Halloween Candy Dos and Don'ts:

          

         With Halloween festivities only a few hours away, there is sure to be an abundance of hard, sticky, chewy candy being handed your way. But if you have braces or an orthodontic appliance, use your better judgment and stay clear of such candies. Did you know every time a bracket comes off, it has the potential to add three months to your treatment? Is that Starburst worth wearing your braces several more months?

          You don’t have to miss out on the Halloween candy just because of your braces though. 

There are several “orthodontist-friendly” treats you can eat such as:

• Plain M&M
• Hershey Bars
• Candy Corn
• Kit Kat Bars
• Hershey Kisses
• Three Musketeers
• Malt Balls
• Sweet Tarts
• Peppermint Patties
• Cookies and Cream
• Snow Caps
• Cup Cakes
• Soft Cookies

Be sure to stay away from these Halloween nightmares:

• Caramel
• Bubblegum
• All hard candy
• Taffy
• Licorice
• Nuts
• Jelly beans
• Candy corns
• Popcorn
• Caramel and candy apples

Allie Todd, RDA, CDA
www.smileteam4u.com

What's the Best Way to Clean My Retainer?

Now that your braces are off, you have retainers to help maintain all the hard work you've done over the past few years. Wearing your retainers as prescribed by your orthodontist is extremely important to maintaining your results and the longevity of your beautiful smile.

You may have noticed that over time your retainer can appear dull or even have an unpleasant smell. The best way to keep this from happening is by cleaning your retainer regularly. Ideally, you need to clean your retainer every time you take it out of your mouth and before you put it back in for the night. If you take your retainer out to have a snack or even to drink something, it is best to brush your teeth before putting the retainer back in. The food that is left on your teeth will transfer onto your retainer. Over time that food will harden and removing it from your retainer will be difficult.

So, how do you clean your retainers and what do you use? Luckily, you will not need any special materials to clean your retainer. You can use the same cleaners that you use on your own teeth. Be sure that you always use cold water, use toothpaste and a toothbrush, scrub all surfaces of your retainer, and then rinse them thoroughly. If you feel like your retainer needs some "freshening" you can fill a small bowl with cold water and add Listerine or Scope to help sterilize the retainers. You can even add a cap full of Hydrogen Peroxide to the cold water if you would like.

Replacement retainers can be very expensive; making their care extremely important. Following these simple guidelines can help keep your retainers in their best condition possible as well as keeping your smile beautiful for a lifetime.

Chalice Fraser, RDA
www.smileteam4u.com

The Hardest Work We Will Ever Do (But – the most important)!

The Summer Olympics was completed a few weeks ago.  If I could choose one thing in which I want to win a gold medal in, it would be forgiveness.  I want to be a world class forgiver.  I personally think a successful life is not really possible without becoming excellent at forgiveness.

There are a number of sayings about forgiveness that ring true.  A couple of them are:

• Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and hoping the other person will die.

• When you release the wrongdoer from the wrong, you cut a malignant tumor out of your inner life. You set a prisoner free, but you discover that the real prisoner was yourself.

• Unforgiveness turns into resentment, cynicism, and bitterness.  It binds us emotionally and spiritually.  It also can stress us physically to the point of crippling us.

I have heard it said, and I agree, “It’s all about relationships.”  Dr. M. Scott Peck, after his very successful book, The Road Less Traveled, wrote a number of books, including The Different Drum:  Community Making and Peace.  In this book he stresses the important of connectedness and wholeness of community in achieving any kind of mental, emotional, or spiritual health.   When God made Adam, he said it was not good for him to be alone.  Before Jesus really started his ministry, he found 12 men to take the journey with him.  It really is all about relationships.

Being married for 40 years, I have some experience with relationships and the importance of forgiveness.  I don’t care how much we might love someone; we are going to hurt them.  We are human and we all make mistakes and sin against God and our fellow human beings.

Without being a world class forgiver, quality, long term relationships are impossible.  If there is one thing I want to be good at, it is forgiveness.  Without being good at forgiveness, I cannot enjoy the emotional and spiritual wholeness that God has in store for me.

The forgiveness work we may need to do may involve more than just family and close friends.  We may have to forgive coworkers, institutions, governments, churches, judges, deceased parents; the list is endless. 

I do think the hardest work we will ever do is forgiveness.  I also think it is the most important.

To be continued next week – stay turned!

Dr. David R. Sain, DDS
www.smileteam4u.com

Beautiful Things

Have you ever heard the song Beautiful Things by Gungor? If not, I highly encourage you to read the lyrics. This song is a sweet reminder that God will make beauty out of the filth in our lives.

It is so easy for us as humans to have a sense of pessimism when we are faced with troubles. Speaking for myself, my mindset is often "Why me, God? You know I'm not strong enough to handle this!" Our God is not a god of coincidences! If he is putting us through a certain struggle, there is a specific reason for it. Whether it is for our own spiritual growth or so we can help others with their problems, He has a purpose. It's taken me a while to realize this, but it's amazing to see the blessings and good He has brought from my mess. 

We so often pray  for God to simply deliver us from the tribulations we face, but think of the growth and wisdom He'd bless us with if we had prayed for our hardships to bring Him glory! My prayer is we accept the trials with a sense of thankfulness and know he will always make beautiful things out of the dust. 

All this pain

I wonder if I'll ever find my way

I wonder if my life could really change at all

All this earth

Could all that is lost ever be found

Could a garden come up from this ground at all

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of the dust

You make beautiful things 

You make beautiful things out of us

All around

Hope is springing up from this old ground 

Out of chaos life is being found in You

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of the dust

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of us

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of dust

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of us

You make me new, You are making me new

You make me new, You are making me new

You are making me new

Allie Todd, CDA RDA
www.smileteam4u.com

Why Do My Gums Bleed When I Brush and Floss?

picture of healthy teeth and gums

Do you ever notice bleeding when brushing or flossing your teeth? Maybe you have noticed your child's mouth bleeds when he/she is brushing or flossing. Though, there are several reasons your gums may be bleeding (some even being indicators of a serious condition) I will mostly be discussing dental reasons your gums are bleeding.

picture of unhealthy gums

After the age of 25, the leading cause of tooth loss is, surprisingly, not due to cavities but, instead, gum disease. So, what causes gum disease? The initial cause of gum disease is inadequate removal of plaque from teeth and gums. As this sticky film (plaque) sits on your teeth it irritates the surrounding tissue (gums or gingiva). Once the irritation begins and goes untreated it then turns into inflammation and results in an infection. This infection is called gingivitis with one side effect being bleeding. If the infection continues to go untreated it will most likely turn into periodontitis (inflammation of the tissue around the teeth, often causing shrinkage of the gums and loosening of the teeth).

Here are a few common reasons your gums may be bleeding:

•   inadequate removal of plaque from teeth and gums

•   hormone changes

•   family history

•   trauma or injury

•   smoking

•   drug use

•   some types of cancer

Luckily, if caught early, the effects of gum disease can usually be reversed. Some ways to help reduce bleeding and the progression of gum disease are:

•   brush and floss daily (preferably 3 times a day)

•   rinse your mouth daily with Listerine (or other oral antiseptic)

•   6 months cleanings at your dentist's office

•   cut back on sugars

•   use a soft bristled toothbrush

It can take up to a month to stop the bleeding all together and your gums may even become irritated in the beginning, but soon you should notice the bleeding has stopped. However, if the bleeding continues, you may also want to seek an opinion from your dentists. 

-Chalice, RDA
www.smileteam4u.com

A "Braces-Friendly Recipe"

Crispy Chicken with Creamy Italian Sauce and Bowtie Pasta

I thought I would change our blog up a bit and share with you a "Braces-Freindly Recipe". Now, I know you're looking at that picture and thinking, "WOW! She is in the wrong field!" and that my true calling is Bravo's Top Chef, but alas, I cannot take any credit for this picture nor can I take credit for the recipe.

I actually found this recipe on a little website called, Pinterest. I'm sure you've heard of it but if by some chance you have not, you should check it out. Though, I will warn you, make sure your husband/wife does not need you and your kids are sleeping. It can be very addictive!

Well, a few months ago I was searching that little website, Pinterest, looking for a recipe to make for a friend at church who had just had her baby, when I came upon this delicious picture. Of course, after making it for my friend I decided it must be tried on my own little family of four; I was not disappointed (and neither was a single, opinionated person in my family). It is delicious, fairly easy to make, and you can find all of the ingredients in ONE store (which is a huge deal for me).

In order to save some time and space, I have left the link here for you to see the recipe step-by-step (with pictures)!

Happy Eating!

Chalice Fraser, RDA
www.smileteam4u.com

What Foods and Drinks Should You Avoid During Your Orthodontic Treatment?

Typically, the first thing I am asked after placing braces, an appliance, or aligners is: "What foods should I not eat?" The best response I can give is, "Stay away from anything hard, sticky, or chewy." Now, of course there are plenty of exceptions to the rule but, for the most part, if something you are about to eat falls into one of those three categories, it is best to stay away from them.

Here are some helpful tips to keep your braces and appliances in-tacked, while keeping your teeth and aligners nice and bright:

•   Gum - some orthodontists allow you to chew sugar free gum but in our office we recommend staying away from gum all together - due to the style of brackets and appliances we use

•   Taffy/Caramel - obviously, these are extremely sticky and can many times pull your brackets off of your teeth

•   Hard Candies - when biting into hard candies you can cause the bracket to loosen from your teeth

•   Corn on the Cob - biting into anything hard, such as corn on the cob, can cause a bracket to come off, if you really like corn you can always cut it off of the cob

•   Raw Carrot/Apples - just like corn on the cob, biting into anything hard can cause your brackets to come off, but cutting them into small, bite-sized pieces will help to keep your brackets in-tacked 

•   Doritos/Tortilla Chips - these chips are not only hard but also have pointed edges, so they can get stuck between your brackets and irritate your gums, as well as pop brackets off of your teeth

•   Hard Taco Shells - you can substitute a soft taco shell

•   Pizza Crust - most crust is fine to eat unless it is hard or the thin pizza crust. Either way, you should try to be careful

•   Ice - in your glass is fine but not to crunch on

•   Nuts

•   Coffee, Sodas, Dark Juices - these drinks can stain your teeth, so if you do drink any of these, it is best to minimize your intake as well as brushing your teeth right after. The dyes in these drinks can cause your teeth to stain, and if you are wearing Invisalign, it can stain the Invisalign Trays and in-turn make your teeth appear stained

-Chalice Fraser, RDA

www.smileteam4u.com