It truly takes a team to run a great orthodontic practice, and were proud of the team at Smiles for Maine. Each one has been carefully selected for not just their expertise, but for a great blend of personalities to create a warm, caring experience for our patients and their families.
Many of our assistants are certified by the Dental Assisting National Board, and all have State of Maine dental radiology licenses. Each assistant is highly trained and everyone participates in various continuing education opportunities throughout the year, so they are up-to-date and able to care for you at the highest level.
My name is Sarah and I am the treatment coordinator. Im from Waterville originally but attended Sweet Briar College in Virginia. After living in southern Spain I have moved back to Maine. Its been great living closer to my friends and family. The best part about working in the orthodontic field is developing great relationships with patients and their parents.
I love talking with our patients and getting to know them. As the treatment coordinator, it is my job to make sure the patient and parent feel comfortable with the office and understands their treatment choices. The people here at Smiles for Maine are such a special group and I feel very fortunate to be a member of the team. They make coming to work every day a great experience!
When I am not at the office, I enjoy spending time with my husband John and his kids, Cami, Rianne and Jack along with my family and friends skiing, traveling, road biking, going to the ocean, kayaking and trying to golf. We expanded our family this year with the arrival of our new red standard poodle, Sadie, and have loved going on hikes and playing with her.
Hi, my name is Kim. I attended Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont, where I graduated from the dental assisting program. I have worked here at Smiles For Maine for over 30 years! I enjoy working with such a great team who work very hard with patients to create beautiful new smiles.
I truly enjoy getting to know our patients during their time in braces. They become like family and it is hard to see them leave when treatment is done! Nothing compares to the day the braces come off when we all get to see the excitement in the patients face as they see their new smile for the first time. Every new smile is exciting for us and we love to see the difference that a beautiful smile makes.
My name is Darlene and Ive been in the orthodontic field since 1989. I started working at Smiles for Maine in 2004. I will be the one working with Sarah to help make your first visit to our office a positive and fun experience. Making patients feel welcomed and comfortable are my #1 priority. I am also the Invisalign coordinator, which means I will be working closely with you and the doctors throughout your treatment if you choose Invisalign as your way of making your smile shine.
I absolutely love to make patients feel excited about coming to our practice, because Ive seen again and again what a difference orthodontics can make in peoples lives. When I am not in the office you can find me at home working on a wide variety of DIY projects, snowmobiling, ice fishing, or camping. My husband Geno and I have 5 kids between us; Dylan, Leah, Stephanie, Hailey and Sasha. I also have three grandchildren; Jaxson, Melanie, and Raelyn and another on the way! Our newest addition is a Silver Lab, Kineo.
Hello, my name is Tiffany. I went to school for Dental Assisting and am happy to use those skills at Smiles for Maine Orthodontics. I work both as an assistant to the doctors and as a lab technician helping to create appliances for treatment and after. I love being a part of our amazing team!
When I am not at the office, you can typically find me doing photography work and spending family time with my husband Lance; our beautiful daughters Laney and Olivia; and also my other babies, Lexox, Maximus, and Atlas (my dogs)!
My name is Dawn! I am the first person you see when you come inside our office. I have 25+ years of dental experience, 2 years of orthodontics, and I am still learning. I am originally from New Hampshire, spent 5 years in North Carolina, and now have settled here in Maine with my husband, daughter, and 4 dogs!
Hello, my name is Lindsay. I started working as an assistant at Smiles for Maine in 2021. Being able to see our patients teeth change along with their confidence is my favorite part about being an assistant. I tend to get just as excited as the patient when their treatment has finished!
When I am not in the office, I am usually enjoying the time with my 2 cats; Henry and Fletcher and my dog, Wrangler. I love to take my jeep out in the summer and take long rides while hanging with my friends!
With offices in Waterville, Skowhegan, Dover-Foxcroft, and Lewiston-Auburn, Orthodontist Dr. Charles J. Ruff and his team at Smiles for Maine are able to provide beautiful healthy smiles for all ages. Using braces, Invisalign, Invisalign Teen and Hidden Incognito braces, Dr. Charlie has a solution for every age and style. Dr. Charlie can also provide retainers and mouth guards to provide protection for your smile, as well as solutions for Sleep Apnea and Sleep Disordered breathing. Smiles for Maine provides a complimentary orthodontic evaluation where Dr. Charlie will provide an orthodontic evaluation and all the information you need.
With his quick wit and ready laugh, Dr. Charlie has been putting smiles on the faces of Maine residents since he opened his first practice in Waterville. And while the location may have changed, the mission of providing the very highest level of customized orthodontic treatment in a warm, respectful and supportive atmosphere has not. An admitted science geek, Dr. Charlie loves the ever-evolving field of orthodontics and technology that represents the state-of-the-art care that his practice is known for!
When you have braces, it is super-important to keep your teeth and gums healthy throughout your orthodontic treatment. This requires regular brushing and flossing. Patients who do not keep their teeth clean may require more frequent visits to the dentist for a professional cleaning.
If you are an adult with a history of gum disease, you should also see a periodontist during orthodontic treatment tomake sure your gums stay healthy enough to promote a successfultreatment process. The video below will show you how to brush and floss while wearing braces.
What can you eat? Lets talk about what you shouldnt eat! For the first day or so, stick to soft foods. Avoid tough meats, hard breads, and raw vegetables. Before long, youll be able to bite a cucumber again. But youll need to protect your orthodontic appliances when you eat for as long as youre wearing braces.
When you get your braces on, you may feel general soreness in your mouth and teeth may be tender to biting pressures for 3 5 days. Take Tylenol or whatever you normally take for headache or discomfort. The lips, cheeks, and tongue may also become irritated for one to two weeks as they toughen and become accustomed to the braces. We will supply wax to put on the braces in irritated areas to lessen discomfort.
To successfully complete orthodontic treatment, the patient must work together with the orthodontist. The teeth and jaws can only move toward their corrected positions if the patient consistently wears the rubber bands or other appliances as prescribed. Lack of cooperation following instructions and damaged appliances lengthen the treatment time so, please follow instructions.