Getting braces has become incredibly common; at least among middle-class 1st world countries, getting braces is almost a kind of rite of passage. Since early orthodontic treatment is the best way to treat malocclusion or misaligned teeth, this is most often when it happens. There is no clear, all-encompassing theory of why teeth don’t grow in straight in all people, but most orthodontic scientists feel it has to do with genetics, meaning none of us to have much control over it, at all. For something that we can do nothing to prevent, malocclusion (the medical term for crooked teeth) has a tremendous effect on our psyche, which is why braces have become so common. Although it does present actual functional issues, in some cases, mostly the problem with malocclusion is simply that it makes people afraid to smile, and that puts a serious damper on their self-confidence. Nobody wants to feel embarrassed every time they smile, and certainly, nobody wants that for their kids, so people flock to orthodontists by the millions, every year.

But orthodontic treatment has changed quite a bit, over time. As with most medical treatments, it was once much more basic, and primitive, but now has reached a higher level of technological proficiency, and integration with new technologies, like computer software. Especially for adults, who typically would prefer not to have ugly metal braces on their teeth, advances in incognito types of braces have made this a better time to see the orthodontist than has ever been. Even for kids, though, smile correction has made leaps and bounds and does its job better than it ever has.

One way that orthodontist’s methods have improved is in the area of diagnostics. The primary method for diagnosing malocclusions is x-ray, and this technology has improved a lot over the years. In olden times, the flat, negative photos that were obtained with x-rays gave the orthodontist only a cursory idea of what was truly going on in your mouth. Now, with conical CT scans, it’s possible for orthodontists to have a much greater level of accuracy and understanding of the bone structure of your teeth, jaw, and lower skull. These scans, which use x-ray to scan in a conical shape, give your orthodontist a 3D computer representation of your skull, that looks like CGI from a movie. With this, they can see exactly what is going on with your teeth, and exactly how best to fix it.

Once an assessment is made, your orthodontist may only find it necessary to treat you with spacers, retainers, or other removable tools, if your malocclusion is not severe enough to warrant braces. However, this is very often not the case, and braces are frequently found to be necessary to give you the smile you really want. Braces use interconnected brackets, which attach to the surfaces of the teeth, to maneuver your teeth into a better, more aesthetically pleasing position. They usually have to be worn for several weeks or months, and periodically adjusted, meaning trips in to see your orthodontist every couple of weeks.
A number of advances have been made in the world of braces, many of them geared towards adults seeking some form of invisible braces, for obvious reasons. Most adults do not prefer to have the same extremely obvious and prominent metal braces worn by children. To address this desire, orthodontic innovators have created several variations on the approach of braces, that don’t have such a negative effect on appearance. In some cases, they are very nearly invisible. There are braces that simply use different materials, the most popular being clear and ceramic braces, which blend in better with the teeth, and then there are lingual braces, which hide behind the teeth, by attaching to the backs of the, rather than the fronts. These are all great options, all still just different types of braces.

There’s also another option, that is an alternative to braces, called Invisalign aligners. Aligners are like clear plastic sheaths which fit directly over your teeth, one for the top row, and one for the bottom. They are basically invisible, like a clear laminated layer over your teeth, and have the added convenience of being removable. Invisalign aligners accomplish the same goal as braces, but by surrounding your teeth with a plastic casing, rather than attaching to their surfaces. Each pair of Invisalign aligners is custom printed using scans of your teeth, by your orthodontist. New aligners then have to be printed every 2-3 weeks.

Pest & Vermin Control

The Joint Is Jumpin’ – The Story Of The Flea -Contrary to popular opinion cat & dog fleas do not live on their chosen animal, they merely jump onto their host at feeding time, and dinner for a flea of course is blood.

In nature, the fleas live and breed in the nest of animals they feed on, in reality of course in a modern house the ‘nest’ becomes the carpets, rugs and soft furnishings.

Flea infestations are becoming much more prevalent in recent years, centrally heated homes provide an ideal environment for the life cycle of the insect, which can be completed in as little as 16 days.

The increased presence of urban foxes in many towns and cities may be responsible for the increased number of flea infestations as foxes always carry a generous population to share with the neighborhood cats and dogs.

The well-fed flea lays its eggs in the nesting material, carpets in a modern dwelling, which hatch out into larvae which crawl away from light and hence are to be found deep in the pile. In the egg and larval stage, they are also pretty resistant to insecticide which is why it is rarely possible to cure a flea infestation with one treatment.

The larvae eat the blood-rich droppings of the adult flea before pupating to emerge as a young, hungry flea.

Human beings do not taste especially nice to fleas and our blood is not of sufficient quality for them to breed, but in the absence of a cat or a dog we will do!

In the absence of a host, the immature flea can go into a dormant state without feeding for up to a year or more and then revive within seconds on feeling the vibration from the footfall of a potential meal. For this reason, properties that have been empty for a while often provide a little surprise for the new owners.

Often the family holiday is the time when people notice they have a flea problem, having put the family pet in kennels for a couple of weeks the resident flea population is starving and eager to greet them on their return.

There is however a dangerous side to fleas, we all know they were responsible for the transmission of plague and thankfully we don’t have that to contend with anymore but they can set off serious skin irritations in susceptible people including dermatitis.

They also have a more sinister side. The flea is an intermediate host for tapeworm.

When the flea dines on an animal infected with tapeworm it can ingest the worm eggs which pass into its guts. These infected fleas can then be ingested by a cat or dog during self-grooming and the worms infect the new host.

Worse still it is easy for a human baby or toddler to accidentally ingest these fleas when crawling on flea-infested carpets.

In order to clear a flea infestation, it will be necessary to treat both the animal and the carpets and soft furnishings of the property and outdoor areas where the animal may frequently visit. A professional pest controller will often use both an insecticide and a growth retardant hormone to interfere with the flea life-cycle. The cat or dog will need to be treated at the same time by a veterinarian.

If you are shopping for a new RV, you are surely already seen that most models that include slide-out sections. These slide outs are meant to add space to the interior of the RV while you are parked and camped, but still allow the rig to be small enough to get around on the freeways. Depending on the size of your family, a slide-out or two can make all the difference between an RV that is too cramped and one that is just right. While most new RV’s today are manufactured with slide-outs, you still may find some older models that don’t have them.

In order to help you decide if you need to have slide-outs on your list of features for your next RV, consider the following info about slide outs and what they mean to the use of an RV.

Additional Space

Obviously, the big advantage of having one or more slide-outs on your RV is simply the amount of interior space they can add. Once you have been inside of an RV with the slides pushed out, you just might wonder how you ever stayed in one without them. There are limitations to how spacious an RV can be when it doesn’t feature slide-outs, so your living and bedroom areas are likely to be far more enjoyable when they are present. For those traveling with a least a few people, the added space that slide-outs present will be greatly appreciated.

Extra Work

When you arrive at the campsite for your stay, there are already plenty of chores to take care of, including leveling the RV, getting everything hooked up, and much more. If you have slide-outs, you can add them to the list of things that need to be taken care of before your home is ready for the week. Many newer models open and close by push button, but you will still need to account for them while leveling and get things organized inside once they are pushed out. While you will probably get pretty efficient and setting everything up and putting it all back away, it is another step that must be taken care of.

Great for Long Periods of Time

If you are going to be staying in your RV for an extended period of time, having a slide-out or two is an easy decision because you will appreciate the extra room that you have available. Once you get the RV set up, you won’t have to worry moving around so you can just relax and appreciate the square footage that has been added to the rig.

Potential for Problems

Anytime you add moving parts to an RV (or anything else), there is the potential for trouble that will require repair. Most notably, RV slide-outs are known for having water leak problems, which is the last thing that you want to deal with when you are supposed to be having a fun vacation. Make sure, if you are looking at a used RV, that the seals and other parts associated with the slide outs are in good working condition.

Gas Mileage May Suffer

Slideouts add weight to an RV, meaning that you might not get as good of gas mileage as you could without them. Given the cost of gas and the already low gas mileage that you will be getting in an RV, this could be an expensive problem. Again, it comes down to how much you are going to be driving the RV, compared to how long you intend to stay and camp. If you stay for long periods of time at your destinations, then the cost of fuel might not be such a big deal.

When shopping for a new RV, you might not have much of a choice in the matter – almost all of them include at least one slide out. All in all, they are a great addition that makes your RV feel a little bit more like a home and gives you room to relax and enjoy your trip. However, there can be a couple of downsides to the presence of a slide-out, so make sure you understand those going in. Hopefully, your slide outs will be trouble-free and you can simply appreciate the added room they make for you and your family.

This Blog was posted by Coastal Breeze RV Resort in Rockport Texas