Observation Crew

                                   Observation Crew

JOIN OUR OBSERVATION CREW

Not sure if your child is ready for braces?

It is recommended by the American Association of Orthodontics that every child have an orthodontic evaluation around the age of seven.  Although an evaluation is important, many children do not require treatment at this age.  Therefore, we at Coghlan Orthodontics have created an observation program especially for these patients.  Our office will continue to monitor your growth and reevaluate you periodically at no charge.  When Dr. Kevin determines that you could benefit from the orthodontic process, only then will you begin treatment. To schedule your free orthodontic evaluation please call our office at 812-332-9269.

Join our Team!! Hoosiers Outrun Cancer 2015

Please join our team!!

Coghlan Orthodontics is participating in Hoosiers Outrun Cancer on September 26,2015 and we are inviting you to join our team. This is our 5^th year participating in the walk/run and this year we are excited to announce that we are also a corporate sponser. Look for our colorful signs and banner along the zig zag portion of the race.

This year we are celebrating our honorary patient, Cole Winnefeld, brother  to our patient Lauren. He was diagnosed in April 2009 with Neuroblastoma and recently lost his battle. Coghlan Orthodontics is dontating $10 to the Sloan Kettering Cancer Center where Cole was treated, for every participant that joins our team. 

Lauren and Cole Winnefeld

Not able to join us that day? Don’t worry, you can still sign up to be a spirit participant and $10 will still be donated in honor of Cole and your support will continue to help others battling cancer.

To sign up to join our team, click on the link below: 

http://www.hoosiersoutruncancer.org/faf/home/waiver.asp?ievent=1125401

• Agree to the HOC waiver
• Select "Join a team"
• Select "Coghlan Orthodontics" from the drop down menu

For more information on donating to Sloane Kettering Cancer Center in honor of Cole, click on the link below:

https://supportcookiesforkidscancer.org/BATCOLE

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

          Approximately 25 million adults in the U.S. have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which can cause them to stop breathing hundreds of times a night for anywhere from a few seconds to more than a minute. OSA is a chronic condition that occurs when our muscles relax during sleep, allowing soft tissue to collapse and block the airway. As a result, repeated breathing pauses occur, which reduce your oxygen levels. These breathing pauses are followed by brief awakenings that disturb your sleep. Common signs of OSA include snoring and gasping or choking sound during sleep. Like snoring, OSA is more common in men, but can occur in women too, especially during and after menopause. Untreated OSA raises your risk for serious health problems, such as high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, chronic acid reflux, and erectile dysfunction.

How is OSA diagnosed?

          A doctor must determine if your snoring is a sign that you have OSA. A physician who is a sleep specialist can provide you with a complete sleep evaluation. This may involve either an overnight sleep study at a sleep center or a home sleep apnea test. The sleep doctor will interpret the data from your sleep study to make a diagnosis.

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure

          Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is the traditional medical treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. CPAP requires a mask, over the nose and mouth, connected to a hose that blows air to it from a constantly running machine. Although CPAP is effective in treating OSA, many patients find it uncomfortable, noisy, and difficult to travel with.

Oral Appliance Therapy

          Oral appliance therapy (OAT) is another treatment for obstructive sleep apnea and can be an effective alternative treatment to CPAP. Administered by a dentist, oral appliance therapy uses a custom-fit “mouth guard-like” device worn only during sleep to maintain an open, unobstructed airway. The type of appliance is best chosen after an examination and consultation with a dental specialist.

Did you know there are thousands of dentists trained to help treat and manage your snoring and sleep apnea? The American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM) is an association of dentists who help patients control obstructive sleep apnea and snoring through the use of oral appliance therapy (OAT). If you have trouble tolerating Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) and need an effective alternative for living with sleep apnea, call us to today to schedule an appointment and learn more about how OAT can help you get a good night’s rest.

For more information visit: www.aadsm.org

Epworth Sleepiness Scale

          The following is an Epworth Sleepiness Scale which can be used to assess daytime sleepiness. This can be helpful in determining if an individual is attaining adequate amounts of restful sleep.

How likely are you to doze off or fall asleep in the following situations, in contrast to felling just tired? This refers to your usual way of life in recent times. Even if you haven’t done some of these things recently try to work out how they would have affected you.

Use the following scale to choose the most appropriate number for each situation:

                                                0 = would never doze or sleep

                                                1 = slight chance of dozing or sleeping

                                                2 = moderate chance of dozing or sleeping

                                                3 = high chance of dozing or sleeping

It is important that you answer each question as best you can.

Situation

Sitting and reading_________________________________________ 0   1   2   3

Watching TV_____________________________________________  0   1   2   3

Sitting, inactive in a public place (e.g. a theatre or a meeting)______ 0   1   2   3

As a passenger in a car for an hour without a break______________ 0   1   2   3

Lying down to rest in the afternoon when circumstances permit_____0   1   2   3

Sitting and talking to someone_______________________________ 0   1   2   3

Sitting quietly after a lunch without alcohol______________________0   1   2   3

In a car, while stopped for a few minutes in traffic                             0   1   2   3

Total Epworth Score_______

Understanding your score

0-10     Normal range in healthy adults

11-14   Mild sleepiness

15-17  Moderate sleepiness

18 or higher  Severe sleepiness

If you scored 11 or higher consider seeing a sleep medicine specialist to diagnose and treat the cause of your sleepiness.

Summer Vacation

July is here and a summer vacation may be in your future. Whether traveling across the world, across the country, or across the street vacation is a wonderful time to relax, rest, and reconnect with family.

        Our tips for an excellent summer trip:                                        

•    Use plenty of sunscreen
•    Laugh
•    Take lots of photos
•     Relax                           
•     Eat yummy food

Our office family is also going on vacation, we will be closed starting Monday July 6^th and will return to the office on Tuesday July 14^th. If you have any question or problems during this time you can call our office at 812-332-9269 and leave a message. If you have an emergency please contact your general dentist for assistance.

Please share your vacation photos with us on our Facebook page to earn extra $$Coghlan Cash$$.

                                                              

Fathers are Special!!

On Father's day this year I want to thank all the dads who make a difference in their children's lives. We love to see fathers taking an active role in the lives of their kids. We see dads everyday in our office that have a positive influence on our patients. They are involved and it shows.  Having a father understand the treatment  aids us by actively encouraging compliance with treatment.  A little fatherly persuasion is always helpful in obtaining a successful treatment outcome. Of course it only works when the relationship is developed over many years, with a lot of love and sacrifice. This bond is a wonderful thing that cannot be bought or demanded, but earned with great time and effort.  A great father is certainly not perfect, but their love and devotion to their children is never questioned.

I can honestly say that I have been blessed with the gift of a wonderful father. He has taught me so much that I could never catalogue all the lessons; If I was wiser as a child I would have. It would be an excellent manual on how to be a father, a book we are never given.  Lessons like these are learned through experience and are often felt in the heart not analyzed in the mind. He showed me I can do anything. Never be afraid to attempt things, if you are prepared and put the effort in to it, you will be successful. I may not get the outcome that I desired but I would be better off.  No experience is a bad experience unless you let it be. He instilled a tremendous work ethic in me that began in 8th grade when I cleaned the office on the weekends, continued with working in the lab in high school and college, to finally treating patients after finishing my orthodontic training. Every task no matter how small was important and if you did the work you owned the outcome. His wealth of orthodontic experience was a tremendous advantage for me when I joined the practice as a new graduate in 1989. I was amazed by how little I knew when I arrived after 6 years of dental/orthodontic school. He certainly has been the biggest influence on making me the clinician I am today. Most importantly he showed me how to treat people and not just straighten teeth. To place the patient first, serve them and treat them as you would want to be treated. We are partners with a common goal. If your service to them is the driving force in your practice then you will sleep well at night. 

I will finish with a big thank you to  all the fathers out there doing their best. Keep the focus on the right sight and I hope you sleep well at night!

Dr. Kevin

Make an Investment in YOU!!

MAKE AN INVESTMENT IN YOU...


A confident, radiant smile is within your reach!  Your smile is one of the most important things you can invest in-nothing else can make you feel as good about yourself as having a beautiful smile.  Not only can properly positioned teeth improve your smile, they will also enhance your facial appearance and improve your self-esteem and self-confidence.  What more could you want?

The one thing that you are probably asking now though is...How much will this cost me?  There are many factors that determine the cost of your Orthodontic/Invisalign/Accelerated Orthodontic treatment:  how complex the issues you want corrected are; how long your treatment plan will take, and the specific treatment details required, as prescribed by Dr. Kevin.  We want you to be able to have this amazing treatment, so we offer a variety of payment plans designed to make treatment affordable for your needs. 

ORTHODONTIC AND INVISALIGN PAYMENT OPTIONS:

• A courtesy discount is applied to treatment paid in full by cash, check, or credit card
• In-office, no interest, monthly payment plan
• Payment plans using your Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flex Plans
• Visa, MasterCard, and Discover cards accepted
• Most insurance plans accepted
• Affordable payment options with CareCredit

                                  http://www.carecredit.com/

There are many differences between traditional Orthodontics and Invisalign-pros and cons for both.  However, in our office, you pay for a beautiful, healthy smile, not the way you get there.  So our traditional Orthodontic treatment and Invisalign treatment cost the same.  We want you to make the decision that is best for your lifestyle and teeth, so call us today at 812-332-9269 for your free consultation to discuss what treatment options are best for you!

What to eat to keep your teeth

Today’s nutritional approaches to oral health go beyond “don’t eat sugar.”

“Adequate nutrition is important in disease prevention, and nutritional counseling is becoming an increasingly important tactic in preventive dentistry,” says Ken Sutherland, DDS, senior dental consultant at Delta Dental. “The quality and consistency of foods, their nutritional composition and the combinations in which they are eaten can affect oral health, including the likelihood of tooth decay,” he adds.
Ongoing research indicates that antioxidants and other nutrients found in fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts may strengthen immunity and improve the body’s ability to fight bacteria and inflammation, all of which can help protect the teeth and gums. And some foods and dietary habits even have distinct effects on the mouth’s ability to handle cavity-causing bacteria attacks.
For example:

• Calcium-fortified juices, milk and other dairy products are rich in calcium and vitamin D and help promote healthy teeth and bones, reducing the risk for tooth loss. Adding powdered milk to cooked dishes helps those who don’t like milk or cheese to get some of the calcium needed to protect teeth and jawbones.
• Cheese unleashes a burst of calcium that mixes with plaque and sticks to the teeth, protecting them from the acid that causes decay and helping to rebuild tooth enamel on the spot.
• Crisp fruits and raw vegetables, like apples, carrots and celery, help clean plaque from teeth and freshen breath.
• Antioxidant vitamins, such as vitamin C, and other nutrients from fruits and vegetables help protect gums and other tissues from cell damage and bacterial infection.
• Recent studies indicate that fresh cranberries interrupt the bonding of oral bacteria before they can form damaging plaque.
• Folic acid promotes a healthy mouth and supports cell growth throughout the entire body. This member of the B vitamin family is found in green leafy vegetables and brewer’s yeast.

You may already know that cavity-causing organisms feed on the sugar in foods such as soda, chocolate milk and candies and convert it to acid, which attacks tooth enamel and causes tooth decay.

• But did you know that acidic foods and drinks can wear away your enamel, leaving your teeth sensitive, cracked and discolored?

Timing is everything

A diet that promotes good oral health is not just about the foods you eat or avoid — when and how you eat them is equally important.

• Foods that take a long time to chew or that you hold in your mouth (such as cough drops) can damage teeth as they retain sugar in the mouth longer than do other foods.
• Instead of snacking on sugary, carbohydrate-rich or acidic foods throughout the day, eat these foods just during meal times in order to minimize the amount of time teeth are exposed to acid. In addition, the body produces more saliva to help digest larger meals, which washes away more food and helps neutralize harmful acids before they can attack teeth.