Halloween and Braces - a scary pair

Halloween is a fun time for most - dressing up, trick-or-treating from house to house, and then pouring out the treasures onto the table or floor to sort and munch.

But beware, most candies given out are not good for braces. Why? Because they are hard, sticky or chewy. And those are the foods that will cause braces to come loose, archwires to bend, and the colored ties to come off.

We typically see a significant increase in loose brackets right after Halloween. Hmmm! I wonder why???

Now, as a father, and a realist, I don't expect kids (or adults) in braces not to go trick-or-treating. But there are some guidelines for candy that's "OK" for braces and candy that's "BAD" for braces.

As I look at the candy we've picked to give out, I see some that orthodontic patients can eat, and some that an orthodontist would prefer their patients not to eat.

Let's look first at the candy that I would say is OK for a braces patient:

1) Reese's peanut butter cups (room temperature)
2) Hershey's Chocolate bar (without nuts)
3) Kit Kar bar (room temperature)
4) Milky Way (room temperature)
5) 3 Musketeer Bar (room temperature)

You get the idea!!

Let's look now at candies that are in the DANGER zone for braces patients:

1) Frozen or refrigerated candy bars of any type
2) Skittles
3) Now&Later
4) Whoppers
5) Lollipops
6) Tootsie rolls
7) Snickers bars (and other candy bars with nuts)

Etc.!!!

So, it's OK to enjoy the treats from your Halloween adventures. But be selective about the treats you eat.

Maybe you can set a a trading system with friends that don't have braces and trade your DANGER candies for OK candies. Remember that anytime you have a loose bracket, your orthodontic treatment will last longer.

Have a great time and stay safe - watch out for cars and ghouls!!

Chewing gum and braces

I'm often asked about chewing gum and braces.

This is a subject that has some controversy within the orthodontic field...and what would life be without controversy. There are some orthodontists who recommend chewing gum, but from my experience, most orthodontists do not favor their patients chewing gum.

I do not recommend chewing gum while wearing braces for some very important reasons. This is not a popular recommendation for many of our patients, but my goal is to provide the best and most time-efficient orthodontic treatment possible.

Let me tell you why I don't like to see our patients chewing gum while wearing braces.

There are three main problems that occur when orthodontic patients chew gum:

1) Loose wires,
2) Loose braces,
3) Loose or missing ties.

Let's look at each one of the above separately.

Loose wires - when a wire becomes loose, many things can happen. Some of these are:

1) poking wires - OUCH!!
2) unplanned movement of teeth - this can cause extended treatment time
3) no movement of teeth - this can cause extended treatment time.

Loose braces - when a bracket comes loose from the tooth:

1) twisting and poking - OUCH!!
2) unplanned movement of teeth - this can cause extended treatment time
3) no movement of teeth - this can cause extended treatment time.

Loose or missing ties - when a colored or clear tie comes off:

1) wires coming out of the brackets leading to poking wires - OUCH!!
2) unplanned movement of teeth - this can cause extended treatment time
3) no movement of teeth - this can cause extended treatment time.

You've probably noticed that the bad things that can happen are all the same for each problem that chewing gum can cause. I wrote this on purpose this way to emphasize the point that there are many problems that can occur when a braces patient chews gum, and they are all the same -either pain or extended treatment time.

I don't think any orthodontic patient wants to have poking wires, or wants their treatment time extended.

So unless your orthodontist specifically recommends chewing gum, DON'T DO IT!! Save it for after your braces come off.

Working together, you and your orthodontist will be able to create your dream smile in the shortest amount of time possible.

Invisalign Teen

Invisalign Teen was introduced late in 2008 and has been very well received in our office. Our office was part of Invisalign's pilot study in early 2008 being among the first offices in the U.S. to offer Invisalign Teen. In fact, we've actually been treating teens with Invisalign since 2004.

What's different about Invisalign Teen compared with adult Invisalign?

Here are the main differences:

1) Treatment can be started before all of the permanent teeth have come in;

2) 6 (six) free replacement aligners during treatment;

3) Wear indicators to help the patient, parent and orthodontist know if the aligners are being worn.

We are seeing excellent results with our Invisalign Teen patients. In fact, we have 55 patients wearing the Invisalign Teen aligners.

Some of the great things about the Invisalign Teen aligners are:

1) Removable so there are no food restrictions;

2) Clear so they can hardly be seen (great for actors, older teens, and anyone who doesn't want the typical metal braces);

3) Easier to keep the teeth clean, since the aligners can be completely removed for flossing and brushing.

All-in-all, I am very excited about our teen patients being able to wear Invisalign. The results we are seeing with teenagers wearing Invisalign are fantastic. We are seeing treatment times comparable to braces and sometimes even shorter.

And I'm very pleased with our Invisalign Teen patients' hygiene. Our teen patients are keeping their teeth much cleaner with the Invisalign than with regular braces. This, by itself, is a great advancement in orthodontic treatment.