Emergency Care with Dr. Ruff

At Dr. Charles Ruff's office, we know orthodontic emergencies are never convenient nor timely. If you are a patient of record, Dr. Ruff and our team are committed to your dental health and are more than willing to see you after hours or over the weekend. As a general rule, you should call the office when you experience severe pain or when you have a painful appliance problem that you can’t take care of yourself. We’ll be able to schedule an appointment to resolve the problem. If you have a orthodontic emergency after regular office hours, please give us a call. If you are calling us after hours, please follow the emergency prompts to learn how you may be able to solve the problem yourself, or, if you cannot, how to contact Dr. Ruff and team.

Common issues include:

*Broken Brace
*Broken Wires
*Tie has come off of a Brace
*Loose Expander
*Poking Wire Tie
*Sharpness Felt on the Tongue Side of a Brace
*Loss of a Separator
*Initial Soreness
*Wire Poking

You might be surprised to learn that you may be able to temporarily solve many problems yourself until you visit our office.

The Go-To Mom Talks Invisalign

Our team at Dr. Ruff's office found a great video that discusses the advantages of Invisalign. In the video, Kimberley Clayton Blaine, "The Go-To Mom," discusses the Invisalign and Invisalign Teen treatments and her personal experience with Invisalign.

To determine if Invisalign is right for you, schedule a complimentary consultation with Dr. Ruff. Have a great week!

Summer fun with Dr. Charles Ruff

It’s summer here at Dr. Charles Ruff's office, a season full of vacations, adventures and great memories. Whether you are headed to a barbecue, a camping trip, hitting America’s open roads or just having fun in the backyard, Dr. Ruff and our team want to hear all about it! Leave a comment on our Facebook fan page and tell us about your summer!

We also encourage you to post any photos from your adventures to our Facebook wall!

Happy travels,

-Dr. Ruff and team

What’s so bad about nail biting?

We’ve all heard that biting your nails is an awful habit, but you many wonder- really- what’s so bad about it? Recently, our team at Dr. Ruff's office found an interesting article that discusses how biting your nails affect your teeth and oral health.

Nail biting, also known as Onychophagia, is a common habit among various age groups, including primarily children, teens and young adults. Nail biting is generally triggered by stress and most often decreases with age. That being said, nail biting is unsanitary, unattractive, as well as unhealthy for your teeth!

Here’s why:
• It’s unsanitary. Your nails are dirty, almost twice as dirty as your fingers! Hence, biting your nails is just asking for germs and bacteria.
• No good things come to your teeth. Nail biting causes your teeth to constantly be chewing, which is not good for them. This excessive motion wears your teeth down faster than a non-nail biter’s and puts a large amount of stress on your front teeth- contributing to teeth misalignment.
• Braces don’t love it either. Braces already put pressure on teeth, nail biting ads unnecessary pressure, further stressing your teeth and weakening their roots.
• It can be costly. Nail biting can result in up to $4,000 in additional dental bills over one lifetime, according to the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD). Yikes!

What can you do about it?
Now that you know how harmful nail biting can be, it’s time to take action to break your nail biting habit. Try to be conscious of your fingernails and to keep them looking good- this will help you resist the temptation. Ask Dr. Ruff or visit the article for tips on how to break a nail biting habit. Good luck!