Our Blog

We miss our patients & hope everyone is staying healthy. It is very important during this time in-between appointments to pay close attention to your orthodontics & oral health. Your braces, retainers & Invisalign.com aligners should still be working for you while we all stay home. Please maintain your best practices when it comes to wearing, cleaning & maintaining your oral appliances. You can contact us anytime for a refill on rubber bands or with questions on your orthodontic devices. Remember to rinse your aligners every night and brush them gently with your toothbrush to keep them fresh and clean.

The American Dental Association provides excellent health habit tips for your dental care at home mouthhealthy.org/healthy habits & 5 Things Every Family Should Know About Oral Health

We are all looking forward to opening soon for your oral health & orthodontic care. During the COVID-19 sheltering we have been adhering to guidelines by temporarily closing for general visits, but we are available for essential care & your questions. Please reach out to us with your questions, concerns and urgent needs. You can reach us via our Contact Us page via email or phone calls here: drjennifermartin.com/contact us

Monitoring Guidelines for Reopening

County health orders being issued around California cannot direct dentists to immediately go back to routine practice because state public health orders are still in place. Instead they are letting the public know that they may begin to access other types essential health services, consistent with guidance released this week by the California Department of Public HealthCDPH.gov. Dentists & orthodontists are awaiting specific guidance from CDPH, which is expected to be released shortly. CDPH guidance overrides any less restrictive directions from the county. In the meantime, dentists should continue to be available for dental care that is "urgent and emergent”.

We are following the ADA.org Guidance, CDC.gov & CDA.org COVID-19 Updates. When you return to our office you will see our enhanced safety features & personal protective equipment is action.  We monitor the updates closely on re-opening and look forward to soon being able to open our doors for all patient visits.

Re-Scheduling Missed Appointments 

We will reach out to our patients who we have missed seeing over the past couple months. Please expect calls & messages from us just as soon as we can return to normal operations. Everyone will work together to schedule at your convenience ASAP. Please contact us today at http://drjennifermartin.com/contact us & call (925) 676-8485.

We look forward to seeing you again, soon!

Jennifer L. Martin, DDS | 401 Gregory Lane, Suite 126 Pleasant Hill, CA

COVID-19 Patient Updates

We Are Available for our Patients

We are all looking forward to opening soon for your oral health & orthodontic care. During the COVID-19 sheltering we have been adhering to guidelines by temporarily closing for general visits, but we are available for essential care & your questions. Please reach out to us with your questions, concerns and urgent needs. You can reach us via our Contact Us page via email or phone calls here: drjennifermartin.com/contact us

Preparing for Reopening

While we prepare for reopening this time has allowed us to advance our continuing education, enhance new safety measures & develop tighter safety protocols. The COVID-19 pandemic and our knowledge of the disease is constantly changing, but we now have incredible tools that are preparing us for non-emergency visits.   We are following the ADA.org Guidance, CDC.gov & CDA.org COVID-19 Updates. When you return to our office you will see our enhanced safety features & personal protective equipment is action.

Patient & Team Safety

Your safety is our top priority.  We are taking steps now to ensure our re-opening provides everyone a safe environment for your visits.  We follow the ADA Toolkit for dentists which provides us enhanced safety guidelines, procedures & personal protective equipment.  The #ADA Advisory Task Force for Dental Practice Recovery has developed a toolkit with interim guidance with measures to take to help protect patients, staff and dentists from COVID-19 as dental practices re-engage in providing the full range of oral health care. The toolkit includes:

• Guidance on pre-appointment screening
• In-office patient registration procedures
• Reception area preparation strategies
• Chairside checklist
• Staff protection strategies
• Personal Protective Supplies Checklist

We Welcome Your Referrals

Please remember that we are available for emergency dental care needs.  Also, if any of your family and friends are in need of our services, even if it has been an extended time since you have been to our office, we are here to help. We also have found excellent resources to care for ourselves with the CDA Wellness Resources which includes tips for physical, social & emotional wellness.

Please contact us today at drjennifermartin.com/contact us. We all look forward to seeing you again, soon!

#MartinFamilySmiles #Covid19 #Orthodontist #EastBay #DrJenniferMartin

WHAT IS SELF-CARE? 

Self-Care is what people do for themselves to establish and maintain health, and to prevent and deal with illness. It is a broad concept encompassing hygiene (general and personal), nutrition (type and quality of food eaten), lifestyle (sporting activities, leisure etc), environmental factors (living conditions, social habits, etc.) socio-economic factors (income level, cultural beliefs, etc.) and self-medication. ISF Global What Is Self Care

TAKE STEPS NOW TO AVOID PERIODONTITIS (GUM DISEASE)

The best way to prevent periodontitis is to follow a program of good oral hygiene, one that you begin early and practice consistently throughout life.

Good oral hygiene. That means brushing your teeth for two minutes at least twice daily — in the morning and before going to bed — and flossing at least once a day. Flossing before you brush allows you to clean away the loosened food particles and bacteria. Good oral hygiene prevents the development of an environment around your teeth that is favorable to specific bacteria that cause periodontal disease.

Regular dental visits. See your dentist or dental hygienist regularly for cleanings, usually every six to 12 months. If you have risk factors that increase your chance of developing periodontitis — such as having dry mouth, taking certain medications or smoking — you may need professional cleaning more often. Steps to Avoid Periodontitis

HOW DO ORTHODONTICS HELP?

Orthodontics is a specialty discipline of dentistry that focuses on alignment of the teeth and jaws to improve a person’s smile and oral health. Orthodontists will diagnose, treat and prevent irregularities of the teeth with the use of braces, which are fixed dental appliances, and removable dental appliances, when the braces are removed. These devices can be used to straighten teeth, correct an irregular bite, close unsightly gaps and bring teeth and lips into proper alignment. Crooked teeth that do not fit together correctly are harder to keep clean and are at risk of being lost early because of tooth decay or periodontal disease. Colgate Oral Health Orthodontics

JENNIFER L. MARTIN, DDS Specialist in Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics

Dr. Jennifer L. Martin and our team love transforming lives, one smile at a time. We work one-to-one with each patient to determine their clinical needs and care goals, and then develop individual treatment paths to create their healthy new smile.  We’ll provide gentle, leading-edge treatment to gently shift your teeth into proper alignment, always attentive to your unique requirements.

We offer complimentary consultations at our Pleasant Hill, CA orthodontic office, serving Martinez, Concord, Walnut Creek and Lafayette. Please call to learn more and schedule your consultation, today.

Dr. Martin and everyone at Jennifer L. Martin, DDS, look forward to welcoming you to our practice. We’d love to develop a long-term relationship with you, while making the beautiful smile of your dreams a reality!

TAKE CARE OF YOUR ORAL HEALTH TODAY!

Please call us at (925) 676-8485 or visit our Appointment Request page to schedule your consultation today!

The month of March is peak Spring Break Season for many schools in the Bay Area & at time some teens are home from college.  Spring break is an ideal time to start your teen with Invisalign clear aligners.  Many parents take time off during spring break & can accompany their child to the orthodontist for their Invisalign consultation & start.  You may want to act fast to schedule since we do get busy during this time of year when everyone has a break from school. 

If your teenager needs orthodontic treatment then you’ve probably considered Invisalign aligners. Many teenagers prefer Invisalign ovetal braces, and a lot of them have successful results. Invisalign aligners can be taken out of the mouth in order to brush and floss, making it easier to clean your teeth thoroughly and consistently. They are to be worn up to 23 hours a day however, so it’s important to remember to put them back in!

Invisalign aligners are clear, so you don’t have that chunky “metal mouth” that braces do. For teenagers in high school this is especially important, given the presence of selfies and social media these days. Self-confidence is important for everyone, and for teenagers going through orthodontic treatment the sleek and virtually invisible appearance of Invisalign aligners can help with that.

Invisalign consists of fewer parts than braces- there are no brackets or rubber-bands to deal with. This may mean fewer trips to the orthodontist for repairs. They are also less likely to break during sports or other physical activities, and you can carry back-ups around with you in case something does happen to them.

Invisalign aligners work best for teens who possess a lot of discipline, are willing to comply to all the orthodontists instructions, and are very dedicated to wearing the aligners at all times. It’s important to note that most teenagers perform better than their parents expect. We have countless numbers of successful Invisalign cases for teens, and we absolutely recommend them if the case is appropriate.