Don't Repeat the Past, Retain A Straight Smile

Nearly 25% of orthodontic patients have to get braces again because they didn’t wear their retainers.

Here are some do’s and don’ts in caring for your retainer to avoid needing braces in the future. Or, if this is your second time with braces, how not to repeat the past:

Water

Clean your retainer daily by brushing it with a toothbrush in warm water

Soak your retainer in water when you’re not wearing it so that it doesn’t dry out

Heat

Use warm water when rinsing your retainer

To prevent warping, do not wash your retainer with hot water or leave it near a heat source

Cleaner

Plastic, Essix, retainers require dentures cleaner or a retainer cleansing product as opposed to a toothbrush, which may damage it

Occasionally soak your metal, Hawley, retainer in one of these solutions to help reduce calculus buildup

Note: Rinse your retainer off before putting it back in your mouth

Protection

Keep your retainer in its case when you eat so that you don't accidentally throw it away

If you have a permanent retainer, do not eat anything hard or sticky – this will prevent breakage

Dentist

When visiting your dentist, take your retainer in for cleaning, too. Your dental hygienist can use ultrasonic cleaning to blast away dental calculus deposits that you cannot remove on your own

Not wearing a retainer will almost guarantee that your teeth will shift, so comply to these simple and essential steps. Braces are only fun the first time! 

Chocolate Can Help Prevent Cavities

Chocolate can be a mouth’s best friend

Did you know chocolate can actually help FIGHT cavities? That’s right! Your favorite dark, sweet treat can actually prevent not-so-friendly dentist visits.

Studies from Japan, England, and the U.S. have shown that dark chocolate is effective at fighting cavities, plaque, and tooth decay in the mouth. In fact, it's better than fluoride according to some. Tooth decay occurs when bacteria in the mouth turn sugar into acids, which eat away at the tooth’s surface and cause cavities. Compounds in the cocoa bean husk have an anti-bacterial effect and also fight against plaque. This makes chocolate less harmful than many other sweet foods your dentist might warn you against because the antibacterial agents in cocoa beans offset its high sugar levels.

Photo Credit: el patojo via Compfight

Compounds in dark chocolate, CBH, may be more effective at fighting decay than fluoride. CBH helps harden tooth enamel, making users less susceptible to tooth decay. Note that the study suggested DARK chocolate, not the milk chocolate most of us are used to. Milk chocolate is packed with sugar and will not prevent cavities.

Here are some other benefits of dark chocolate:

• It’s good for your heart - Dark chocolate improves blood flow and may help prevent the formation of blood clots
• It’s good for your brain - Chocolate contains the same chemical your brain creates when you feel like you're falling in love. It helps encourages your brain to release endorphins, so eating dark chocolate will make you feel happier
• It’s full of antioxidants – Which can protect you from many types of cancer and slow the signs of aging

It’s important to practice proper oral hygiene, why not add something sweet to your routine? 

A Change You Can See

Does anything really compare to the feeling of getting your braces off? You feel like a brand new person. It's a difference that people can and will physically see. The placement and removal of braces can be exciting and even a dramatic experience or change. Friends and family compliment your new appearance as if you actually did the work yourself as opposed to you being forced into the braces and constantly reminded and reprimanded to take proper care. But once those suckers are off, doesn't your one to two year orthodontic sentence feel worth it? 

So many things that we essentially "work toward" are intangible or go unnoticed, but what if we approached other goals and hopeful changes the same way we did with braces. The ingredients are discipline, patience and self-control. Apply this to every change that you wish to make in your life and they won't go unnoticed. Take control of your life, and don't forget to smile.

Stick With Love

“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

If you’ve ever spent time around someone who is constantly negative, you know it can be extremely draining on the psyche. It’s so much easier to dislike something rather than show love toward anything. When we show love, we’re showing vulnerability to a person or a thing that might not feel the same way.  

If there’s something that means something to you, support it.

Think of a cause that really means something to you.

Now, think of a cause that you don’t agree with.

Imagine if you put all of your energy toward the cause that you support rather than hating the cause you don’t? The impact of your positivity is so much greater than your negativity.When we put our positive energy toward anything, we can accomplish great change. You’ve never seen any progress from arguing with someone who feels differently, right? Right.

MLK had it right, stick with love. Hate doesn’t deserve your time.

Back-to-School in Braces

Orthodontists (and parents) know that adolescents perceive the long-term as the end of the week, so having braces for two years seems, to children, like forever. And being told what not to eat, especially if it's their favorite foods, can feel like a punishment. Your orthodontist doesn't want to act as a parent to his patient, he wants to work as a team with his patients and their parents so that when the braces do finally come off, there are fewer problems and prettier smiles. What can parents do to prepare their child(ren) in braces as they head back to school?

When you’re preparing your child’s lunch or after-school snack, here is a list of foods they should be eating:

·         Dairy: Soft cheese, pudding, milk-based drinks,  soft tortillas, pancakes, muffins without nuts

·         Grains: Pasta, soft-cooked rice

·         Meats/poultry: Soft-cooked chicken, meatballs, lunch meats, tuna, salmon, crab cakes

·         Vegetables: Mashed potatoes, steamed spinach, beans

·         Fruits: Applesauce, bananas, fruit juice

·         Chocolate: If you must have candy, go for plain chocolate bars

·         Low sugar, non-carbonated drinks

Food and habits to avoid:

·         Absolutely no gum

·         Chewy foods: Bagels, hard rolls, licorice

·         Crunchy foods: Popcorn, ice, chips, nuts, candy

·         Foods you have to bite into: Corn on the cob, apples, carrots

·         Avoid nail-biting and pen- or pencil-chewing habits.

·         Eat much less candy, cookies, cake, pie, ice cream and foods with sugar

Things to remember before going to school:

·         Emergency toothbrush and toothpaste

·         Extra wax for discomfort

If you follow this guide and provide healthier and more conducive consumption options for your child's oral health, this will decrease the amount of plaque, popped brackets and overall issues during and after braces. It may even decrease the amount of time they have to wear their braces. Until that time comes, help your child sport a straight, healthy smile.

Dental Resolutions

Did you make any New Year’s Resolutions for 2014? How about a resolution for your mouth? Here are the top four resolutions you can make for your oral hygiene –

1. Visit your dentist – When was the last time you visited your dentist? If you can’t answer this off the top of your head, it’s time for a visit. Every patient should be visiting their dentist two times a year. Regular check-ups are the key to prevention. Schedule your appointment today.
2. Brush – Everyone brushes their teeth after every meal, right? Wrong. Truth is, only about 28.7% of women and 20.5% of men brush their teeth after every meal. It sounds inconvenient, but you’ll teeth will be forever grateful.
3. Floss – Just like brushing your teeth, flossing is an essential part of your overall oral health. Floss removes plaque that can’t be removed by brushing.  If you wear braces, it also helps remove plaque from those little spaces between wires and brackets. 
4. Change your toothbrush – Studies show that after three months, toothbrushes are no longer as effective at removing plaque from teeth and gums. If you wear braces, you may have to replace your toothbrush more often, as the brackets create additional wear and tear on the bristles.  

Make your mouth a priority in 2014! 

Fixed Retainers: A Permanent Responsibility

You get your braces off and the slimy-toothed feeling of your metal-less mouth and the freedom from brackets, bands and bumpers is relieving. Now the doc wants you to wear retainers to hold your teeth into place. You will either receive removable or permanent retainers for your top and bottom teeth, at the discretion of your orthodontist.  

If you are prescribed a permanent retainer, you will be advised to clean it, because just like braces, food loves to get stuck in the hardest-to-clean places such as a permanent bottom retainer. To remove the plaque, you must:

Select a quality toothpaste. Ask your orthodontist or dentist on which toothpaste they recommend

Brush the retainer area carefully. Sometimes electric toothbrushes are efficient in reaching these areas

Floss. The bonding on the fixed retainer makes it difficult to remove food and plaque. Ask your orthodontist for a special and stronger floss if regular floss isn’t doing the trick

Use mouthwash. Mouth rinses reduce plaque and fluoride reduces tooth decay

Regular check-ups and cleanings. While all of these steps will help, these cleanings are essential to remove the remaining plaque that brushing cannot

Bonded retainers are great, because unlike removable retainers, they won’t get lost or simply not worn. Fixed appliances are always in place to perform their duty, but this doesn’t take all of the responsibility off of you. Make sure that you follow these essential steps every day and maintain a healthy smile!