Correct Your Bad Bite

McClellan Orthodontics

A bad bite is when the upper teeth do not properly meet the lower teeth when you bite down. There are many issues that a bad bite can cause…for example, a bad bite can cause pain while chewing and even damage your teeth over time. Poorly aligned teeth can cause jaw pain. The jaw may also click or pop. Sometimes, a bad bite can cause speech problems because the jaw and teeth cannot properly form words.

3 Common Bite Problems Treated by Dr. McClellan

1. Crossbite - A crossbite occurs when the upper teeth fit inside of lower teeth. This orthodontic problem can be caused by misalignment of teeth or a misalignment of the bone and can affect a single tooth or groups of teeth. Your jaw may shift to one side if not corrected and wear down on your tooth enamel.

2. Underbite - An underbite happens when the lower jaw sits in front of the upper jaw. The lower jaw may appear to be excessively large, but in many cases the lack of upper jaw development is at fault. An underbite impacts tooth wear and adds a stress on your jaw joints. Through orthodontic treatment, an underbite can be corrected and help keep you healthy, beyond an aesthetically pleasing smile.

3. Overbite – An overbite occurs when your top front teeth extend beyond your bottom front teeth. The most common cause of an overbite is the shape and/or size of the jaw or the teeth. This could mean having too much room in the jaw area or too little room to accommodate one’s teeth. If not treated, the overbite will allow the teeth to crowd each other and grow in crooked if there is too little room, or the teeth will be spaced too far apart if the jaw area is too large. A more severe overbite may lead to tooth decay, gum disease, or jaw pain.

Untreated problems will only get worse with time. If you suffer from a bad bite, consider visiting McClellan Orthodontics in Kenilworth, IL. Make an appointment today.

What are the Benefits of Braces?

At McClellan Orthodontics, we believe that no matter what the reason for seeking out orthodontic treatment, everyone deserves a straight smile. A straight smile means a healthy, properly functioning smile.

When your teeth are crooked, overlapped, or otherwise misaligned, you place an uneven amount of pressure when you bite down. That leads to pain, and it can cause your teeth to wear down, chip and even break. Not only that, but poorly aligned teeth are also harder to clean properly which can lead to decay and gum disease.

So what are some benefits to having braces?

• Corrects Bad Bites: Bad bites such as an overbite or an under-bite, can affect your speech, the way you chew and eat. It also can lead to tooth loss in some cases. Thanks to braces, a benefit is your bite will be corrected.
• Self Esteem: When you can smile confidently, your self-esteem and your personality shine through. With braces, you can be sure that your smile will be the best representation of who you are.

Contact us for more information or to schedule a consultation: (847) 251-6228 - Our office is conveniently located to serve the communities surrounding Kenilworth, such as Wilmette, Winnetka and Glencoe, IL. Call us today for your initial orthodontic consultation! We look forward to meeting you and working with you as we continue our tradition of creating the North Shore’s best smiles!

Have Braces? Avoid Candy Canes

The holidays are just around the corner and Christmas is less than a month away! Certain holiday treats can damage braces and cause wires to come loose. It's best to stay away from, candy canes. Whether you love them or don’t, candy canes are everywhere during the holidays. However you feel about candy canes, if you have braces, you may want to avoid candy canes this holiday season. 

Candy canes are one of the worst foods for teeth. Candy canes, are 100% sugar. Sugar can lead to cavities, tooth decay and loss. Candy canes are also one of the hardest treats to eat. One of the types of foods you should stay away from if you have braces (during orthodontic treatment) are hard foods and candies and candy canes fit the criteria perfectly. 

Candy canes also take a while to eat, which give the sugar a reason to linger around longer and form into bacteria, leading to cavities.

2 Facts about 2 Phase Treatment

Two-phase orthodontic treatment is a very specialized process that encompasses jaw and facial changes and tooth straightening. The major advantage of two-phase treatment is to maximize the opportunity to accomplish the ideal healthy, functional, aesthetic and comfortable result that will remain stable. In some cases, interceptive treatment prevents adult tooth extractions or major jaw surgery.

Second phase treatment begins once most of the adult teeth have erupted. This phase usually requires 12 months with braces on all of the teeth. After the second phase of treatment retainers will be worn in order to hold the teeth in the correct position.

1. Moving baby teeth is not done for the sake of their appearance. While baby teeth can move during Phase One orthodontic treatment, their movement is part of the process to ensure sufficient space for permanent teeth.
2. Two-phase orthodontic treatment is for kids, but it’s not for all kids. Most orthodontic problems can be treated in one phase of comprehensive treatment, however there are a few exceptions.

National Mouthguard Day in Kenilworth

Today is #NationalMouthGuardDay! As everyone has gone back to school and fall sports are about to begin, it is a perfect opportunity to remind our Kenilworth community the importance of wearing a mouthguard during activities, especially during orthodontic treatment!

Wearing a mouthguard ensures our teeth and overall smile is protected. During the ages of 7 to 11 years old children are most vulnerable to sports related mouth injuries. 67% of parents surveyed by the American Association of Orthodontists said their child does not wear a mouthguard, yet 70% said their biggest fear is their child getting hurt when playing sports.

2 Benefits of Braces You Didn't Know About

Fear of the unknown is human nature and some nervousness is to be expected prior to starting orthodontic treatment or if you are thinking of getting orthodontic treatment of any kind. Braces can make one nervous, yet the benefits of braces, goes beyond a beautiful smile.

1. Helps Prevent Gum Disease:
It's no secret the dangers of gum disease and the drastic negative effect it has on your overall health. Braces help space your teeth out correctly, which helps you brush and floss in between your teeth.

2. Prevents Bone Erosion
Did you know your teeth and mouth effect your overall health? Bone loss can also be a problem due to misaligned teeth. This is caused by bacteria that begins eating away at bones. Braces helps realign the teeth to prevent this.

DIY Braces are Dangerous

There is a growing dangerous trend that is increasing in popularity with social media and among young teens. This trend is do-it-yourself (DIY) braces. These DIY braces are dangerous and can lead to gum damage and tooth loss, among other consequences.

What Are DIY Braces?
DIY Braces are braces people make out of household items such as rubber bands, dental floss, fishing line, paper clips and others that people think will get their teeth to move. People take these items and put them in their mouth, where they think their teeth will shift.

“Straightening teeth isn’t just about closing gaps between your teeth; braces align the upper and lower teeth to reduce pressure on the jaw and keep teeth from wearing on each other over time. If kids try to move their own teeth, they are not taking into consideration other areas of the mouth that professional braces correct.” - Dental Associates Blog

Unhealthy Consequences:
“Braces involves slowly and cautiously moving teeth through bone and influencing bone growth.” There are ligaments that hold your teeth to your bone and when moved, these ligaments begin to break. DIY braces can damage your enamel, cause tooth loss, damage to your gums and bacteria from the household items can affect your overall health.


On you first visit, you will be greeted by one of our staff members and a complimentary, no obligation orthodontic exam will be done. During this time, we evaluate many things relating to your face, your smile, the fit of your teeth and the amount of room for all of your teeth. From this initial visit, if a you are ready for treatment, an appointment for diagnostic records is made.

It's been a Great 2018

Thank you for a great amazing year! It has been a fantastic year filled with progress and so many smiles. Everyone at McClellan and Sagun Orthodontics are happy to see everyone's smile progress. Whether it is beginning treatment or the final day, we thank you, our patients and family for entrusting us with your smile.

We can't wait to see all the beautiful smiles in 2019!

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Meet the McClellan and Sagun team! (Top left) Vanessa, Virginia, Cher, Cristina & Sandra. (Bottom left) Theresa, Dr.McClellan, Patti, Dr.Sagun and Virginia.

A post shared by Mart & Tim (@mcclellanandsagunortho) on Mar 20, 2018 at 1:36pm PDT

Do You Have a Loose Wire or Bracket?

We know even despite your best efforts, the wires and bands on your braces may come loose. If this happens, please contact McClellan and Sagun Orthodontics as soon as possible so that we can check and repair your appliance. If any piece of your appliance comes off, be sure to save it and bring it to the office with you.

In an emergency, you can temporarily fix the loose wire by using the back of a spoon or the eraser end of a pencil to carefully and gently push the wire back into place. If the loose wire is causing irritation to your lips or cheeks, put wax or a wet cotton ball over the broken wire to relieve the pain until your appointment.

Don't hesitate to reach out to us immediately if you experience any issue with your braces. 

More Than Just a Beautiful Smile

Drs. McClellan & Sagun and all of our team want to remind you that orthodontic health is much more than straight teeth. When our doctors create beautiful smiles for our patients, they place all the elements of the face into their perfect alignment for a healthy as well as beautiful smile. Orthodontic treatment at McClellan & Sagun Orthodontics also provides many additional health benefits. Here are just a few you might not realize:

Prevent TMJ: TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint) Disorders occur from stress on the jaw joint. Often, people who suffer from TMJ have an incorrect bite pattern or a misalignment of their bite. Orthodontic treatment can align the teeth and bite to remove the stress on the joints that causes TMJ Disorder.

Aid Digestive Health: Perfectly aligned teeth help you chew your food more effectively, which helps your digestive health.

Avoid Tooth Decay and Gum Disease: Crowded and misaligned teeth make it difficult to clean your teeth and gums, which can lead to food and bacteria build-up. It's much easier to brush and floss your teeth when they are in healthy alignment.

Correct some speech impediments: Sometimes when your teeth and joints are misaligned, this misalignment causes speech impediments. The teeth and tongue are important tools in our speech process, and it is extremely important that these tools be in their perfect alignment to speak our best.

If you have any questions about the health and aesthetic benefits of orthodontic treatment, feel free to contact us today. At McClellan & Sagun Orthodontics our goal is for our patients to feel that their experience with our office is remarkable, unique, and pleasurable.

Out With The Old & In With The New

With cold and flu season starting, germs seem to be lurking everywhere! While it’s difficult to avoid catching the office cold or flu bug, you can help keep your number one oral hygiene accessory in great shape by replacing your toothbrush regularly. Toothbrushes help keep your teeth and mouth clean, but how long should you a keep a toothbrush? It is recommended that you switch out that old toothbrush for a fresh new one every 3 to 4 months, and directly after any cold or flu. Replacing your toothbrush is essential since they are constantly being exposed to germs and bacteria. If you notice the bristles of your toothbrush have become worn, that is a clear sign that you need a new toothbrush. People who wear braces will likely need to replace their toothbrushes frequently, as braces break down and fracture bristles which makes the toothbrush lose its effectiveness.

It's helpful to keep a pack of toothbrushes available in the house at all times for easy replacement. You may be thinking "My toothbrush is fine, I have it broken in just the way I like it”. While that could be true, did you know that your old toothbrush could actually be harming your mouth?

3 Reasons to Change Out Your Old Toothbrush

1.     Bacteria - Your toothbrush is a tool for removing bacteria from your teeth…but it doesn’t actually kill bacteria. Some of the bacteria from your teeth stay on your toothbrush after you are done brushing. Now, this isn’t a problem initially, but imagine three to four months of bacteria build up on your toothbrush. That old bacteria ridden toothbrush is in your mouth at least twice a day…yuck.

2.     Bristles - Like any tool, a toothbrush wears down. Worn bristles are tough on your enamel and can wear it away over time. Not only that… an old, worn toothbrush can be up to 95 percent less effective at removing plaque.

3.     Illness - Always change your toothbrush after you’ve been sick, even if it’s not “technically” time to switch out your toothbrush. 

     Germs and bacteria in your mouth = brush twice a day, every day.

If you feel like changing your toothbrush every three months is wasteful, we’ve got a solution! Put that old toothbrush to work doing odd jobs around the house. Old toothbrushes are great for cleaning around facet fixtures and tile grout. They can even be used to clean tools, computer keyboards, and tennis shoes! Make sure to mark your calendar as a reminder to replace your toothbrush at least every 3 to 4 months. If you need a few tips on keeping your smile in tip-top shape, make sure to ask at your next appointment at McClellan & Sagun Orthodontics.