BRACING FOR SUCCESS\ STRAIGHT TEETH AND A NICE SMILE CAN BE THE KEYS TO A BETTER LIFE.(Living)

Andrew Thurin probably doesn't realize what straight teeth might do for him in life. 

For now, the high school freshman is just happy that the brackets and wires are off his teeth. He can drink Coke and eat popcorn again, two of the many formerly forbidden items. 

In the long run, though, Andrew's sacrifices could pay off in a big way. 

"We live in a society that judges on appearance," said Andrew's orthodontist, E. Jan Davidian. "People who don't have straight teeth can be limited in the careers they choose and their choice of a spouse." 

Betty Thurin-Forster, Andrew's mother, remembers the days before he wore braces. In addition to causing chewing problems, crooked, large teeth were beginning to affect his self-esteem. 

Thurin-Forster said he didn't like to smile. In family photographs, Andrew didn't show his teeth.

After nearly two years in treatment, a large, metal-free smile crossed Andrew's face. The braces were finally removed and he got to see his perfect smile in a mirror for the first time. 

"They look so nice," his mother beamed. 

Thurin-Forster and her husband, Carl Forster, have four boys in their blended family. Andrew is the first to get his braces off. The others are either in treatment or will soon experience the orthodontist's chair. 

Paying for four sets of braces has sidelined family vacations and luxuries, even with insurance that covers half the costs and payment plans offered by their orthodontist. 

"I had to pay $2,000 for Andrew's and $2,800 for his younger brother, Zack. It was almost $2,000 for Joey and I am waiting for the final amount for the youngest son, Bill," said Thurin-Forster. She works as a manicurist and Carl as a heavy equipment mechanic. 

"Even the boys have given up things like being on the hockey team because it costs money," said Thurin-Forster. "But they know how important this is. It's their future." 

A 2000 Harris Interactive study commissioned by Align Technology, the makers of Invisalign braces, asked 1,000 adults how smiles affect self-esteem. Ninety-four percent responded that when meeting someone for the first time, they noticed the person's smile before eyes, height or figure. Three out of four felt that having an attractive smile was important for getting an ideal job and succeeding at work. Almost half said that bad teeth were a sign of bad personal hygiene. 

Pam Paladin, a spokeswoman for the American Association of Orthodontists, said she knows of no scientific studies on the relationship between even teeth and self-esteem. However, it's clear that straight teeth are healthier teeth, she said. 

"Orthodontic treatment helps people keep their teeth longer. When they are aligned properly they won't collect as much debris and plaque. You can floss better and you have healthier gums," Paladin said.

Text of fax box follows: 

Opting for braces 

In 35 years of practice, orthodontist E. Jan Davidian has seen many changes. There are more options in types of braces available, treatment time can be shorter and procedures less painful.

Newer wires cause little discomfort -- nothing that over-the-counter pain medication can't handle, said Davidian. 

"When I got into practice, the bands went around the tooth and made spaces between the teeth," he says. "It was more painful. Now the bracket is glued onto the front of a tooth." 

Brackets can be made of metal, tooth-colored ceramic or clear plastic. 

Wires are placed in the brackets to move the teeth into place. The wires are held in place by ties, small rubber bands, which can be multi-colored for fun and fashion. 

There are gold-colored brackets and wires. And one company offers brackets shaped like footballs, stars and hearts, according to Pam Paladin with the American Association of Orthodontists. 

In Davidian's office, gold braces are $250 more and white braces are $500 more than traditional braces for top and bottom teeth. Find out more by going this invisalign cost link.

Invisalign braces, another option, look like clear retainers. The Invisalign device covers the teeth only, not the gums, and can be removed by the patient at will. Patients need to remove them to eat and brush their teeth.

A series of clear plastic trays are made from molds of the teeth. Each tray will slightly change the alignment of the teeth as it is used. 

Once the teeth adjust to a new tray, usually in about two weeks, the patient changes to the next one. Treatment averages 24 months, according to Paladin.

Adults smile and bear it / / Braces aren't just for children at all

For numerous youths with badly aligned teeth, putting on braces is just another adolescent rite of passage. Yet much more grownups are also recognizing the perks of deciding to "smile and bear it.".

The lot of people previous age 21 who've chosen orthodontic therapy has actually increased in the last many years. Today, of the more than 4 million Americans that are receiving orthodontic treatment, one in five is grownup.

Treatment for malaligned teeth is possible even if you are age 50, 60 or beyond. But it's important that you discuss your expectations with an orthodontist (a dentist who specializes in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of dental and facial irregularities) before undergoing treatment.

Although there are several types of braces, they all work on the same principle. Teeth are "harnessed" together, usually with wires that are adjusted periodically to exert the proper amount of corrective tension on your teeth. This front-to-back, side-to-side and rotary pressure moves each tooth within the bone that surrounds it. Ultimately, the tooth socket is repositioned.

Regardless of your age, this corrective progress can make your teeth sore as they respond to the shifting forces of braces. If you are older, however, there may be more discomfort because adult teeth usually do not move as easily as those of a younger person. Among adults, root cavities or gum disease also can complicate treatment.

On the positive side, adults usually are highly motivated and willing to take the necessary steps to ensure a successful outcome. Treatment sometimes can take up to three years. Many insurance programs now cover at least part of the cost.

Among reasons for considering braces: To improve your appearance. Braces can help align your teeth if they protrude, recede or crowd one another. Orthodontic treatment often results in a more pleasing smile, which can boost your self-esteem.

Proper realignment of your teeth through orthodontic treatment also can help prevent gum disease - a possibility because crowded or badly aligned teeth are more difficult to keep clean. To correct an improper bite. An improper bite (which dental professionals call a malocclusion) can put pressure on your teeth in the wrong places. As a result, the enamel that covers your teeth can wear away prematurely when you bite down. In more extreme cases, the tissue and bone that hold the root of the tooth in place may loosen to the point that your tooth falls out. Left untreated, the problem rarely gets better and often becomes worse.

Types of orthodontic devices: Here are the orthodontic devices most commonly used today to straighten malaligned teeth: Traditional metal braces. The conventional form of orthodontic treatment, metal braces, gave rise to all those schoolyard nicknames: "metal mouth," "tin grin" and the like. Jokes aside, they remain a highly effective treatment.

Several years ago, the first step of this treatment was for an orthodontist to cement a stainless steel band with an attachment bracket on the front of it around each tooth. Today, only a small stainless steel attachment bracket is mechanically bonded to the front of each tooth.

Once all the brackets are bonded in place, a U-shaped guide wire is threaded through them. This guide wire, which runs across the front from molar to molar, is connected to brackets on each individual tooth by thinner wires. Newer guide wires, made of nickel and titanium, are lighter and more resilient, allowing more gentle pressure and requiring fewer adjustments. Ceramic or plastic braces. Orthodontists now offer a newer style of braces made of a clear ceramic or plastic. The major advantage of these models is that, from a few feet away, they are virtually invisible. This, of course, can reduce your self-consciousness from wearing braces.

Despite their aesthetic advantages, ceramic and plastic models have drawbacks. Ceramics are more expensive than traditional metal braces, and plastic braces are more likely to show stains from tobacco or caffeine. There have also been reports that the enamel of the wearer's teeth can be damaged during removal of the ceramic braces, although this complication is rare. Lingual braces. Sometimes referred to as "inside" or "invisible" braces, lingual braces are metal brackets affixed to the back of your teeth.

Although less noticeable than traditional braces, they are difficult for an orthodontist to fit. Other disadvantages: They cost more, may need to be worn longer, sometimes need more frequent adjustments and may irritate your tongue or interfere with your speech. Also, these braces generally can't be used when your orthodontic treatment includes jaw surgery. Retainers. After your orthodontist removes your braces, the final stage of your treatment involves wearing a device called a retainer. These devices help "retain" your teeth in their corrected position.

A retainer typically is made of a combination of two materials: an acrylic piece that is custom-molded to the roof of your mouth, and a strong, smooth guide wire that runs lengthwise across the front of your teeth. Gentle pressure from the retainer keeps your teeth in proper alignment.

In some cases, a retainer wire can be mechanically bonded to the back of your teeth to hold them in place. Removable appliances. These devices, popular in Europe, are less commonly recommended in this country but may be suitable for minor orthodontic problems. Removable appliances primarily move teeth only forward or backward to correct under- or overbites. But they also can straighten a single tooth or an entire row of teeth.

These devices have several advantages: They are less expensive than traditional braces, and you can easily slip them out of your mouth. You may be able to wear them only at night or when you are alone.

Future shock: Some researchers are considering sending a low-voltage electrical current through metal braces into the bone that surrounds the teeth. In theory, the electrical stimulation may speed up the realignment process, but there is no evidence to date that this approach works.

A hormone to make tooth removal much less painful

New york city, July 14-- Removal of teeth can quickly come to be far much less unpleasant utilizing a biochemical stemmed from a human hormone.

University of Florida specialists are examining the power of a human hormone called relaxin to biochemically get rid of the teeth faster and with much less pain throughout treatment, records science portal www.scienceagogo.com.

Orthodontics traditionally apply force against a tooth to move it.

The researchers are testing the power of relaxin, the hormone that helps women's pelvic ligaments stretch in preparation for giving birth.

That ability prompted them to consider relaxin as a possible way to accelerate tooth movement and prevent relapse, a condition where the tooth migrates back to its original position after braces are removed, it said.

"Ours is the first study to use a naturally occurring hormone, recombinant human relaxin, to biochemically augment tooth movement and retention," said researcher Timothy Wheeler.

Most of the problems associated with orthodontic treatments have to do with the body's natural elastins resisting manipulation.

"You can imagine normal collagen and elastin fibres to be like rubber bands that attach to the tooth to hold it in place," said Wheeler. "Those tissue fibres resist the force of the orthodontic treatment applied to move the tooth, and, when that force is removed, say when the braces are taken off, the elasticity of the tissues springs the tooth back into position." 

Researchers plan to inject relaxin into the gums to loosen the normal collagen and elastin fibres.

Once the teeth have been moved, researchers will administer another injection of relaxin under the premise that it will further soften gum tissue fibres, preventing them from pulling teeth back into their original position.

Wheeler said researchers hope to determine whether the treatment could eliminate the need for patients to wear retainers to hold teeth in place after braces are removed.  Here are some more findings on before and after braces.

"Right now, retention is the biggest problem we have in orthodontics," Wheeler said. "I want to get completely away from retainers, which for most patients right now are a lifetime commitment."

The drug was given the green light last April from the Food and Drug Administration. 

Relaxin does nothing to numb the pain that often lingers after orthodontic treatment.

Published by HT Syndication with permission from Indo-Asian News Service.

' INVISIBLE' TEETH-STRAIGHTENERS EXCEPT EVERY PERSON ADS DAZZLE, BUT INVISALIGN IS NOT YET PROVEN

For adults that wish a winning smile, a Silicon Valley budding is marketing a virtually alluring item.

Align Modern technology Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif., assures that its Invisalign network will certainly align your misaligned teeth, provide you an amazing smile, and do it all without unsightly and awkward cables and braces.

Align is attempting to bring the low-tech world of orthodontics into the dot-com age, using computer modeling to develop a customized series of clear, plastic, removable retainers that slowly move teeth into the proper alignment.

The underlying technology is fascinating, but Align is really selling style, not substance. Just as pharmaceutical companies have struck gold marketing directly to consumers, Align is in hot pursuit of image-conscious baby boomers with a $40 million print and television advertising campaign that promotes straight teeth without a metal-mouth look.

The tag line phone number (1-800-INVISIBLE) says it all.

"The ads are working," said Dr. Harold Kaplan, a Beverly orthodontist. "Patients are calling. They're calling all the time."

Kaplan and others in the field hail Invisalign as cutting-edge orthodontics, but they caution consumers to pay attention to substance as well as style. As the Invisalign ads point out - in small type flashed across the bottom of the screen - the system doesn't work for everyone.

Its long-term effectiveness is still being debated, and it can cost as much as 20 to 50 percent more than regular braces.

"It sounds like a good idea, and I suppose it could work," said Barry Briss, chairman of the orthodontics department at Tufts Dental School. "But I would go for the traditional treatment, personally, if the patient can put up with the aesthetics."

Regular braces use wires, bracelets, and rubber bands to move a tooth's crown and root from one area of the jawbone to another. The Invisalign system works differently. The upper and lower retainers fit snugly around each tooth. They are worn in sequence, with each retainer in effect squeezing the teeth toward their orthodontic goal.

Several orthodontists I interviewed said they believe the Invisalign system merely tips a tooth's crown rather than bodily moving it and the root. They fear that teeth moved by the Invisalign system will be more likely to revert to their original positions once treatment is completed.

Officials at Align, who are preparing to sell stock in the company, insisted the system bodily moves teeth. They said some orthodontists are skeptical because they've always been taught that removable orthodontic equipment can only tip teeth, when in fact research has shown otherwise. Studies to confirm the long-term benefits of Invisalign are not complete yet, they said.

Align officials said there is a massive market for their product. About 100 million adults could benefit from some orthodontic treatment but are unlikely to try braces, they said.

With strong venture-capital backing, the company has trained more than half of the nation's orthodontists to use the Invisalign system; they have treated nearly 8,000 patients so far.

Dr. Frank DeQuattro, of Dental Associates of New England in Brookline and Waltham, has treated more than 70 patients with the Invisalign system. The target market, he said, is adults age 16 to 60 (computer modeling is not sophisticated enough for a child's growing jaw) who have mild to moderate spacing or crowding of the front teeth. The system is less effective in treating back teeth, he said.

"For certain movements, it's as good as braces," DeQuattro said.

Once an orthodontist decides a patient would be a good candidate, X-rays and a detailed impression of the teeth are taken and shipped off to Align. A mold of the teeth is made, and the information from that mold is digitized.

A three-dimensional movie showing the teeth moving into the alignment prescribed by the orthodontist is made available for review online by the patient and his orthodontist.

If everything checks out, Align then develops a series of plastic "aligners" that are worn in two-week intervals. Total treatment time is comparable to what is needed with regular braces, but usually involves fewer office visits.

Patients are urged to wear their aligners any time they are not brushing their teeth, kissing, or eating.

Unlike braces, the aligners do not irritate the tongue, and patients who have used them say they do not interfere with speaking. They are nearly invisible, unless someone looks carefully at your mouth.

There is some discomfort, particularly if the patient's teeth aren't cleaned and flossed properly after eating. But Kaplan, the Beverly orthodontist, said the discomfort is so minimal that in most cases Tylenol isn't necessary.

Kaplan should know. He tried the Invisalign system on himself before using it on his patients.

"If I can adapt to something," he said, "anyone can." Find out more by going this invisalign cost link.

Diaper downsizing

Poland Spring isn't the only company raising prices by downsizing its products. Arnie Bearak and Rick Magnan say the diaper companies are doing the same thing.

Both men said they noticed recently that they were paying roughly the same price per package but finding fewer diapers inside. Even more surprising was the fact that the two leading manufacturers, Procter & Gamble, which makes Pampers, and Kimberly-Clark, which makes Huggies, downsized at the same time.

Magnan called the timing "a remarkable coincidence."

"Do these companies talk to each other when they plan a price increase like this?" Bearak asked.

Both companies, which together account for about 80 percent of the diapers sold in the United States, denied there was any collusion on prices.

But the timing is mysterious.

The companies told customers on the same day in late May that because of higher prices for raw materials (principally for paper pulp and oil) as well as the cost of product improvements, they would be raising prices an average of 6 percent during the fall.

But probably only sharp consumers noticed.

Prices actually dropped an average of 7 percent per package, while the number of diapers inside the package fell 13 percent. The average net price increase worked out to 6 percent.

The price of a jumbo package of size 5 Pampers Baby Dry, for example, dropped from $12.80 to $11.77, while the number of diapers was cut from 44 to 38. The net result was a 7 percent price increase.

Interestingly, while denying any price coordination, officials at both companies said the end result actually benefited consumers.

"It's good for us to make our counts the same," said Melissa Chrisman, a spokeswoman for Kimberly-Clark. "It makes it easier for consumers to compare."

Odds & Ends Directory assistance. With no fanfare, WorldCom has raised the charge for looking up a single phone number to $1.99. The charge, which applies if you dial 1 plus the area code plus 555- 1212, matches AT&T's fee. Fees at other companies range from $1.50 at Sprint to $1.60 at Excel. Both AT&T and WorldCom have cheaper alternatives. WorldCom suggests that customers dial around its 555- 1212 service to get to a WorldCom 10-10 company (10-10-9000), which charges 99 cents for two listings. AT&T's 00 Info service also offers two listings and a real operator for $1.49. The best deal remains Verizon's 411 service, which offers long-distance numbers for 95 cents.

Default electric service. Several consumers contacted me last week to say they, too, felt they had been improperly put on default service by their utilities. Default customers will see their power costs skyrocket to market levels Dec. 1.

In most of the cases, the only thing that had changed was the billing name on the account, but that was enough to make the utility think it had a new customer who should be on default service. My advice would be to press your case with your utility, and if that doesn't work, call the state Department of Telecommunications and Energy's consumer hot line at 800-392-6066. Spokesman Rob Wilson said the agency will go to bat for consumers.