Orthodontics

We’re lucky to have great patients who know how to take care of their braces. They practice good hygiene, stay away from hard, sticky and gooey foods and come in regularly for adjustments.

However, even with the best of intentions sometimes things don’t go as planned. While there are very few true ‘emergencies’ in orthodontics, there are some times when a wire will bend or poke, a bracket will come loose, or an elastic tie can pop off. Your first course of action should always be to call our office. However, if you aren’t able to come in right away, there are easy ways to make your braces more comfortable while you wait for your appointment.

This video shows some common issues with braces, and how to fix them.

Broken brackets: Brackets sometimes beak, bend, or pop off completely. If the bracket comes off and is still attached to the wire, you can use wax to hold it in place and keep your mouth comfortable. Call our office and make an appointment to have it reattached.
Loose bands: Hard and sticky foods are the biggest culprits in bands coming loose. If that happens, call our office right away to schedule an appointment to re-cement the band. In the mean time, try not to play with it, and don’t attach headgear or rubber bands to loose bands.

Poking wires: As your teeth move in your mouth, sometimes the archwire will extend out the back of the bracket and irritate the cheek. If this happens, you can cover the end with wax until you come into the office. Another option is to use the eraser end of a pencil to gently bend the wire in towards the tooth, and away from the cheek.

Sore teeth: It’s not unusual for teeth to be sore after an adjustment or when new appliances are installed. Usually, this only lasts for 24-72 hours. We recommend cold fluids and soft foods. You can also treat it the same way you treat a headache, with the pain reliever of your choice.

Lost ties: Occasionally, the elastic ties that hold the archwire onto the bracket can come off. Call our office if that happens. Often, it can wait until your next appointment. Other times, we can schedule a quick visit to have it replaced.
When in doubt, don’t hesitate to call the office at 845-621-1222. We’re always happy to answer your questions!

Malocclusion, or what Dr. Sean Rooney calls “bad bite,” is the improper alignment of teeth and/or jaws. When your teeth and jaws are not properly aligned, it may impact your bite, the ability to properly care for your teeth, your gum tissue health and even your appearance.

Most people experience some degree of malocclusion, but it generally is not severe enough to require corrective measures. If your malocclusion is serious enough, however, treatment may be necessary to correct the issue.

Dr. Rooney will tell you that untreated malocclusion can lead undesirable mouth problems, including tooth decay, gum disease, or chipped and cracked teeth. The most common solution for malocclusion, of course, is orthodontic treatment. The actual course of treatment, including the length of time you will require braces, will be determined by severity of your malocclusion. The goal of your treatment is to move your teeth into the proper position and correct any misalignment in the jaw.

At Dr Sean M. Rooney Orthodontics, we use the most advanced technology in the field in order to ensure that you receive the best possible results. If you have any questions about malocclusion, please give us a call and we’ll try to answer any questions you may have.

Each February for the past 61years, the American Dental Association (ADA) has sponsored National Children's Dental Health Month to raise awareness about the importance of oral health. Developing good habits at an early age and scheduling regular dental visits helps children get a good start on a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums.

For kids wearing braces, brushing and flossing can become more difficult, requiring extra time and vigilance to remove food particles that accumulate on and between the teeth and in braces.

If the health of your teeth is ignored during treatment with braces, the results can be significantly compromised. Dr. Sean Rooney is available and happy to explain why effective brushing and flossing is one of the most critical actions needed from patients during orthodontic treatment. Have you visited us lately? Give us a call and schedule an appointment!

At Dr. Sean M Rooney Orthodontics, we get asked a lot of questions from our patients. The ones we hear most frequently are “When are my braces or appliances coming off?”, “When can I change my colors?”, “How painful is each procedure?”, “How often should I get cleanings with my dentist?”.

We enjoy answering each of these questions, but there are also some questions we don’t hear as often that we believe are important for maintaining your oral health and for effective orthodontic treatment with Dr. Rooney, such as:

• “When is my next appointment?”
• “How often do I have to wear my rubber bands?”
• “How often do I have to wear my retainer?”
• “How often should I brush and floss my teeth?”
• “How is my hygiene?”
• “What are the different types of braces?”
• “Are there special mouth guards for my braces or my appliances?”
• “Will my teeth stay straight forever?”

These questions or any other questions you can think of, we would be more than happy to answer. You can ask us during your next appointment or by giving our office a call. Happy Monday!

-Dr. Rooney and team

If you recently completed treatment at Dr. Sean M. Rooney Orthodontics we’d like to congratulate you! Now that your braces have been removed, Dr. Rooney will provide—or has provided you—with retainers. After braces are removed, teeth can shift out of position if they are not stabilized. Retainers, however, always provide that stabilization. They are designed to hold teeth in their corrected, ideal positions until the bones and gums adapt to the treatment changes. Wearing retainers exactly as instructed by Dr. Rooney is the best insurance that the treatment improvements last for a lifetime.

To learn more about the advantages of wearing retainers after your orthodontic treatment with Dr. Rooney, please read this helpful article about retainers from KidsHealth or give us a call!

"Dentists, Orthodontists, they're all the same right?" We hear our patients asking this question as they wonder about the difference between an orthodontist and a dentist. Before becoming an orthodontist that serves the greater Mahopac NY area, Dr. Rooney started out in dental school and earned a DDS (dental degree), just like your dentist. After dental school however, Dr. Rooney decided he wanted to learn more about orthodontics, which is one of nine specialties within the dental field. So he stayed in school for a few more years and became an expert in orthodontics, which focuses on tooth and jaw alignment and bite problems like overbites and under bites.

Other dental specialties you may have heard of include endodontic (focusing on the soft tissue inside your teeth), periodontic (focusing on the gums and other tissues surrounding your teeth) and prosthodontic (focusing on restoring and replacing damaged teeth).

Isn't it nice to know there's a dental expert here to help you through any type of treatment your teeth, jaw and gums might need?

At the office of Dr. Rooney, nobody is “too old” for braces! In fact, we read a fascinating statistic recently: adults getting braces has actually jumped 24 percent since 1996! Of course, braces help make your teeth stay strong, healthy and become perfectly-aligned. Orthodontic treatment with Dr. Rooney can be successful at any age, and adults especially appreciate the benefits of a beautiful smile.

If you’ve been thinking about getting that perfect smile, we would love to have you visit for a consultation at our office. Please give us a call at (845) 621-1222 to set one up and have a wonderful rest of the week!

Dr. Rooney and all of us at Sean M. Rooney Orthodontics extend our best wishes to all of you for a wonderful Thanksgiving.

We appreciate the opportunity to work together with you in the creation of our patients' ideal smiles, and would like to know: what are you most thankful for this year? Leave us a comment, or if you have any photos or stories to share with us, we encourage you to post them on our Facebook page.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Let’s face it: sports related injuries are common among kids, let alone teens with braces. In a 2009 survey, our friends at the American Association of Orthodontics, or AAO, discovered that 70 percent of parents said their biggest fear is that their child will get hurt while playing organized sports.

If you play any sports, it’s important that you consult Dr. Rooney for special precautions, including wearing a mouth guard, which is advised for playing sports such as football, basketball, hockey, wrestling, volleyball, or even touch-football in the backyard.

In case of any accident involving the face, check your mouth and the appliances immediately. If teeth are loosened or the appliances are damaged, please schedule an appointment with us as soon as possible. And don’t forget to ask us – Dr. Rooney will provide a mouth guard for any patient in treatment!

Only by using a mouth guard and other forms of facial protection can kids with and without braces avoid serious sports injuries. Please give us a call or ask us on Facebook if you have any questions about mouth guards or your treatment!

Happy Monday, and enjoy the rest of the week!

This upcoming Thursday - October 28th, don't be surprised if you see Dr. Rooney walking around your school and peeking into your classroom!

On Thursday, Dr. Rooney, Jen and Denise are going to visit Austin Road Elementary School to talk about National Orthodontic Health Month. Dr. Rooney and staff will talk to the kids about having good oral hygiene, and about getting braces. He will also discuss oral health problems to watch out for at an early age.

Be sure to write down your questions for us, and Dr. Rooney will be happy to answer! See you on Thursday!!

We hope you're having a great Monday!

October is National Orthodontic Health Month, and our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists have included information on protecting your braces, including tips for trick-or-treaters, braces-friendly Halloween recipes, facts about braces and treats you should avoid while wearing braces.

Dr. Sean Rooney and our staff recommend you check out the AAO's website as well for helpful tips on keeping your braces in tip-top shape. If you have any follow-up questions, please feel free to give us a call at 845-621-1222, ask us on Facebook or ask Dr. Rooney during your visit at our convenient Mahopac office!

Have a great rest of the week!

Dr. Rooney just completed the Ironman Syracuse 70.3 - the race consisted of a 1.2 mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1 mile run. We had a raffle in the office for the patients to take a guess of how long it would take Dr. Rooney to complete it. One of our patients, Carissa was lucky enough to guess it right on the dot! She guessed 5 hours and 36 minutes and won a $50 visa gift card and a T-shirt! Great job, Carissa!