Blog

No matter how much you like or dislike having braces, there’s one thing most braces-wearers at our El Dorado Hills orthodontist office can agree on: choosing a color for your braces elastics is not just fun and exciting, it’s important. Believe me when I tell you that I’ve seen some patients studying our color wheel more intensely than a math problem. Your braces colors are a way to express yourself and show your creative side, whether you’re matching your braces to your favorite sweater, an upcoming holiday or your favorite sports team.

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At Jeffrey Kwong Orthodontics, we have a pretty significant amount of El Dorado Hills adult braces and Invisalign patients and the number is continuing to rise. I’m not the only orthodontist who has been seeing more and more adults at their practice either. According to the American Association of Orthodontists, one in four orthodontic patients is a grown-up. Some of these patients never had the chance to straighten their teeth when they were younger. Others had braces or Invisalign in the past but experienced a relapse after forgetting to wear their retainer. Whatever the reason for seeking adult braces or Invisalign treatment, there are amazing benefits and it’s never too late to get a smile you love. However, there are myths abound about adult treatment that often make people hesitant to get the care they need. I’ll be separating fact from fiction to help give you a clear understanding of what your smile journey might look like.

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Spring break season is in full swing and many of my El Dorado Hills braces and Invisalign patients and their families will be taking advantage of the occasion and hitting the road (or the sky). As someone who enjoys traveling myself, I know being on vacation can throw off your routine. However, it is important to continue to take care of your appliances when you’re away from home so your treatment stays on course and you avoid having to deal with an orthodontic emergency while you’re supposed to be relaxing and having a blast. To help you do that, here are some tips for traveling with braces or Invisalign so you can focus on soaking up your vacation. Read More

Getting braces on is a momentous occasion! It means you’ve officially kicked off your journey to a fantastic new smile. At Jeffrey Kwong Orthodontics, my team and I will fill you in on everything you need to know about the braces experience so you feel informed and prepared to take on the teeth-straightening process. However, the first week with braces is always kind of strange. After all, you suddenly have brackets and wires in your mouth and, truthfully, it does take getting used to. I promise you’ll acclimate to your hardware quickly and forget you even have braces most of the time. To help ease the transition, even more, I’m sharing some of the best tips for your first week with braces.

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As fun and exciting as Jeffrey Kwong Orthodontics is, I know most patients want to breeze through treatment because they’re excited to see their brand new smile. Thankfully, with cutting-edge treatment planning and the advanced teeth-straightening options available today, the time patients spend in braces or Invisalign is a lot shorter. If you’re wondering how to get braces off faster or finish Invisalign sooner, here are four ways you can do just that:

Protect Your Appliance – If you wear braces, this tip is especially important for you. Damaging your hardware can set back your orthodontic treatment time. Stay away from hard, sticky or really chewy foods like caramel, toffee, nuts and anything that could break your brackets or wires. Don’t bite directly into food with your front teeth and cut things like raw apples, carrots (pre-cut waffle style instead of baby carrots are easier) and tough breads/pizza into small, bite-sized pieces. Read More

It’s no secret my team and I take Halloween pretty seriously here at Jeffrey Kwong Orthodontics. Of course, I do it for my kids and patients. Actually, who am I kidding? I love any excuse to have a blast and be silly. Plus, it falls in the middle of pumpkin spice season, so Halloween is kind of my holiday. Every year, we dress up at the office and in the weeks leading up to it, we hold a contest. This year, we’ll be challenging local dental practices to a skull decorating contest. Our patients will vote on their favorites and the winning office will score an Escape Room gift card. Things are always lively at JKO but we really turn it up a notch for holidays.
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The community has been so supportive of our El Dorado Hills, CA orthodontic office and it’s only right we spread the love in return. That’s why the team and I are always dreaming up ways to help those in need like creating awesome t-shirts to support CASA El Dorado or challenging area dental offices to our annual pumpkin carving contest to benefit local charities. Read More

When should a child see an orthodontist? The American Association of Orthodontists recommends kids have their first orthodontic screening when parents notice signs of an orthodontic problem or, as you probably guessed from the title of the post, no later than age 7.  A referral from your dentist can help with specific concerns, but a referral isn’t necessary.

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