sizes.’ If you are lucky enough to score some full-size bars, try to break them into smaller bites; don’t bite into them. Be extra careful with Snickers bars. It’s very easy for a yummy caramel-covered peanut to pop off a bracket.

Munchies

Bite-size pretzels are fine. So are cookies and crackers.

Apple treats

While candy or caramel apples are NOT okay on the stick, you can enjoy them cut into bite-size pieces. You can even take a plain apple, slice it up and drizzle it with caramel and nuts for the same yummy treat without the mess or the extra trips to the orthodontist!

Avoid:

Butterfingers

Butterfingers in any size are delicious but VERY crunchy and likely to pop off a bracket.

Frozen chocolate

Avoid any candy bar if it’s been in the freezer.

Chewy candy

Hard caramels, Tootsie Rolls, Starbursts, Now & Laters, and other sticky treats are all TERRIBLE for your braces. Not only can they pull off a bracket, they can get wrapped up in your braces and be very hard to clean, causing cavities. Ew!

Hard candies

This includes lollipops (with or without fillings) and any other hard, sugary candies.

Popcorn

Skip the popcorn ball. That’s the perfect formula for random kernels that can break your braces, plus those little pieces are known to get caught between brackets and gum tissue and cause nasty infections. That’s really scary, and not in the fun way!

And of course …

No gum! But we know you already knew that.
Not sure of something? Use your best judgment. You can also check out our Braces 101 guide.

Have fun and protect that smile this Halloween!

Photo credit: エン バルドマン via Compfight

Orthodontic Products magazine recently published a “Best of 2012″ directory of top orthodontists. A panel of five judges selected about 140 orthodontists from around the United States, based on hundreds of professional recommendations, and Dr. Steve Appel was one of those honored.

“Our goal was to have as many members of the orthodontic community as possible proudly point out the strength of their profession,” writes Christopher Piehler, editor of Orthodontic Products. “Everyone listed here shares the honor of having been recognized by their peers as someone who goes beyond what is necessary and earns the title ‘the best.’”

Learn more about this honor here.

Being able to see in three dimensions allows us to see more detail when diagnosing our patients’ treatment plans. Knowing exactly where a misaligned tooth is in relation to the rest leads to less trial and error and more direct efficient treatment. Because an 8-second i-CAT scan uses less radiation than your typical full series of dental X-Rays, it’s also a safer option for you and your family. And as an extra bonus, all of that information means that we no longer need to take impressions for models at our home office here on Krewstown Road. This makes the records appointment shorter and more comfortable for our patients.

To check out the i-CAT and see some amazing examples of what this machine can do, check out www.i-cat.com.

Need braces but are short on time? Appel Orthodontics has recently begun offering the AcceleDent system along with your braces. With just twenty minutes of use a day, the AcceleDent device delivers tiny micro pulses that speed up the bone remodeling that takes place while you’re in braces.

Used before and after your regular appointments, the device also offers more comfortable visits with less of a “tightening” feeling!

This is a great option if you hope you have your beautiful smile ready in time for your wedding or graduation. Check out more information on AcceleDent at www.orthoaccel.com.

Photo credit:  Ralph Daily via Compfight

It’s vacation time! The time of year that’s most popular for travel is also the time of year we replace the most retainers. Remember to be extra careful with your removable appliances while you’re on vacation. Always have your case with you—and USE IT! It’s very easy to forget about that Hawley sitting on the picnic table while you’re plotting the next roller coaster to conquer. Once you realize you’ve forgotten it, it’s too late! A clear Essix retainer can disappear on the beach in seconds.

We know that accidents do happen, so if you do misplace a retainer to two, don’t wait. Call us RIGHT AWAY so that we can get you into a new set of retainers and keep your smile beautiful!

Photo: Matthew Loberg via Compfight