Celebrate National Children’s Dental Health Month

Taking care of the oral health of our younger patients in Bakersfield, in Kern County!

Tadej Orthodontics wants to help make sure that children everywhere can have a smile that they can be proud of, which is why we’re so excited that February is National Children’s Dental Health

Month. While you might already be perfectly aware of how important good oral hygiene is, your child might not. February is the perfect month for you to teach them about oral hygiene while we educate you about Children’s Dental Health Month.

Why is Children’s Dental Health So Important?

Tooth decay is a prevalent chronic disease, even though it’s a disease that can be prevented. Nearly 50 percent of children who are between two and 11 have had cavities in their baby teeth. Even though the overall occurrence of tooth decay has decreased in the last several decades, the occurrence has actually increased in preschool children. 

Our team, and our tooth fairy spend February visiting many schools to teach about good oral hygiene, healthy foods and braces.

The Tooth Fairy

Our Registered Dental Assistants

Celebrating Smiles

During National Children’s Dental Health Month, parents and children are encouraged to brush their teeth together twice a day for two minutes each time. Parents are further urged to read for twenty minutes a day about oral health, the tooth fairy, visits to the dentist and orthodontist.  

By teaching kids about the importance of dental health early, you’re sure to set a good foundation that will stay with them and their teeth for the rest of their lives.  

Dr. Gerald Tadej specializes in quality orthodontic care and braces for children in and around Bakersfield, Taft, Tehachapi, Delano, Shafter and Wasco in Kern County California.

Tadej Orthodontics

8625 Liberty Park Drive, Suite 101

Bakersfield, CA 93311

Phone: (661) 322-2263

http://www.TadejOrthodontics.com

October Is National Orthodontic Health Month!

The weather is cooling own and Halloween is right around the corner. But did you know that it's also National Orthodontic Health Month? National Orthodontic Health Month is to raise awareness of good oral health – straight teeth and a healthy bite! It is also a time when we make our patients wearing braces aware that it is scary to eat a lot of the treats around, because they can break braces off, and delay your orthodontic treatment.

 

Halloween Can Be a Spooky Time for Your Teeth 

During the Halloween season, there are many snack temptations, which should be avoided if you're wearing braces, Invisalign clear aligners or another type of orthodontic appliance. This is because snacks that are chewy, crunchy, hard and sticky can damage your braces. 

The below treats should be avoided, as these hard snacks can easily damage or break your braces:

• caramel or candy apples

• gum

• hard or chewy candies

• jaw breaker

• jellybeans

• jolly ranchers

• licorice

• nerds

• nuts

• popcorn

• skittles

• taco chips

• taffy

• un-popped kernels of popcorn

What You Can Enjoy During the Haunting Halloween Season 

While the list of the snacks you should avoid eating when you're wearing braces may seem long, there are some snacks you can enjoy which include soft chocolates, peanut butter cups, ice cream, popsicles and pudding. 

We'd like to remind our patients and their parents that sweet snacks should be consumed with some moderation. While it may be tempting to grab another handful of treats from your Halloween bag or bowl, try to resist the temptation, as too much sugar is not good for your teeth or your body. Parents should consider limiting the time they allow their children to eat Halloween candy regardless if they're in orthodontic treatment or not. 

Brush and Floss Your Ghoulish Grin Well 

Brushing and flossing your teeth well is more important than ever during the Halloween season. This is because your teeth may be more exposed to cavity-causing sweet snacks during this time of the year.  When you're wearing braces, it's important to spend a few minutes extra brushing and flossing your teeth to be sure you thoroughly clean those hard-to-reach areas around your brackets and wires. 

We wish all of our patients in Bakersfield, Tehachapi and the rest of Kern County a hauntingly, happy Halloween and want our patients wearing braces to have just as much fun as their friends who aren't in orthodontic treatment! If you have any questions about what foods you should avoid and what you can enjoy while wearing braces, give us a call, as we're always available to speak with you! 

Tadej Orthodontics

8625 Liberty Park Drive, Suite 101

Bakersfield, CA 93311

Phone: (661) 322-2263

http://www.TadejOrthodontics.com

Making It Fun For Our Young Patients Not Yet Ready for Orthodontic Treatment

Dr. Gerald Tadej and his friendly staff believe that kids should feel relaxed and comfortable when they come to our Bakersfield orthodontic office. Every child should enjoy their orthodontic visits with Dr. Tadej who is by the way, an outstanding orthodontist who's great with kids because he's a father of three himself! While the team at our Kern County orthodontic practice takes our work very seriously, we pride ourselves on delivering orthodontic treatment in a fun way that kids love! 

Tadej Orthodontics Kids Club

Our Kids Club is for our young patients that Dr. Tadej feels are not ready to begin orthodontic treatment or braces. Just as you see your general dentist regularly for cleanings and check-ups, Dr. Tadej believes that children can benefit from regular orthodontic check-ups. These check-ups enable our orthodontist to monitor and measure facial growth. They also help ensure that baby teeth come out on time and that permanent teeth are able to grow into proper position (to minimize more extensive and lengthy treatment at a later age). 

When your child becomes a member of our Kids Club, he or she will get a Kids Club Smiles Reward Card that can be used to earn points that are redeemable for some really awesome prizes. 

Some of the things your child can do to earn additional points are: 

• Come on time for scheduled appointments

• Brushing teeth after every meal and flossing at least once per day

• Visiting your regular dentist 2 times a year for check-ups and cleanings and then bringing us a certificate signed by your dentist or hygienist 

• Referring friends and family to our office for an examination

• Liking us on Facebook 

Our young patients (and their parents) love our Kids Club and we're sure your child will too! We treat all of our young patients like family when they come to our practice! If you are in Bakersfield, Tehachapi or the surrounding communities of Kern County and would you'd like to learn more about our Kids Club or wish to schedule an appointment for your child's next visit, give us a call at (661) 322-2263. We're always happy to answer your questions and look forward to seeing you and your child soon! 

Tadej Orthodontics

8625 Liberty Park Drive, Suite 101

Bakersfield, CA 93311

Phone: (661) 322-2263

http://www.TadejOrthodontics.com

Importance of Using Mouth Guards in Sports

Young people of all ages are heading back to the classroom to begin the brand new school year! That's why the team at Tadej Orthodontics, your leading Bakersfield, Tehachapi and Kern County orthodontist office would like to remind our young patients and their parents about how important it is to wear a mouth guard when participating in sports of all types.

 

Mouth Guards: For Contact and Non-Contact Sports of All Types

Regardless if you spend your free time on the basketball court, soccer field or love skateboarding and

biking, injuries to your face in and can do great harm to your teeth, lips, cheeks and tongue. But when you're wearing a properly fitted mouth guard, you can protect your teeth and smile. It's common to see mouth guards being worn in football, lacrosse, ice hockey and boxing but mouth guards also protect teeth when playing non-contact sports such as gymnastics. It's a wise idea to wear a mouth guard anytime you're taking part in an activity that may pose a risk of injury to the mouth.

Mouth Guards for Braces

When you're wearing braces on your teeth and you're active in sports, it's important that you wear a braces from damage and injury. Just one blow to the face could damage the brackets on your braces as well as do injury to your cheeks, lips and teeth.

There are mouth guards made just for people with braces. While you can find these for sale locally at some pharmacies, Dr. Tadej provides them to all of our patients at no charge!

 

Custom Mouth Guards Provide the Best Protection

Dr. Tadej agrees that a custom mouth guard provides superior protection against injury to the mouth and teeth. A smart investment after orthodontic treatment is to have your dentist select and make the right mouth guard for you. A good quality mouth guard will be easy to clean and it won't restrict your speech or breathing.

It can cost thousands of dollars to treat a sport-related dental injury which makes wearing a custom mouth guard a very good investment. When you're wearing a quality mouth guard during both practice sessions and real games you will be providing your teeth, gums, lips and tongue with a high level of protection against blows to the face and mouth regardless if you're playing fast-pitch softball or lacrosse.

Our Kern County orthodontic team's main concern is the welfare and health of our patients. There is a growing awareness among youngsters and their parents about just how important it is to wear mouth guards when being active in sports of all types. We hope that our school-aged patients and their parents will come to view their mouth guards as important pieces of sporting equipment that can go far in preventing injuries of which many can be very serious.

We wish all our school-aged patients the best of luck in the upcoming 2013-14 school year! Have fun and play safe!

Tadej Orthodontics 

8625 Liberty Park Drive, Suite 101

Bakersfield, CA 93311 

Phone: (661) 322-2263

http://www.TadejOrthodontics.com

February is National Children's Dental Health Month

Dr. Gerald Tadej and his team of professionals at Tadej Orthodontics would like to take this opportunity to remind our patients and their families that February is National Children's Dental Health Month. During this month, dental and orthodontic professionals across the country have been busy increasing awareness about the importance of good dental health in children by sharing information and tips with families about how to ensure that children’s smiles are as healthy as possible through preventative dentistry measures. This month is a great time to offer parents advice to help them teach their children about the importance of taking good care of the smiles so that they have long-lasting, healthy smiles throughout their lives.

In honor of this important month, Dr. Tadej would like to tell parents that now is a great time to bring your child in for an orthodontic exam. This way, if there is an issue that needs attention, we can identify it and then develop an appropriate treatment plan that can begin now or later when the time is more optimal. Dr. Tadej is specially trained to spot subtle problems with jaw growth and emerging teeth while some baby teeth are still present.

Importance of Early Orthodontic Treatment

The American Association of Orthodontists or AAO recommends that children receive their first orthodontic visit by age 7. This is because by this age, an orthodontist can identify any problems, which may be present with the jaws or teeth. Early treatment can prevent or intercept more serious problems from developing and may make treatment at an older age shorter and less costly. And, in some cases, the orthodontist can achieve results, which may not be possible once the face and jaws have finished growing.

Waiting until your child has all of his or her permanent teeth or until his or her facial growth is nearly complete may make the correction of some problems more difficult to treat. And, even though your child's teeth may look straight to you, there could be problems present that only an orthodontist can detect. Of course, the examination could show that your child's teeth and bite are fine and if that's the case, it's great news indeed!

Here are 7 Warning Signs to watch For in Children 7 Years of Age Which May Indicate that Orthodontic Treatment is Necessary:

Protruding upper teeth is the most common orthodontic problem.

A deep bite wherein the upper front teeth cover the lower front teeth too much.

An underbite wherein the two upper teeth fit inside the arch of the lower teeth.

An open bite wherein the child can stick his/her tongue between the upper and lower front teeth when the back teeth are together.

Crowded and overlapped teeth or noticeably large gaps between teeth.

Misaligned front teeth.

Crossbite wherein the upper back teeth fit inside rather than outside the lower teeth.

If you notice any of the above in your child, please feel free to call our office to schedule an appointment with us. Dr. Tadej will provide your child with a comprehensive examination to see if there is a problem that orthodontic treatment can address.

Children Currently In Braces
For kids currently wearing braces, brushing and flossing can require extra time and effort to remove food particles that accrue on and between your teeth and braces. If you ignore your oral health during your treatment, the results can be significantly compromised. We are happy to explain why effective brushing and flossing is so critical during orthodontic treatment. If you have any questions, please feel free to give us a call or ask us at your next adjustment appointment!

Our office is proud to help patients in the surrounding areas of Kern County including Bakersfield, Tehachapi, Taft, Delano, Wasco and Shafter, CA.

Tadej Orthodontics
8625 Liberty Park Drive, Suite 101
Bakersfield, CA 93311
Phone: (661) 322-2263

http://www.tadejorthodontics.com

Tadej Orthodontics Uses The Latest In Advanced 3D Imaging Technology

 

Or Kodak 9000C 3D

At Tadej Orthodontics, we pride ourselves on the fact that we focus on offering the latest state-of-the-art technology to provide our patients with the best possible treatment and care. We are proud to offer our patients several teeth straightening options including In-Ovation-C clear braces, In-Ovation-R and the innovative and popular Invisalign system. Our office is conveniently located in Bakersfield, but help patients in the surrounding communities in Kern County including, Tehachapi, Delano, Wasco and Taft.

We would like to let you know that we now have a new 3D imaging technology, which allows us to clearly see the root of a tooth so that we can obtain a more exact image. Keeping with our on-going efforts to provide you with the best care possible, our practice has invested in the Kodak 9000C 3D Panoramic and Cephalometric System.

The Kodak 9000C is the ideal and complete diagnostic tool that blends cutting-edge, one shot cephalometric technology with high quality panoramic imaging and CD imaging capability while using less radiation. Using the Kodak 9000C, Dr. Tadej can provide quicker and more accurate diagnoses, improved treatment planning and better patient care. Dr. Tadej can view and analyze root position or poor root development, conduct bone loss evaluations and evaluate tooth eruptions using this system.

Benefits of the Kodak 9000C

There are numerous benefits associated with the use of the Kodak 900C including:

The ability to take high-resolution images so the orthodontist can view teeth clearly.

Less radiation is used with the 9000C 3D system as it focuses specifically on the area in need of diagnosis.

Comfortable positioning for our patients.

Improved patient care. This system allows the orthodontist to perform a wide range of diagnoses, which reduces the number of required office visits to save patients time and money.

Fast and accurate diagnosis. Acquiring an accurate high-resolution image with the Kodak 9000C takes less than a second. Because this system is fast, fewer retakes are needed. The Kodak 9000C is truly an amazing device that helps us to provide our patients with perfect orthodontic treatment.

If you would like to schedule an appointment with us for you or your child please give our office a call. We will then send you a “new patient welcome packet” which contains a letter about Dr. Tadej and our office, a health history form and a map with directions to our office. Please bring the completed form in with you to save time.

Common Questions People Have About INVISALIGN

Invisalign, with its latest technology, now makes it possible for Dr. Tadej to tackle more severe orthodontic cases, that were previously not possible! 

The Invisalign "SmartForce" clinical features now available deliver more predictable tooth movement.  Bonded invisible attachments provide greater root tip control and more favorable tooth movement...This means that patients who previously were not candidates for Invisalign treatment, now are!

What are benefits of wearing Clear Invisalign Aligners?

Invisalign Clear Aligner

When you wear Invisalign, no one will know you are straightening your teeth because the aligners, and attachments are nearly invisible.  Anyone who prefers to discreetly straighten his or her teeth will prefer the enhanced aesthetics Invisalign offers.

How long does Invisalign Treatment take?
The length of treatment with Invisalign depends upon the severity of your case, just as with traditional braces.  Dr. Tadej will determine the best treatment plan that accomplishes beautiful straight teeth, and a healthy bite for each patient.  Some average treatment times are 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24 months.

How often do I have to visit the orthodontist once I am wearing my aligners?
On average, you will see Dr. Tadej every 8-10 weeks.  You will change aligners about every 2 weeks.  The visits can be very flexible, working with busy schedules, where Dr. Tadej can dispense more aligners to a patient that cannot get to the office that often.  This has especially helpful for our patients that travel overseas for work, and college students that are only home at semester breaks.


When should you remove your Invisalign Aligners?
The prescribed amount of time to wear aligners each day is 22 hours.  Patients can remove the aligners to eat, brush, floss, and even for special occasions.


Invisalign has been worn by 1/2 million people throughout the world, and the number is continuously growing.  If you are interested in Invisalign for you or your teenager, schedule a consultation appointment with us.  Dr. Tadej will do a thorough orthodontic examination and determine if Invisalign if for you or your child.

Dr. Tadej is specializes in orthodontic care -  Offering braces, clear braces, Invisalign, Invisalign Teen, and retainers.  Helping people in Bakersfield, Tehachapi, Delano, Shafter, Wasco, and Taft in Kern County, California.

Ever Wondered About Invisalign?

Dr. Gerald Tadej is a leading orthodontist located in Bakersfield, located in Kern County, CA. He is proud to offer his patients the Invisalign, clear aligner system in addition to other types of braces. While the end results may look the same – a confident and beautiful smile, Invisalign offers several advantages over other teeth straightening options. If you are interested in this modern approach to teeth straightening, here is some information about Invisalign that may help you decide if it's an option for you.

Invisalign vs. Traditional Braces

Invisalign Removable Aligners

Invisalign consists of clear, plastic aligner trays, which are designed to wear over your teeth. These aligners work by gradually and slowly shifting your teeth into place based on the exact movements Dr. Tadej plans out for you. There are no brackets or wires to tighten as you simply put in a new set of aligners every couple of weeks until your teeth are straightened – giving you the beautiful, radiant smile you have always dreamed of having. Perhaps the biggest advantage of all is the fact that most people will not even know that you are straightening your teeth, as the Invisalign system is virtually undetectable. This makes Invisalign a very popular choice for adults who wish to discreetly straighten their teeth.

Another advantage offered by Invisalign is the fact that you will spend less time in the doctor's chair, as there are no regular wire adjustments to make. This system also allows you the opportunity to view your virtual results before you begin so that you can see how your straightened teeth will look when you are finished with the treatment. This is not possible when you wear traditional braces as you can only imagine how your smile will improve.

The Invisalign system has been worn by nearly 1.5 million people the world over and that number grows daily. If you are interested in this revolutionary teeth-straightening system for yourself or your teenager, schedule an appointment with us so that Dr. Tadej can conduct an examination to determine if you or your child are a candidate.

Dr. Gerald Tadej specialized in Orthodontic care and braces in Bakersfield and the surrounding communities of Kern County, CA. Please feel free to visit our website www.TadejOrthodontics.com or to call our office for more information:

(661) 322-2263