Petrol Orthodontics is a proud supporter of the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program.

Dr. Candide Petrol accepts an award from Temecula Mayor Maryann Edwards on behalf of Petrol Orthodontics for their support of the the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program.

Sponsored by the the City of Temecula and Mayor Maryann Edwards, the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program placed over 160 local youth in summer jobs with local businesses. Petrol Orthodontics, employeed three of the applicants, and found the program to be a great experience for everyone involved. This was the program’s first year and everyone is looking forward to the program continuing many more years. The youth employed by Petrol Orthodontics learned valuable skills including sterilization techniques, dental laboratory skills and assisted in making the patient experience at Petrol Orthodontics top notch.

Smile for a Lifetime recipient Danielle Chesser

Fifteen year old Danielle Chesser of Temecula is our second recipient of an Orthodontic Scholarship from Petrol Orthodontics given through the Smile for a Lifetime Foundation. In her letter of recommendation, Jan Milos writes: " Danielle is the only girl in a family with five brothers. She is home schooled and is quite active in the church and community. Danielle has taken the initiative to work at various jobs. She has cleaned horse stalls, raked leaves, bathed neighborhood dogs, raised love birds for sale and baby sat… She is definitely deserving of your assistance and this orthodontic work would certainly improve her chances for a better future."

In her application, Danielle wrote "I know that I am in need of braces. I know this a life changing opportunity, and I appreciate you considering me for this program."

Danielle's parents added" It would be such a blessing to have Danielle's smile match her beautiful personality"

The Board of Directors of the Southwest Riverside Regional Chapter of the Smile for a Lifetime Foundation agrees and Danielle received braces on Tuesday, September 1^st 2009.

Petrol Orthodontics delivers 150 Custom Mouth Guards to local Pop Warner Players

Young athletes are very likely to experience a mouth injury during their sports careers, but most parents and players resist the call to wear mouth guards. The National Youth Sports Foundation for Safety recorded over 5 million teeth knocked out last year during youth sporting events, with 80 percent of those injuries on the front teeth. In other words, that's a lot of missing – noticeable – teeth. The majority of these injuries could have been prevented by the proper use of mouth guards.

To help educate parents, coaches, and kids, the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) has teamed up with Jennifer Montana, wife of football great Joe Montana and the mother of two sons who play football, to urge athletes to "play it safe" by wearing mouth guards and other appropriate protective gear when participating in many sports and activities. To kick off Jennifer's involvement and bring attention to April's National Facial Protection Month, Montana is helping the AAO to announce the results of a recent survey on sports, mouth guards and facial protection. The AAO commissioned an online survey of parents to determine why many preventable face and mouth injuries are still so prevalent among young athletes. Overall, the survey results showed the need for better education of parents and coaches about the risks and need for mouth guards and other protective measures in contact sports.

When it comes to choosing a mouth guard, something is better than nothing. So called "stock" mouth guards are available at most sporting goods stores. With theses mouth guards, you simply pick a size and hope that it fits. A snug fit is nearly impossible to achieve with these types. A step up from this is the "boil and bite" mouth guard which you bite into after softening in boiling water to create a semicustom fit. These are also available at most sporting goods stores.

The best fitting mouth guard is one that is custom made by a dentist or Orthodontist. After taking an impression of the teeth, the custom rubberized material is formed around the model of the teeth much the same way as a custom retainer is made, except that the custom mouth guard is thicker and more pliable and fits perfectly. These mouth guards offer the most protection with the least amount of bulk. It is easier to breathe and to speak with a custom mouth guard. Because of the tight fit, they are less likely to fall out.

Thanks to the hard work of the entire Petrol Orthodontics Team 150 young football players will be sporting red and black custom fitted mouth guards this season.

First Recipient of Dr. Petrol's Smile for a Lifetime Orthodontics Scholarship: Andrea Van Voorhis

Andrea VanVoorhis from San Jacinto got her braces on today! After reading her application, the Board of Directors decided that Andrea would definitely benefit from braces and use her beautiful smile to help others. Her application read as follows:

" Growing up the youngest of five girls always meant that I was the last one in line. My parents worked very hard to support all of us, and their hard work allowed my parents to provide my sisters with braces. It amazes me to see how much confidence they got from having straight teeth. The last couple of years have been a struggle, and that was made worse when my dad passed away in February. The last three months have been very hard on my family, but if there is one thing that my dad would have wanted, he would have wanted me to have the confidence to smile for a lifetime".

Way to go Andrea and congratulations on beginning the journey to your new smile.

Is Invisalign really customized for each patient? At Petrol Orthodontics it is!

Yes, it is, and that's part of what makes it work. To find out if you are the right candidate for Invisalign treatment, the first thing we do at Petrol Orthodontics is to take an impression of your teeth as they are now and digitize it. Using special software, we look at the current positioning of your teeth and compare it to the way your teeth should look.

Next we use special software to map out the exact path your teeth will take from the beginning of your treatment to the end. Based on the results, a set of custom aligners are created just for your teeth. Throughout the course of treatment, you will be required to wear these clear, removable aligners one at a time; each one moving your teeth closer and closer to their final, perfectly aligned position. And since the aligners are virtually invisible, nobody around you will even know you are wearing braces!

Dr Candide Petrol is a certified Invisalign provider since 1999. If you have questions about Invisalign, or would like to find out if you are a candidate for Invisalign treatment, give us a call.

Young Students meet "Stormy" our Office Mascot

On April 13th Petrol Orthodontics hosted a field trip at their new Temecula office for students of Pauba Valley Elementary School which was arranged by the six and seven year olds’ teacher. Her classes were reading a book about a Mastiff dog named "Mudge." The children met "Stormy" my seven year old Mastiff, one of the two dogs pictured above. Stormy is on the right. PJ and Stormy shared the job of mascot for Petrol Orthodontics until PJ passed away a year and a half ago.
In addition, my entire staff assisted the students in making a plaster cast of their thumb the same process that is used to make dental models of teeth. The students also learned about oral hygiene and proper tooth brushing techniques and had a fun, quick visual orthodontic evaluation. All of the students were given a gift of an oral hygiene kit with toothbrush, toothpaste and floss.

The students thanked us with this wonderful artwork:

Tongue Thrust

The Inside Story

At Petrol Orthodontics, we are not only concerned about the correction of your teeth, but we are also concerned that your teeth remain as nice as they possibly can. A tongue thrust can cause your teeth to move even if you are wearing retainers. That is why it is important that this habit be corrected while in braces. The following FAQs will help you to better understand what a tongue thrust is and how it is corrected:

Q. What is "tongue thrust"?

A. "Tongue thrust" is the everyday name for an orofacial muscle dysfunction. It refers to the resting of the tongue against the teeth, and/or pushing the tongue against the front or side teeth, or both, during swallowing. This force or pressure generally causes the teeth to move.

Q. Is this something new?

A. Although information about tongue thrust is not yet widely known, the dental field has been studying the problem since the 1930's. In addition, speech pathologists began actively doing research and therapy for tongue thrust in the 1950's, Research and treatment is ongoing today.

Q. Do many people have this problem?

A. You're definitely not alone! A tongue thrust type of swallow is present in all babies, in about half of the population of five-year-olds, and in about one third of eight-year-olds. This is the age when it is most noticeable; it is also present in one-fourth to one-third of adults.

Q.
Do I really swallow that often to hurt anything? And how does swallowing affect the position of my teeth?

A. Most people swallow between 800-1500 times each day. We all swallow saliva 24 hours a day, in addition to liquid and food during meals and snacks. A person with a tongue thrust problem exerts at least a pound of pressure against the teeth every time he or she swallows. This frequent force, combined with resting the tongue against the teeth most of the day and night, can potentially cause considerable tooth movement.

Q. Now that I'm aware of the problem, couldn't I correct it on my own?

A. Trying to do this does not usually result in a permanent change. Learning the new swallowing technique involves more than a position change. It is a series of movements requiring the coordinated efforts of eight oral-facial muscles. Normally, people with a tongue thrust problem use only one or two muscles.

Q. What will happen if I don't change my tongue thrust swallowing pattern?

A. The end result is that your teeth may go back to, or stay, in their malocclusion. Your open bite, or over jet (protrusion of the teeth), or spaces between your teeth, will remain the same, or possibly get worse. If you don't have braces on your teeth yet, this is the ideal time to begin therapy! Otherwise, your teeth may continue to move in the direction that you don't want them to. Braces may only temporarily fix the problem. Relapse is very probable.

Q. I am already wearing braces. Why wasn't I told about this problem sooner?

A. Tongue thrust is not always readily observable at first glance. Although most orthodontists/dentists and their staffs thoroughly check every patient, at times, for various reasons, the tongue thrust is not identified right away. When the teeth are especially difficult to correct or they relapse into their former position, this then signals a potential tongue thrust problem. As both professionals and the general public become more informed about this muscular dysfunction, it is anticipated that it will be identified sooner in the orthodontic process.

However, you should be aware that if you are currently wearing braces, your tongue thrust could be competing with the re-alignment of your teeth and interfering with the purpose of the braces. You could end up wearing your braces longer than you had planned.

If you have worn braces, and they are now off, there is a good possibility that your teeth may lapse back to or near their original position. We certainly don't want that to happen!

Q. I'm still not sure that I (or my child) have this problem. What are some of the symptoms of tongue thrust?

A. Some of the symptoms of a possible tongue thrust problem are:

1. Low, forward tongue resting posture.

2. Breathing through an open mouth, instead of the nose.

3. Thumb-sucking, as a small child.

4. Problems saying the "s" sound. If you're still not sure, pay attention to where you place your tongue when you are relaxed. Does your tongue rest in the middle of your mouth and/or does it touch the front teeth?

Q. Is there a "best" age to successfully correct a tongue thrust habit?

A. A mature nine-year-old can usually understand the principles of the full therapy program, and will accept the responsibility for practicing. However, younger children can learn basic corrective techniques.

Q. Is there an upper age limit for successful therapy?

A. Happily, there is no upper age limit, Adult patients are well motivated, practice faithfully, and consequently, make excellent progress.

Q. I've been swallowing this way for a long time. Does "myo-functional therapy" really work to correct my tongue thrust?

A. Yes. Myo-functional tongue thrust therapy really can work, and it can be the critical factor in maintaining your straight teeth. Although most of us typically don't think about how we swallow, we can learn to focus on the swallowing process and make changes. The activities are easy to understand and to do.

Q. What should I look for when choosing a tongue thrust therapist?

A. My staff and I are certified to provide Tongue Thrust Therapy. We are one of three orthodontic practices nationwide certified to provide Tongue Thrust Therapy by Dr. Randall Jenks, who holds a PhD is speech and language therapy from University of California San Diego.

By providing Tongue Thrust Therapy in our office we assure positive results concurrently with orthodontic treatment