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Happy Thanksgiving from Pack Orthodontics! Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate and express your deep gratitude to those who matter the most to you. We asked each of our staff members to share with us their plans for Thanksgiving day, what they are grateful for, and how they like to give thanks. Read on to learn more about how our staff celebrates Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving, our staff are all anticipating some quality time with their families. Hope and Nina will spend time at home with their families. Ashley will be in both Pulaski and Loretto over the holidays with her kids visiting extended family. Morgan will be in Manchester. Denise is traveling to her son’s house in Franklin with her husband, her other son, daughter-in-law, and grandkids. Laura is visiting her in-law’s farm in Christiana. Laurie will stay at her sister’s home in Mt. Juliet with her family.

The best part of Thanksgiving is a little different for everyone. Hope, Denise, and Laurie are all in agreement that all the delicious food is definitely the best! Nina, Laura, Ashley, and Megan appreciate the opportunity to catch up with family members that they don’t get to see too often. Morgan loves that it’s a time to stop and reflect on what she’s thankful for in life.

Everyone has their own unique traditions this time of year! Morgan and her family gather around to give thanks to God for having one another. Denise goes Black Friday shopping with her girlfriends and has an annual black olive eating contest with her youngest son. Nina goes to a tree farm to pick out a Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. Laura gathers together with her family at a fancy table to share a nice dinner. Laurie makes her granny's pumpkin pie recipe. Ashley helps her grandmother cook Thanksgiving dinner and watches the men and younger boys play slow-motion football in the yard. Megan always watches the Thanksgiving parade with her family.

Is it possible to pick a favorite Thanksgiving side or dessert?! It’s pretty hard to choose a favorite but our staff tried! Denise is a mashed potato and gravy kind of girl, but her husband and sons insist on having sweet potato casserole every year. Nina loves stuffing and green bean casserole. Laura prefers her father-in-law’s stuffing. Hope loves pumpkin pie, Laurie would pick her granny’s pumpkin pie before any other pumpkin pie, and Morgan loves chess pie. Megan is a big fan of dressing and Ashley looks forward to her Aunt Nancy’s dressing-- it’s so good her family fights over the leftovers!

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect and share on the people and things in your life you’re most thankful for. Hope is so thankful for her family and their good health. Morgan is grateful this year for new beginnings. Denise appreciates the love and support of her family and friends when she lost her dad. Nina feels blessed for all of the trips she and her family were able to go on. Laura is 6 months pregnant and is excited to finally meet little Lucas. Laurie is always grateful for her wonderful family. Ashley is thankful for God’s grace and her family, kids, and friend’s support throughout the past few months while she starts a new chapter in her life and settles into her new job at Pack Orthodontics! Megan is thankful for her lovely children and the opportunity to start a new side business.

Expressing your gratitude is another special way to give thanks! Morgan thanks God directly through devotion and praise. Denise donates to her favorite charities. Nina sends out personalized cards to her loved ones. Ashley also loves sending out thank you cards and special texts to friends and family to remind them of how much they mean to her. Megan takes the time to text each of her friends on Thanksgiving day to let them know how important they are to her.

As a person gets older, our perspectives tend to change and we may start to appreciate things that we’ve previously had taken for granted. Hope has a deeper appreciation for her mom after taking on the role of “mother” herself. There are so many sacrifices made but an equal amount of incredible rewards to cherish. Morgan is thankful for all her tough life lessons and God's grace throughout all those moments. Denise loves having her grandchildren close by. As the years go by, Nina’s love for her family only continues to grow. Laura feels closer and closer to her family every year, and they are a huge blessing as well as her biggest supporters. Laurie adores her family and now has a beautiful daughter. Ashley has a new appreciation for her health. Many of Ashley’s friends either have parents with serious health issues or are sick themselves. Megan’s children remain the most important to her.

Everyone has a fond Thanksgiving memory from the past. Hope remembers her Memaw cooking an extra pan of dressing just for her because she knew Hope loved it so much. Denise recalls eating at a mess hall with her dad, mom, and sister one year when they were younger. Laura reflects on the time before her parents moved out of town-- they would all dress up and cook a fancy meal, say a prayer, and eat together. They don't get to come into town for Thanksgiving anymore and she misses them dearly. Laurie loves the memory of her granny teaching her how to cook in the kitchen. Ashley simply has too many fond memories to share just one. Megan remembers going to her grandma's house and being with all of her extended family. Being together with family is always so much fun!

We hope you enjoyed getting to know a little more about our staff. We are wishing everyone a wonderful and joyous Thanksgiving!

Although major orthodontic emergencies are relatively rare, when they do happen it is important to seek immediate attention. By comparison, a minor orthodontic issue is something you can usually take care of yourself, or wait until your next scheduled appointment for care. Here are some guidelines to help you understand the difference between an orthodontic emergency and a minor issue.

Orthodontic Emergencies

Acute, Direct Injury to the Mouth, Jaw, or Teeth

Whether undergoing orthodontic care or not, if you injure your mouth, jaw, or teeth, you should see a doctor or dentist immediately. You may need an X-ray to determine the extent of your injury. If the injury affects the orthodontic appliances, they will need adjustment or possibly replacement, depending upon the extent of the injury.

Infected Teeth

It is possible for teeth to become infected following orthodontic treatment. This may or may not be related to your orthodontic appliances. If you experience pain or swelling around a tooth that gets progressively worse, seek professional care as soon as possible.

Minor Orthodontic Issues

While true orthodontic emergencies are rare, minor issues are much more common. Here are some examples of minor orthodontic issues that can be remedied on your own and/or fixed at your next office visit:

• Poking wire
• Loose bracket
• Loose elastic band
• Loose wire
• Loose appliance
• Headgear does not fit
• Lost or broken elastic band
• General soreness

Any of the above issues can happen as a result of normal usage, shifting, and wear of your braces. Eating unusually hard or sticky foods can cause or exacerbate these problems. Vigorous brushing of the teeth can also be a factor. None of these issues are emergencies unless they are accompanied by acute or prolonged pain or discomfort.

As for on-the-spot remedies, covering a loose bracket or wire with wax can be a quick fix to alleviate discomfort until your next orthodontist visit. Poking or protruding wires can be moved with a cotton swab or tweezers, or clipped down with nail clippers. Be sure to sterilize the tweezers or clippers in alcohol first. Cover any clipped wire ends with a small ball of wax.

Some soreness or small abrasions in the mouth are normal, especially with recent orthodontic work. Rinse your mouth with a saltwater solution comprised of eight ounces or warm water and one teaspoon of salt.

When in doubt, be sure to contact our Murfreesboro, TN office with any questions, or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Pack at Pack Orthodontics.

Our office strives to bring you the latest and greatest in orthodontic techniques and technologies. Being on the cutting edge of the industry is important—it ensures you, as our patient, are getting the best orthodontic treatment you possibly can while keeping costs down!

The goal of a high-tech office is three fold: to have effective treatment, to have efficient treatment, and to make the whole process easy, painless, and cost-effective for you.

Here are some of the technologies being implemented by Dr. Pack to do just that:

3D oral scanners: If you've ever experienced getting impressions the traditional way, it isn't very fun! Having a gag reflex is common and it takes several minutes on both the top and bottom of the mouth to get a successful impression.

With 3D oral scanners, we create a perfect digital scan of your teeth without radiation. We then use the results of the scan to create accurate braces, retainers, and other appliances for your unique teeth and mouth.

Digital Imaging: New digital imaging provides us with accurate, panoramic, and cephalometric views of your teeth and their supporting structures. This lets us plan and implement treatment with the utmost precision.

Not only does this kind of imaging expose patients to far less radiation than traditional X-rays but it also gives us immediate access to the images, whereas X-rays had to be developed. This expedites treatment time and means fewer trips to our Murfreesboro, TN office for you.

New, high-tech braces options: There are so many more choices when it comes to braces these days! Advances in the industry like Invisalign®, self-ligating braces, and lingual braces, allow patients to not only get highly accurate and precise treatment, but do so discreetly without anyone else even knowing.

Digital scanning and imaging takes the guesswork out of braces. Instead of the orthodontist estimating tooth movement and treatment progression, these days it's all computer modeled with exacting detail. The result? Your braces do exactly what they're intended to do in less time with a picture-perfect outcome.

These are just some of the advances in the orthodontic industry. Needless to say, they all make the entire process that much easier and effective for you. If you have any questions or are interested in treatment, please don't hesitate to contact our Murfreesboro, TN office!

If Dr. Pack and our team at Pack Orthodontics have recommended a palatal expander, you might be wondering what it is and how it will help you. A palatal expander is a small appliance fitted in your mouth to create a wider space in the upper jaw. It is often used when there is a problem with overcrowding of the teeth or when the upper and lower molars don’t fit together correctly. While it is most commonly used in children, some teens and adults may also need a palatal expander.

Reasons to get a palatal expander

There are several reasons you might need to get a palatal expander:

• Insufficient room for permanent teeth currently erupting
• Insufficient space for permanent teeth still developing which might need extraction in the future
• A back crossbite with a narrow upper arch
• A front crossbite with a narrow upper arch

How long will you need the palatal expander?

On average, patients have the palatal expander for four to seven months, although this is based on the individual and the amount of correction needed. Several months are needed to allow the bone to form and move to the desired width. It is not removable and must remain in the mouth for the entire time.

Does it prevent the necessity for braces?

The palatal expander doesn’t necessarily remove the need for braces in the future, but it can in some cases. Some people only need braces because of a crossbite or overcrowding of the teeth, which a palatal expander can help correct during childhood, when teeth are just beginning to erupt. However, others may eventually need braces if, once all their permanent teeth come in, they have grown in crookedly or with additional spaces between.

If you think your child could benefit from a palatal expander, or want to learn about your own orthodontic treatment options, please feel free to contact our Murfreesboro, TN office!