Even Rabbits Need Braces

Yesterday my patients were out dressed like cartoon characters and animals (for Halloween). Just last week my patient's stuffed rabbit was in my office dressed like a patient. This tender touch was just what was needed to alleviate her fear of getting braces.

Happy Halloween

Halloween is nearing the end, and all our children will be enjoying their candy tonight. Here are some hints to preserve their teeth:

- Sticky candy will break braces and aggravate TMJ problems. If you are wearing braces or have TMJ/facial pain DO NOT EAT chewing gum, gummy bears, taffy, jelly beans, and other sticky candies. If the candy is hard to bite through, break it into very small pieces before eating it.

- Avoid eating candy that sits on your teeth a long time. A Kit Kat Bar or a Hershey's Kiss will do less damage than a lolly pop or sucking candy.

- Rinsing your mouth with water after eating candy will decrease the risk of white spots and cavities.

- Rinsing with fluoride rinse before bed daily (especially important if candy was eaten that day) will help reverse the damage that candy does to your teeth.

I hate paying for parking

Today I drove past a church in White Plains which was adjacent to a municipal parking lot. The sign on the entrance to the parking lot said that fees were applicable 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In other words, if you come to church on Sunday morning you need to pay to park your car.
Last week I went to Rye to make a bank deposit. The muni-meter's minimum time allotment was one hour. I needed to pay for one hour of parking to run in and out of the bank in less than 10 minutes.
Have you ever noticed how many municipalities now charge for parking? You need to pay for parking to go to the library or the doctor's office in White Plains, and to go window shopping in Mamaroneck or Rye. Some stores like Walmart or Whole Foods in White Plains offer you free parking if you make a minimum purchase. In other words it's not really free.
In Rye Ridge Plaza (in Rye Brook, NY) the parking really is free to the customers. You can go to the doctors' office, make a bank deposit, eat at a restaurant, or go shopping- and really not pay for parking- even if you purchase nothing.
This is one reason why I chose to locate my office in Rye Ridge Plaza. At Okun Orthodontics you will always find a free parking spot in close proximity to the office, and also be walking distance from the bank, supermarket, hardware store, numerous clothing stores, pharmacy, jewelry store, and several restaurants. Okun Orthodontics is also easily accessible to Route 287 (Cross Westchester Expressway exit 10) and the Hutchinson River Parkway (Ridge Street, exit 29 in NY). Come visit me in Rye Ridge Plaza to see for yourself.

Blind Brook's "30-Something" Reunion

Blind Brook High School is a small public school in Rye Brook, New York. Dr. Judith Okun is a graduate of its third class. She has done orthodontic and TMJ treatment for current students of this local school as well as for children of it's earlier graduates. Last weekend Blind Brook had its "30 something" reunion for the first few graduating classes. Many of us came from as near as Greenwich and as far as Hawaii to participate in this event, despite the torrential rains and flooding. There were many shared smiles and stories as we caught up on the last thirty years: Laura does sculptures and toy design and lives in California; Ricky teaches teachers all over the world; Amy is studying the environmental effects of building a railroad in Hawaii; Jenni is the medical director of a hospice in Pennsylvania; Mike is a lawyer for a construction company in NYC; Jim is a lawyer in White Plains; Joanne is the office manager for a pediatrician in Greenwich, Ct; Bev helps people find jobs in Long Island. Most of our class had been together from nursery school through high school, had a long history together, and had a longer history "to catch up on". We heard of job and family "successes" and learned of personal tragedies. Two more of our class mates have passed away: Seth Baygell and Roopi Sethi. My heart goes out to their families.

Thank you to Beverly Wachtel for the photos.

Back to School Braces in Westchester

The fall season is just about to begin here in Rye Brook. School has begun, and now is the perfect time to start your orthodontic treatment! Many other students are wearing braces too; Treatment at a young age can be less complicated and you will often see better results than as an adult!

If you already have braces, it is important to remember the types of foods you can and cannot eat. Avoid the high sugar candies, snacks and beverages at the school cafeteria; these foods can damage your teeth and orthodontic appliances. Fruits and vegetables that you have to bite into should be cut up first, and any types of sticky food, such as chewing gum, should be avoided. You can find more information about what not to eat on our website, and if you have any questions you can always give us a call.

We here at Okun Orthodontics do our best to serve you, the Westchester County community, with quality orthodontic work. We work with all ages, and Dr. Okun has created amazing smiles for entire families! Give us a call at 914-253-0722, now is the perfect time to get started on the path to an amazing smile!

Pain and Tooth Fractures are Linked to Grind of Recession

Although there is no official data, dentists are noticing an increase in the number of patients seeking repair for chipped and fractured teeth. All the evidence points to tooth grinding (a.k.a. bruxism), brought on as a result of stress. And the stress levels have increased with the recent economic Recession.

The body reacts to stress, real or perceived, with what is known as the "fight or flight" reaction. Since most of us do not burn off this stress- reduction- energy with extreme physical activity, we burn it off by clenching or grinding our teeth at night.

Clenching teeth can cause cold sensitivity and sometimes nerve trauma in the teeth (requiring root canal treatment to fix.) Grinding teeth can cause wear or chipping of the biting surfaces of the teeth; cracking or fracturing of the cusps (or bumps on the biting surface of the teeth); destruction of the bone that holds teeth in the mouth; shortening of the roots of the teeth; pain and spasm of the chewing, face, and neck muscles; pain or ringing of the ears, and jaw joint pain. The damage to the jaw joint and its muscles is often referred to as "TMJ".

What can we do for tooth grinding? We can’t stay up all night to make sure we aren’t rubbing our teeth together while we sleep. We can, however, cover the biting surface of our teeth with a hard plastic guard or splint at night. This way the wear- and- tear happens to the guard instead of to our teeth and their supporting structures. The guard splints the teeth together so that clenching forces are shared and do less damage to the nerves of the teeth. The guard also decreases the muscle forces needed to slide our teeth side to side, therefor decreasing the spasm of the chewing and face muscles, and decreasing the stress on the jaw joint. Many patients try over- the- counter night guards, but although they are cheap, they are not effective. At Okun Orthodontics we make custom night guards. The cost of a custom night guard is significantly less than the cost to repair the damage done by those patients who grind their teeth without protection.

It pays to prevent the pain and avoid the tooth fractures that are caused by the "grind of Recession." As the expression goes "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

--Dr. Judith Okun

Another Heartwarming Patient Letter

July 23, 2009

Everyone in Dr. Okun’s office is loving and caring. Dr. Okun has always explained to me what the problems were with my teeth, and what she needs to do to fix them. She even explains step-by-step what she is doing, so that I don’t need to be nervous. My mother says that even after 9 years of college and a Masters in nursing, she is still amazed by the amount of knowledge you need to understand what is happening with the braces, and that Dr. Okun has explained everything so clearly. I never have any pain, and I never cry when I am here. When I walk out of the office I always smile; a lot! Lots of people love my braces and the colors. When I smile people are happy. It makes me feel good when they smile back at me.

My Grandmother and Aunt tell me a lot about my teeth; they say that my teeth have improved ever since I came to Dr. Okun. I tell lots of people at my church, White Plains Deliverance Center, about Dr. Okun, and I give them her business card. So many people love my smile.

My mother and I gave Dr. Okun’s card to the principal at Yonker’s Christian Academy. She was told that her ten year old daughter was too young to get orthodontic services, but we told her that she should see Dr. Okun to get another opinion.

Thank you Dr. Okun.
Courtney Scott

"Thank you to the best orthodontist." A Patient Letter to Dr. Judith Okun

Take a look at this wonderful letter we recently received from one of our patients:

So far, since I have been at the office I have had the best experience with everyone around me. Everyone feels like family in your office. When I come in, it is so warm and calm that I never feel nervous. Every time that I go in to the chair I never feel any pain because everyone is so nice. My mother feels the same way. She says that this is the only orthodontist she feels comfortable seeing, even though we had seen three orthodontists before, and my sister had already started treatment with one of them.

I work two days a week for my pediatrician Dr. Sukra. Her daughter is very nervous and scared about coming to the dentist, even if it is just for a cleaning. Every time I see Dr. Sukura’s daughter I tell her more and more about my experience at Dr. Okun’s office. Now I think she is considering coming to see Dr. Okun for braces.

Ever since I have been seeing Dr. Okun, people in my church, White Plains Deliverance Center, have commented that my teeth have never looked so straight, clean and pretty. Now that I have been at Dr. Okun’s office I always want to smile. Before, I never wanted to.

Every time I come to Dr. Okun’s office I am never nervous because I know I am in good hands.

Thank you Dr. Okun.
Kaitlin Scott


Thank you Kaitlin!