Lifestyle & care information for kids & adults who have braces
Properly Putting on Invisalign Clear Aligners
Invisalign clear aligners are a convenient alternative to traditional braces, but they can be a little tricky to get perfectly into place the first few times you do it. They can also be a little stubborn when you get a new set. But don't worry, you'll quickly get the hang [...]
Common Holiday Foods to Avoid if You Have Braces
As you're no doubt aware if you or your child wear traditional braces, there are some foods that can easily damage them or get stuck behind the brackets and in the wires. Now that the Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa season is upon us, we wanted to provide a quick [...]
How to Relieve Invisalign Pain at Home
Invisalign and other clear aligners are a popular way to correct many types of bite problems. Among other advantages over traditional braces, they're practically invisible, and you remove them when you eat. But as with any type of orthodontic treatment that repositions your teeth, there can be some discomfort or [...]
Important Tips for Caring for Invisalign Clear Aligners
Invisalign clear aligners are a great option for many patients to treat a wide variety of bite problems. And caring for Invisalign clear aligners properly helps protect them. It also helps keep them clean and therefore invisible—and that invisibility is probably a big part of why you opted for these [...]
Frequently Asked Questions About Using Dental Wax on Braces
If you or your child has braces, keep a package of dental wax—also called orthodontic wax and tooth wax—to keep at home. Your orthodontist may provide it, and it's easy to find in most pharmacies. Here's some basic information about using dental wax on braces. What Is Dental Wax Used [...]
Troubleshooting Common Problems with Braces at Home
If you're having a problem with your braces, contact your orthodontist to ask whether you should come in promptly for a visit, or if the issue can wait till your next appointment. Some problems can impede treatment and should be fixed without delay, while others are just a nuisance. Of [...]
A Guide to Getting Through Your First Week with Braces
Getting braces can prompt some mixed feelings, especially in kids. It's exciting to have a bite problem addressed, but braces can also lead to a little self-consciousness at first. If your child is experiencing this, just reassure them that they'll get used to the braces, and soon they won't even [...]
Important Tips About Caring for Fixed Retainers
After using braces to adjust the position of your teeth and having the braces taken off, that's not quite the end of your orthodontic treatment. Retainers are an important part of the process, too. After repositioning with braces, teeth are susceptible to shifting back out of place. Retainers prevent this [...]
Important Tips for Caring for Removable Retainers
Retainers are an important part of orthodontic care following alignment correction with braces. Once your braces come off, your teeth are prone to gradually moving out of the proper positions you just spent all that time getting them into. Retainers hold your newly adjusted teeth in place while new bone [...]
Some Simple Healthy Breakfast Ideas for Kids with Braces
Once kids have braces on, they shouldn't be eating various hard, sticky, gummy, and otherwise potentially damaging foods. It's never convenient to have more limitations on what kids can eat—especially the particularly picky ones. So, as part of our endless attempts to be as helpful as possible, we thought we'd [...]