What Will YOUR Smile Look Like After Orthodontic Treatment?

It is sometimes hard to believe the transformation your smile undergoes during orthodontic treatment. Dr. Lyles and team love to see our patients’ smiles light up when they see their new smile in the mirror for the first time. For those of you who haven’t yet started or finished your orthodontic treatment, have you ever wondered what your new smile might look like after treatment?

The American Association of Orthodontists, or AAO for short, has recently launched a new tool called “Virtual Smiles”, which shows what your smile might look like after orthodontic treatment. Using the tool will also earn you a free orthodontic consultation coupon, which can be redeemed at our office by yourself, a family member or friend.

Check out the Virtual Smiles tool, and call to get started on improving your smile today!

Lights…Camera…ACTION!

Get ready to make your directorial and small screen debut! We want YOU to create a short video about Smiles by Lyles Orthodontics. The video can be about anything braces or orthodontic related- so be creative. The video must be under 1 minute in length and the content must be original. Please submit your entry by March 30, 2011.
Submit your entry by emailing it to us at smilesbylyles@gmail.com. You can also put your entry on a disc or a thumb drive and drop it off or mail it to us. All entries must be submitted with a signed photo/video release (parent signature for patients under 18 years of age) and ALL of our patients are welcome to participate.

On March 31st the top videos will be posted on our YouTube channel and Facebook page. (Smiles by Lyles Orthodontics) Everyone can then view and vote for the winner on our Facebook page by choosing to “like” your video. The video with the highest number of votes on April 28th will receive a $50 Visa gift card and bragging rights. Good Luck!

Foods to Avoid While In Orthodontic Treatment

While there are many foods you can eat while in braces, there are certain types that our team at Smiles by Lyles would like you to avoid during the course of your treatment. Some of these foods can bend the wires or even break the brackets on your braces. Avoid tough meats, hard breads and raw vegetables such as carrots and celery. You’ll need to protect your orthodontic appliances when you eat for as long as you're wearing braces. A few examples of foods to avoid include:

• Chewy foods: bagels, hard rolls, licorice
• Crunchy foods: popcorn, ice, chips
• Sticky foods: caramels, gum
• Hard foods: nuts, candy
• Foods you have to bite into: corn on the cob, apples, carrots

Additionally, chewing on hard things (for example, pens, pencils or fingernails) can damage the braces, which can cause delay in treatment.

If you have any questions on which foods you should be avoiding and why, we invite you to give us a call, or ask during your next visit. As always, if you believe you may have damaged your orthodontic appliances, please give our office a call immediately.

Smile, and you might just live longer!

Folks with big smiles may actually live longer than those who don’t, according to a March 2010 study at Michigan’s Wayne State University. Dr. Lyles has known for quite some time that positive emotion has been linked to both physical and mental health, but researchers at the university did something quite interesting: they looked at photos of 230 ball-players who began their careers in baseball prior to 1950 and studied their smile intensity (ranging from big smile, no smile or partial smile). The players' smile ratings were compared with data from deaths that occurred from 2006 through 2009. The researchers then took into account other factors that impact life longevity, including body mass index, career length and even college attendance.

The results? Researchers found that players who weren't smiling in the photos died at the average age of 72.9 years. Players with partial smiles lived to be 75. Those with big smiles, however, lived on average to be 79.9 years old.

The take-away from the new study? Smile now, smile often and you might just live longer!