To further his education Dr. Martisius moved to Monroe, Louisiana and attended Northeast Louisiana State University. Heearneda Masters Degree in Biology with an emphasis in Microbiology. He graduated with honors and finished at the top academically in his graduateclass.

With avision of blending a biologic/microbiologicunderstanding of the mouth with oral healthcare, Dr. Martisius continued his education at the Loyola School of Dentistry, known as a leader nationally in clinical dentistry. Hegraduated with honors,was a representative member of the governing student congress, was electedPresident of the Omicron Kappa Upsilon Dental Fraternity and was inducted into the Alpha Sigma Nu National Jesuit Dental Honor Society for Academic Excellence.

A Specialty Degree in Orthodontics waspursued at the Loyola School of Dentistry due to its reputation as one of the top and oldest orthodontic programs in the country. After earning this specialty certificate, Dr. Martisius practiced orthodontics in the Chicagoland area for 5 years.

Dr. Martisius moved to Monroe in 1994 and has been providing quality orthodontic care to the Northeast Louisiana region since. He is a member of the American Association of Orthodontics, the South Western Association of Orthodontists, the American Dental Association, the Louisiana Dental Association and the Northeast Louisiana Dental Association.

Dr. Martisius married a Louisiana native in 1987.Together he and his wifehave raised a son and daughter in Monroe. Dr. Martisius most enjoys spending time with hischildren which he feels gives him a great perspective with yours.

Dr. Martisius and the staffat Louisiana Orthodontic Specialists are a group of highlyknowledgeable and experienced professionals that are willing to assist you and answer any questions you may have. We are committed to making our patients treatment experience the best possible. Our commitment to excellent service includes not only great orthodontic treatment, but also a warm, friendly office atmosphere.

Your braces will be attached quickly and easily to your teeth, but a full day is necessary for the bands to completely affix. It is a good idea to wait several hours after getting braces before eating solid food. You may find it easier to eat soft foods for the first couple of days while you are becoming accustomed to eating with your new braces.

Your braces may feel a little awkward at first and your teeth may be tender or sensitive to pressure. This is completely normal and will go away soon. It may feel as though your braces are sticking out, but this sensation will also soon pass. Small pieces of orthodontic wax may be used if the brackets irritate your cheeks. Our office always has extra wax in case you run out so call us if you need more.

Braces are attached to your teeth with a strong adhesive, but may become loose as a result of eating certain foods. It is also possible that wires could become bent or broken without proper care. Since it is best to achieve orthodontic treatment goals with as few disruptions as possible, a well-balanced diet is important to ensure a healthy environment for your teeth.

Patients should avoid foods that are sticky, hard or chewy. They should also avoid any food and drinks that are known to cause cavities. Patients should brush, floss and rinse their mouth regularly between meals.

The end product of braces is well worth the time and discipline. Yet if proper brushing techniques are not executed, you can be left with discoloring on your teeth. Please ask out staff if you are unclear of proper brushing with braces techniques.

Flossing with braces takes a few minutes to master, but the effort is well worth it. The first step to flossing is getting the floss under the wire that connects the braces together. Once the floss is under the arch wire it can be wrapped around the tooth on one side.

The floss is then pushed up toward the gum line and then pulled down toward the wire. This should be repeated four to five times to ensure all plaque is removed. Be careful not to put too much pressure on the wire as you pull down. Then wrap the floss around the neighboring tooth. Once both teeth are done, the floss is pulled out and the process repeated for the next two teeth. Please ask our staff for further details.

Orthodontics is the area of dentistry concerned with the supervision, guidance and correction of the dentofacial structures. Orthodontic treatment uses braces, retainers and other appliances to correct any dentofacial abnormalities. Regular dental check-ups and orthodontic treatment are proven to be effective tools in helping establish and maintain good oral health for people of all ages.

An orthodontist is a specially trained dentist who has attended an advanced education program for a continual training period of 2 to 3 years. All members of the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) have received the appropriate training.

Take a look at your (or your childs) teeth. If you see any signs of crooked teeth, gaps between the teeth or overlapping teeth, orthodontic treatment may be necessary. Bite all the way down, but keep your lips open so you can see the teeth. Do the front top teeth line up with the bottom? Do the top teeth protrude out away from the bottom teeth? Do the top front teeth cover more than 50% of the bottom teeth? Are the top teeth behind the bottom teeth? All these are indicators for potential orthodontic treatment. Look at your jaw alignment. Does the jaw shift off center during biting down? If you see any misalignment or shifting of the jaw, it suggests a skeletal or jaw bone problem, which requires early orthodontic intervention. These are only some of the obvious symptoms of orthodontic problems.

No, age is not a factor. So long as the gums and bone which support your teeth are healthy one can get orthodontic or braces treatment at any age. About 30% of our orthodontic patients are adults and that number is still growing! Our oldest patient treated was 72 years old. Call us today with your braces questions!

Yes. When teeth are missing, adjacent teeth will drift into the empty space. This will cause a functional, esthetic or periodontal problem. Orthodontic treatment will correct and prevent these problems from happening and will also provide proper alignment for your dentist to replace the missing teeth. Call us today with your braces questions!

Phase I or Early Interceptive Treatment usually starts while the child has most of their baby teeth with few of their permanent teeth. The goal of Phase I treatment is to intercept a moderate or severe orthodontic problems early in order to reduce or eliminate them. These problems include jaw bone problems, cross bites and developing crowding. This phase does not use full braces as braces are never put on baby teeth. Generally, we use expanders, removable appliances, herbst appliance (instead of headgear) and retainers during this phase. These treatment approaches takes advantage of the active growth to change the jaw bone structure to either make extra room or address jaw bone discrepancies. This helps reduce the need for extractions or jaw surgery and delivers better long term results and treatment options. Most Phase I patients require a Phase II treatment in order to achieve an ideal bite.

Phase II treatment involves use of full braces with a goal to finish the occlusion or bite ideally. It usually occurs when all permanent teeth are present. Many a times there is gap of sometime between Phase I and start of Phase II treatment. This phase most commonly occurs around the age of 12 or 13 years.