Q: I read in a recent health magazine that a person's smile ranks 2nd to having a handsome or beautiful face when judging someone's attractiveness. Is that true?

Dr. Herman's Answer: Yes. There are many studies that show that a person's smile opens a lot of doors. Many studies on personal appearance show nice smiles rank high in getting better jobs, more attractive partners, better service and so on. With minimally invasive systems of braces like "Damon Clear" you can get the crooked tooth or poor looking smile improved usually without taking out teeth, minimal discomfort and shorter time in treatment. To find out how easy it is to get the smile you always wanted, call for your free consultation.

Q: Is there any research supporting the Damon System of Braces claim to have less discomfort (pain) than other types of braces?

Dr. Herman's Answer: A recent study gave some more insight to this question. The study was on friction within several self ligating types of braces. These types of braces don’t use wires around the brace to tighten. The study measured “kinetic friction” or friction between the braces (bracket) and the wire. The study found that the passive self ligation system by Damon had, by a large amount, the lowest amount of friction. This is important because friction can make the force used by an orthodontist to move teeth to be lost in overcoming friction rather than moving teeth. So an orthodontist increases force in high friction systems. To the patient more force usually means increased soreness (pain).

Q: When do I get to stop wearing my retainers?

Doctor Herman's Answer: The purpose for wearing retainers is to keep your teeth from moving after you are done with braces. The goal is to make it easy for you to wear them and to minimize the number of hours and/or days you need to wear them. I routinely place a fixed retainer for both top and bottom teeth (A wire glued onto the back of your teeth). With the fixed retainer in place you need to wear the clear removable retainer every night. You do this for a year. The 2nd year the clear removable retainer is worn 3-4 times a week. The third year wearing once a week usually works. I do not recommend wearing a retainer less that 1 time per week. It is the least you can do to keep your smile looking as good as the day your braces were removed.

Q: My child has braces and I was told to reduce his number of sugar exposures. What does that mean?

Dr. Herman's Answer: Studies show that there is a strong relationship between cavities and exposure to refined sugars in snacks and sugar filled beverages. Soda, juices and sports drinks high in sugar are the main culprits for causing cavities. If your child can have these beverages reduced or if he or she is willing to drink a sugar free variety, you will do a lot to reduce risk of cavities. Candy, cake, cookies and so on are high in sugar but they don’t appear to cause cavities nearly as much as the sugar containing beverages. Coke like sodas and some juices also contain acids that contribute to the cavity process. Limit sugar beverages and you will significantly reduce his risk to cavities.

Q: I was told by others that you and your office are great but sometimes there is a wait to be seen. I have been there 3 times. All three times you were busy but I did not have any real waiting time. Why the comments about the wait?

Dr. Herman's Answer: Before the expansion there were sometimes waiting times longer than both me and my patients liked. In July of 2010, I completed expanding the clinical part of the office. I nearly doubled my ability to serve patients. I also added several more staff. All of these staff came from other orthodontic or dental offices. They came with a large amount of experience and fit in great with my existing staff. The end result is elimination of most of the wait times. I am open on Fridays when most other offices are closed. Fridays, especially Friday afternoon, remain very popular.