Our Blog

With spring here, many children, teens and adults in Jenison, MI will once again pick up the ball, bring the bat out of seasonal retirement, and lace up their cleats to hit the fields for the return of spring sports! April is National Facial Protection Month, and during this time, Dr. Powell and our dedicated team urge our young athletes to play it safe when out on the field. According to the National Youth Sports Safety Foundation, children, high-school athletes and adults will have more than 5,000,000 teeth knocked out in sporting events this year.

Here are a few ways to ensure your mouth’s safety this spring, courtesy of our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists:

• Wear mouth guards for contact sports such as baseball, softball, soccer and lacrosse.
• Wear a helmet
• Wear protective eyewear
• Wear a face shield to avoid scratched or bruised skin
• Be alert, even as a spectator

We hope that helps. Protective gear is vital for anyone engaging in tooth or mouth-threatening activities. If you have any further questions about any of these tips, please contact Dr. Mark Powell. Stay safe and have fun!

Are you wondering what it's like getting braces on? If so, you're going to enjoy Dr. Powell's braces placement videos. We've created two videos to demonstrate exactly what patients can expect during that initial braces placement appointment.

In this first video, Dr. Powell's Assistant Sandy takes out Kallie's spacers from her initial records appointment. She then fits the bands around Kallie's molars, which Dr. Powell cements on her teeth. To set the cement, we shine a special light that bonds the band to the molar.

In this next video, Sandy cleans Kallie's teeth and cements the brackets on her teeth. Again, we shine a special light on the brackets to bond them to the teeth. Finally, Dr. Powell finalizes the positioning of the brackets and puts in the wire and rubber bands. Great job Kallie!

Please let us know if you have any questions, or if you would like to schedule an appointment at Mark Powell DDS. We look forward to seeing you!

Who’s afraid of “metal mouth” and the appearance of braces? Not adults, apparently. Recently, our staff at Dr. Powell's office read a fascinating statistic: the number of adults getting braces has actually climbed 24 percent since 1996! Yes, braces help make your pearly whites strong, healthy and perfectly-aligned, but perhaps another reason for the spike in adult braces is this: people want to look and feel great. In an age—and society—where looks matter as much as anything, and at a time when evenly-aligned and sparkling teeth might be the difference between getting a job or a promotion, adults are choosing—wisely, we might add—to invest in orthodontics. Orthodontic treatment with Dr. Powell can be successful at any age, and adults especially appreciate the benefits of a beautiful smile.

If you’ve been thinking about getting that perfect smile, Dr. Powell would love to have you visit for a consultation. Please give us a call to set one up!

At Mark L.M. Powell DDS, our patients want to get as much out of their treatment as possible. That includes asking a lot of questions and making sure they take care of both their appliances and oral health.

Would you like to learn more about what to expect during orthodontic treatment, from someone with firsthand experience? Well, our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) recently developed the Braces Brigade blog, where past, present, as well as future orthodontic patients from coast to coast document their (or their child’s) orthodontic journeys. The blog will serve as a source of guidance for others as the patients undergo orthodontic care.

Our team at Mark L.M. Powell DDS encourages you to visit the Braces Brigade blog to read these great and informative blogs—who knows, maybe you’ll learn a thing or two! As always, don’t hesitate to give us a call if you have any questions about the Braces Brigade or your own orthodontic treatment with Dr. Powell!