The advantage of Invisalign Teen

Drs. Richard Battistoni and William Beam know image is everything. At an age when image is so important, the thought of having metal brackets and wires constantly attached to teeth may intensify the already-delicate confidence of today's teens. But... not to worry! There is a clear alternative to traditional braces! The team at the orthodontic offices of Drs. Battistoni and Beam thought we'd remind you that Invisalign Teen™ gives you a whole new way to wear braces for a "clearly" amazing smile!

So how does Invisalign Teen work, you ask? Much in the same fashion as Invisalign, but with a few added characteristics tailored specifically to teenagers’ lifestyles. For instance, Invisalign Teen is designed with “compliance indicators” that fade from dark to light during the two week period that particular tray is used and once it has faded teens know to change trays. Each aligner comes with up to six free individual replacement aligners in case the original aligner ends up lost or broken. Another big benefit for the patient!

The treatment period for Invisalign Teen varies from 9 to 18 months. If your teen is considering orthodontic treatment, please contact us and we’ll answer any questions you may have about Invisalign Teen.

Am I too old for braces?

Who’s afraid of “metal mouth” and the appearance of braces? Not adults, apparently. Recently, our staff read a fascinating statistic: the number of adults getting braces has actually climbed 24 percent since 1996! Yes, braces help make your pearly whites strong, healthy and perfectly-aligned, but perhaps another reason for the spike in adult braces is this: people want to look and feel great. In an age—and society—where looks matter as much as anything, and at a time when evenly-aligned and sparkling teeth might be the difference between getting a job or a promotion, adults are choosing—wisely, we might add—to invest in orthodontics. Orthodontic treatment with Drs. Richard Battistoni and William Beam 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, Drs. Battistoni and Beam would love to have you visit for a consultation. Please give us a call to set one up!

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 the office of Drs. Richard Battistoni and William Beam 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 Drs. Battistoni and Beam or visit the article for tips on how to break a nail biting habit.

Good luck!

Your friends at Dr. Battistoni & Dr. Beam's office

Why do you choose Drs. Battistoni & Beam?

Drs. Battistoni + Beam Ltd, serving Oak Park, La Grange and surrounding areas, strives to provide exceptional treatment in an informative and friendly environment. Have you had a great experience at our office?

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Drs. Battistoni & Beam

Drs. Battistoni & Beam talk orthodontic emergencies

True orthodontic emergencies are very rare, but when they do occur we are available to you. 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 with Drs. Richard Battistoni and William Beam.

You might be surprised to learn that you may be able to temporarily solve many problems yourself until you schedule an appointment with our office.

The following solutions may help you relieve your discomfort:

Poking Wire: Using a pencil eraser, push the poking wire down or place wax on it to alleviate the discomfort.

Loose Bracket or Band: If your bracket or band is still attached to the wire, you should leave it in place and put wax on it. If the wire comes out entirely, wrap the bracket with a tissue.

Loose Wire: Using a tweezers, try to place your wire back into place. If doing this and using wax does not help, as a last resort use a small fingernail clipper to clip the wire behind the last tooth to which it is securely fastened. If your discomfort continues, place wax on it.

Loose Appliance: If your appliance is poking you, place wax on the offending part of your appliance.

Headgear Does Not Fit: Sometimes headgear discomfort is caused by not wearing the headgear as instructed by your orthodontist. Please refer to the instructions provided by your orthodontist. If the facebow is bent, please call our office for assistance. Surprisingly, headgear becomes more comfortable the more it's worn, so be sure you’re getting in the prescribed hours.

General Soreness: When you get your braces on, you may feel general soreness in your mouth and teeth may be tender to biting pressures for three to five days. This can be relieved by rinsing your mouth with a warm salt water mouthwash. Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in 8 ounces of warm water, and rinse your mouth vigorously. If the tenderness is severe, take aspirin or whatever you normally take for headache or similar pain.

Remember, after alleviating your discomfort, it is still very important that you call our office as soon as possible to schedule a time to repair the problem.

Moooooove over gum disease!

Drs. Battistoni and Beam want to know: Is dairy a major part of your diet? If not, it should be! A study from the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) found that regular consumption of dairy products, such as milk, cheese and yogurt, can actually lower your chances of contracting periodontal disease (also known as gum disease). Results of the study also showed that adults who consume at least 55 grams of lactic acid a day are less at risk for gum disease.

Cheese is one of the healthiest snacks for your child's teeth. In addition to providing large amounts of much-needed calcium, cheese also does its part to fight cavities. Cheddar, Swiss, Mozzarella, and Monterey Jack all stimulate the body's salivary glands to clear the mouth of debris and protect them from acids that weaken them, according to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. This means cheese disrupts the development of cavities, especially when eaten as a snack or at the end of a meal. Calcium and phosphorous found in cheese reduce or prevent decreases in the plaque's ph level and work to re-mineralize the enamel of your child's teeth.

Gum disease is caused by a bacterial infection in the mouth that affects the gums and jaw. Gum disease results in a loss of teeth and bone, and has been connected to certain cases of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, respiratory disease and osteoporosis.

Eating dairy is not just healthy for building strong bones, but is essential for maintaining a strong, healthy mouth. Next time you reach for a quick snack, choose some cheese, or a glass of milk, and remember with each bite, and every sip you are preserving your teeth for a lifetime of smiles and good oral health!

For more information about which dairy foods are best for keeping your teeth healthy, please give us a call.

Drs. Battistoni + Beam Ask: Do you know where your retainers are?

If you recently completed treatment at Drs. Battistoni + Beam, we’d like to congratulate you! Now that your braces have been removed, Drs. Battistoni and Beam 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 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 Drs. Battistoni and Beam, please read this helpful article about retainers from KidsHealth or give us a call!

Celebrate Summer With Drs. Battistoni and Beam!

Join Drs. Battistoni and Beam the month of July to celebrate summer! All month long we will be celebrating with icy freeze pops and tons of prizes for our patients. Pull a toothbrush from our sand bucket and win a summer fun prize!

Don't forget to enter our July contest by submitting a summer fun photo as your entry. Go to our Facebook page and post a picture of you celebrating summer. We will randomly draw one lucky patient's name to win FOUR tickets to SIX FLAGS GREAT AMERICA!

Also, don't forget to vote for our rocking chair featured in downtown La Grange. Vote for our chair, "Rockin Satisfaction", on the La Grange Business Association's Facebook page.

We can't wait to see you at your next appointment!

Stay Cool with a Braces-Friendly Summer Treat!

Summer is here! Kids and adults alike will now be spending more time outside being active and enjoying the hotter temperatures. What’s better on a hot summer day than a delicious treat that will cool you down after doing something active in the summer sun? Luckily, our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) have just the thing, Watermelon Sorbet! You can find the complete recipe below:

Watermelon Sorbet

Ingredients

• ¾ cup water
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 2 to 3 cups watermelon, diced, no seeds or rind

Directions

In a small saucepan, heat the water, sugar, and lime juice on medium high for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Chill this “syrup” at least 20 minutes. In the meantime, place the watermelon chunks in a food processor or blender and liquefy them. Add the chilled syrup to the watermelon puree and blend. Freeze sorbet in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions. Serve immediately.

Happy Summer!

-Drs. Battistoni & Beam and team

Smile! June is National Smile Month!

According to the American Dental Association, a person's smile outranked eyes, hair and body as the most important physical feature, which is why it's important for our team at Drs. Battistoni + Beam Ltd to support National Smile Month this June.

Here are a few simple steps you can take to improve your oral health so that you may celebrate National Smile Month for many, many years to come:

* Brush at least twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. Here's a helpful video showing you how to brush with your braces on.
* Floss every day to clean between your teeth.
* Reduce your intake of sugary foods and drinks during your orthodontic treatment with Drs. Battistoni and Beam.
* Visit your dentist regularly (usually every six months apart).

If you have questions about any of these tips, we encourage you to give us a call.

Vote for Drs. Battistoni & Beam's Rockin' "Satisfaction" chair

Have you voted for Drs. Battistoni & Beam's Rockin' "Satisfaction" chair yet? If not, you'll want to "like" the La Grange Business Association Facebook page and select "Poll" to vote for rocking chair #4. Thanks again to all of the students in Mrs. Spain's art class at McClure Jr. High for helping us paint our Rockin' "Satisfaction" chair. We hope it wins!

La Grange Rocking "Satisfaction" Chair

If you haven't already, Drs. Battistoni and Beam encourage all of our patients to check out our awesome rocking chair in downtown La Grange. Thank you to the students from Mrs. Spain's art class at McClure Jr. High for painting our rocking "Satisfaction" chair! Don't forget to vote for us on the La Grange Business Association website!

Thank you!

Now that I have braces, what can I eat?

You just got braces at Drs. Battistoni + Beam Ltd and Drs. Battistoni and Beam have informed you that over the next several months you will want to avoid eating anything sticky, hard, crunchy, or chewy. What does this leave for you to eat? Lettuce? Nothing?

Luckily, there was someone else wondering the same thing when she first got braces! Brenda Waterman, 13, decided she was going to find a way to have her cake and eat it too, so she created a variety of “braces-friendly” recipes that allow you to enjoy your favorite treats without interfering with your orthodontic care! Her cookbook, “The Braces Cookbook: Recipes you (and your Orthodontist) will Love,” gives patients a variety of delicious recipes, safe to eat with braces; plus additional tips and advice for packing lunches, what to eat at parties, and braces-friendly restaurant dishes! There’s even a section with tips for dealing with the soreness that can occur when your braces or appliance are adjusted. Enjoy the foods you love – even with braces!

Here is a delicious, sneak peek recipe from “The Braces Cookbook:”

Wonderful Waffles

Forget the recipe that came with your waffle iron – this recipe will redefine fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth goodness. The secret to delicious waffles is letting the batter "sit" for five minutes before pouring into the waffle iron. Top cooked waffles with syrup, jam, fresh fruit or even whip cream. Makes about 5 servings!

Preheat your waffle iron according to the directions. You may want to lightly spray it with vegetable oil before heating.

• 3 cups flour
• 2 Tbl + 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbl sugar
• 4 cups milk
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

In a large bowl, whisk (or use electric mixer on low) together all ingredients. Let batter sit for about five minutes to activate the baking powder.

When waffle iron is ready, pour about 1/3 cup of batter onto each of the four squares (experiment with your iron – you don't want the batter overflowing). Gently close the cover and set your timer as the manufacturer suggests. Do not lift the cover while they bake. When done, carefully lift one edge with a flat spatula and pull the waffle away from the iron. Keep waffles warm on a plate under a clean dishtowel while the others bake.

Enjoy!

-Your friends at Drs. Battistoni + Beam Ltd

Drs. Battistoni & Beam, wishing you a relaxing and memorable Memorial Day weekend

Memorial Day weekend is a time when Americans everywhere stop and remember all those men and women who bravely gave their lives for our country.

Memorial Day also marks the unofficial start of summer 2011, and for many folks in La Grange and Oak Park, getting out of town for three days after being cooped up in the office or in the classroom means sweet, sweet relief. At Drs. Battistoni + Beam Ltd, we also know Memorial Day weekend is ripe for travel. After all, it’s a season of vacations, adventures and great memories. Whether you are headed to a barbecue, a camping trip, hitting the great open roads or hanging out in your backyard this weekend, we want to know about it!

Have a nice and relaxing Memorial Day weekend!

May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month!

Did you know the month of May is designated National Physical Fitness and Sports Month? In 1983, President Ronald Reagan encouraged Americans to incorporate more physical activity into their lives, and the reminder is even more significant in this day and age, as kids everywhere are distracted more and more by television, social networking and video games. Kids living an active lifestyle can improve their health, productivity and overall well-being, and best of all? It doesn’t have to take a lot of time!

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has provided these public health guidelines for your convenience. The guidelines call for children and teens to exercise for at least one hour each day of moderate intensity physical activity (such as playing sports or brisk walking) or one hour and 15 minutes of vigorous activity (jogging, dancing and jumping rope).

At Drs. Battistoni + Beam Ltd, we always encourage our patients to stay fit by exercising or participating in sports. However, we want to remind you to always wear a mouth guard or other forms of facial protection when playing sports. To learn more about how often your child should exercise, we recommend you check out this series of helpful articles about kids and exercise, courtesy of our friends at KidsHealth.org.

What’s on your reading list?

With the school year close to winding down for a lot of our patients at Drs. Battistoni + Beam Ltd., we wanted to remind all our patients about the importance of reading. Sure it’s easy to keep putting off reading this time of year, but reading is a vital step in brain development and literacy. And if you needed any more reason to read, May marks “Get Caught Reading Month.”

Today, we thought we’d ask: What's on YOUR reading list? What are some of your all-time favorites? Out of ideas for great reads? Ask us for suggestions, and Drs. Battistoni and Beam would be happy to provide a few. You may also ask a local librarian for some ideas on what to read next!

Happy reading! Be sure to share with us your book picks or your all-time favorite novels or literature on our Facebook page!

Spring Contest: "How Many Popcorn Kernels Are In The Jar?"

Drs. Battistoni and Beam are excited to announce that we have a new contest, "How Many Popcorn Kernels Are In The Jar?" We invite patients to take their guess at the number of popcorn kernels in our office jar for a chance to win a movie gift package. The contest will end June 30, so don't delay in submitting your entry.

Our doctors and team would also like to recognize and thank all of our patients for their support of the Chicago Honor Flight. We ended up raising $300!

Flossing with braces, from Drs. Battistoni and Beam

Drs. Battistoni and Beam will tell you that keeping your teeth clean is more important than ever when you have braces. Food bits have more spots than usual to hide in your mouth, so you must be diligent in order to avoid bad breath, swollen gums, discolored teeth and cavities. If you remove plaque regularly during treatment, you'll experience better results and could possibly reduce your treatment time.

Here is a very concise video explaining the proper way to floss your teeth with braces. Give Drs. Battistoni and Beam a call if you have more questions about flossing. Enjoy!

Drs. Battistoni + Beam Ltd, taking steps to reduce our environmental impact

We are living in an age with a renewed commitment to conservation, and are frequently reminded to recycle, reduce and reuse. Earth Day is this Friday, April 22nd, and we thought this would a great time to discuss the things that Battistoni + Beam Ltd does to conserve our natural resources and the environment.

Did you know that we offer patients account access 24 hours a day, seven days a week? Our office has convenient and secure online services with Sesame 24-7™. Patients can receive appointment reminders through email or text messages. Since this information is submitted electronically, we eliminate the use of large amounts of paper and printing materials.

Drs. Battistoni and Beam would love to hear how you minimize your impact on the environment. Leave us a comment below or you can also visit our Facebook page and post something on our wall.

Happy Earth Day!

The Braces Glossary: Your Guide to Brackets, Bands, and More!

If you ever sustain damage to your braces and need to call Drs. Battistoni and Beam, we can help you more effectively if you can tell us exactly which piece is in trouble! Here’s a handy diagram and corresponding list of all the parts that make up your braces.



Elastic Tie: Tiny rubber band that fits around the bracket to hold the archwire in place.

Archwire: The main wire that acts as a track to guide the teeth along. It's changed periodically throughout treatment, as teeth move to their new positions.

Loop in Archwire: Frequently used for closing space left by an extraction. Many archwires don't have a loop.

Bracket: Small attachment that holds the archwire in place. Most often, a bracket is cemented directly onto the tooth's surface, eliminating the need for a band.

Headgear Tube: Round, hollow attachment on the back bands. The inner bow of the headgear fits into it.

Coil Spring: Fits between brackets and over archwire to open space between teeth.

Tie Wire: Fine wire that is twisted around the bracket to hold the archwire in place.

Band: A thin ring of metal fitted around a tooth and cemented in place. The band provides a way to attach the brackets to the tooth.

Hook: Welded or removable arm to which elastics (rubber bands) are attached.

Elastic (Rubber Band): Small rubber band that is hooked between different points on the appliance to provide pressure to move the teeth.

Hope this helps! Please give us a call if you have any questions!