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With Easter just around the corner, you  may be daydreaming about all those delicious treats hidden in baskets and colorful plastic eggs. Unfortunately some of the most popular Easter candies are ooey, gooey, caramel-filled, and sticky sweet. They can get trapped in braces and possibly lead to tooth decay.

If you're worried that you won't be able to enjoy your favorite candies and treats this Easter, fear not! There are several traditional holiday options that are safe as long as you do some major brushing and flossing afterwards. Here are some helpful tips for a fun, braces-friendly Easter holiday.

What You Should Avoid

Anything that is hard, chewy and/or sticky may cause damage to orthodontic brackets and wires. Here are some specific examples of Easter candy that should steer clear of if you have braces:

• Sticky Candy: Jellybeans, Starbursts, Tootsie Rolls, Taffy, Nerds
• Caramels: Milky Ways, Snickers, Pay Day, Twix, caramel eggs
• Gummy candy: Gummy Bears, chewing gum
• Hard candy: Hard-shelled Easter eggs, Jolly Ranchers
• Chocolate with nuts: Almond Joy Bars, Jordan Almonds

By keeping these candies away from kids, parents can avoid bent wires, broken brackets and extra trips to see Dr. Stephen Godwin and the team at Bel Air Orthodontics for repair. Damaged braces can increase treatment time, and no one wants that! Make sure to always keep your braces and your smile in tip-top shape.

Sweet Alternatives You Can Eat In Moderation

Kids (with or without braces) don’t have to avoid candy or sweets altogether! There are some better options that, with proper brushing, can make for a more braces-friendly basket. With a little creativity, you can still splurge during Easter without eating anything that's damaging to your braces. Here are a few examples of what you can eat this Easter:

• Marshmallows: Peeps are an Easter classic! They're on our "Safe" list because they're a soft melt-in-your- mouth treat; however, the gooey marshmallow can get stuck in your braces. If you indulge, make sure you brush thoroughly immediately afterwards.
• Soft chocolates: Just make sure they don't have any caramels, nuts or a hard shells. Look for melt-in-your-mouth options like peanut butter eggs, M&M's and chocolate bunnies or foil eggs.
• Ice cream: Enjoy them in classic Easter colors like pink or blue.
• Baked Goods: Cupcakes, cookies and brownies are the perfect canvas for Easter-themed indulgences.
• Hard-boiled Eggs: Decorate the outside, then enjoy the soft center!

Healthier Options For Easter Fun

Instead of candy, there are lots of other things to place in Easter baskets that can make Easter morning just as special and fun for kids of all ages. Try creating a themed basket based on a favorite hobby, like art or craft supplies, books, or gardening tools.  You can also balance the yummy sweets with non-edible treats like games, toys or gift cards.

Coming up with ideas for Easter basket treats while wearing braces can be half the fun, so use your imagination and have a great time.  Dr. Stephen Godwin and the Bel Air Orthodontics team wish you all a Happy Easter!

It is not unusual for elastics (a.k.a. rubber bands) to be prescribed as part of your orthodontic treatment when you are wearing braces. Your braces, which consist of brackets and wires, work by gently applying pressure to the teeth, and that pressure causes them to move into the correct position. In some cases, elastics are placed on your  braces in strategic places in order to apply additional pressure.

How Elastics Work

Customized for each patient, the elastics typically stretch over tiny loops on the top and bottom brackets. When worn as prescribed, these tiny elastics will apply the gentle and steady pressure needed to guide your teeth into the desired position and align one arch to the other. Without the use of these elastics, you may not be able to achieve the results you want, or you may have to wear braces for a longer period of time.

The Do's and Don'ts

Elastics must be worn as prescribed, and patient cooperation is essential to a successful outcome. Here's how you can do your part:

• DO - Change your elastics at least once a day. Remember to always wash your hands before removing and replacing the elastics;
• DON'T - Double up on elastics as this will cause too much pressure on the tooth or teeth and can actually harm the root of the tooth;
• DO - Get in the habit of carrying around an extra bag of elastics and replace them as soon as one breaks. By consistently wearing your elastics, you may shorten the overall time needed to wear braces;
• DON'T - Guess how they should be worn. If you are unsure where to place the elastics, call our office immediately so that we can help you get your elastics placed correctly;
• DO - Remove your elastics when eating and brushing your teeth, but remember to replace them when you are done.
• DON'T - Overstretch or overuse the same elastics or they will lose their strength and will be ineffective. You can avoid this by changing your elastics daily.
• DO - Call us immediately if you lose or run out of elastics. Please do not wait until your next regularly scheduled visit.
• DON'T - Forget to wear them consistently, as directed. By wearing your elastics exactly as prescribed, you will get better, faster, and more comfortable results. Generally, any discomfort from the elastics will disappear within a day or two, so hang in there.
• DO - Have fun with your braces and elastics. Elastics come in many different colors, so pick your favorite colors and show off your gorgeous smile!

Elastics are a key part of your orthodontic treatment, and learning how to remove and replace them correctly is an important part of your treatment. Before we send you on your journey to a happy, healthy smile, we'll make sure you understand all there is to know about taking care of your braces. Of course, if you have any questions about your orthodontic treatment, be sure to give the team at Bel Air Orthodontics a call.

Congratulations—you’re out of your braces! Now, all you need to do to protect that beautiful smile is to wear your retainer as recommended and keep up with your regular dental routine. And, please, don’t forget to make taking care of your retainer a daily part of that regular dental routine.

Why? Because retainers need love, too! If you don’t look after your retainer, you can experience some less-than-agreeable consequences. Here are a few clues that you might be failing to give yours the care it needs:

It Smells

Just as a buildup of bacteria and food particles in your mouth can lead to bad breath, a buildup of bacteria and food particles on your retainer can lead to unpleasant odors and taste. A clean, fresh retainer is not only more appealing, it’s healthier as well! We will be happy to give you instructions on the best ways to keep your type of retainer clean. Whether you use a daily brushing, a water rinse, or a special cleaning solution, it’s important to follow our recommendations to extend the life of your retainer.

It’s Discolored

Plaque and tartar aren’t just problems for your teeth! If your retainer is cloudy or has white spots on the surface, it’s probably accumulating the same plaque and tartar that stick to your enamel. Again, we’ll let you know the best and safest way to keep your retainer plaque-free.

It’s Looking a Little the Worse for Wear

Retainers are strong, but they’re not indestructible! Washing machines, hot dashboards, creative dogs looking for new chew toys—the world is full of retainer dangers. If your retainer does suffer misfortune, give our office a call right way. Sometimes minor damage can be repaired, but if it can’t, you might need a new one. How to avoid this trouble and expense? Prevention. Always use your protective case whenever you remove your retainer, and keep it in a safe place.

It’s . . . Wait, Where Is It?

If you’ve lost your retainer for even a short period of time, you might notice it doesn’t fit comfortably anymore once you’ve found it. The ligaments and bone tissue that hold your teeth remodel as your braces move the teeth into their new positions. The retainer helps keep your teeth in place while these ligaments and bone strengthen around them. If you haven’t been wearing your retainer, there is a chance that your teeth will start shifting back to their original positions. And if they get too far out of alignment, more time in braces might be needed.

Don’t worry—the team at Bel Air Orthodontics is happy to help you avoid all of these unpleasant scenarios. We’ll give you easy instructions for cleaning and taking care of your retainer. If you ever damage it or lose it, be sure to give us a call right away, so we can get you back on track as quickly as possible. You’ve worked hard for your beautiful smile—now you just need to help your retainer work to keep it that way!

February is National Children's Dental Health Month, and the team at Bel Air Orthodontics want to remind everyone about the importance of good oral hygiene and the role it plays in the health of your teeth and the success of your orthodontic treatment.

Brushing for two minutes, two times a day is the golden rule when it comes to taking care of your teeth; but did you know that brushing alone isn't enough to keep your mouth clean and disease free? The gum tissue between your teeth where your toothbrush can't reach is prone to infection. That's why flossing regularly is just as essential to your overall health care as brushing. The American Dental Association (ADA) suggests flossing at least once a day to promote total oral health.

Flossing With Braces

Flossing is more important that ever when you're in orthodontic treatment. Braces can catch food and allow plaque to build up around them, increasing the risk of gum disease. Flossing removes plaque from the areas of your teeth that your toothbrush can't reach. If you don't remove this plaque, it can harden into tartar and lead to gum inflammation and disease. Fortunately there are products to help you successfully floss around and between your braces. Here are some handy helpers that make it easier to floss while you're in treatment:

Floss Threaders

A floss threader is the most common tool to help you floss with braces. Made of a special, rigid plastic, a threader works like a sewing needle to help you guide the floss under the archwire so that you can floss as usual. Here's how it works:

1. Pull off 12 to 18 inches of your preferred dental floss.
2. Insert one end of the dental floss about five inches into the loop of the threader.
3. Pass the floss threader under or over the archwire.
4. Remove the threader from the floss and floss gently back and forth and up and down into the gumline between the teeth.
5. Repeat the process between each tooth.

Stiff-Ended Floss

Made with a bendable but rigid segment at its end, this special floss works much the same as a floss threader. Products such as Oral-B's Super Floss have three unique components—a stiffened-end dental floss threader, spongy floss and regular floss.

Simply maneuver the stiff end under the archwire of your braces, pull it through and floss as usual. All three flossing tools work together to give you maximum benefits.

Oral Irrigators

An oral irrigator, such as a Waterpik®, works by shooting a very fine jet of water between and around teeth to clear away plaque and food. This system can make cleaning around your braces much easier and more thorough. Dr. Godwin and the team at Bel Air Orthodontics highly recommend the use of an oral irrigator throughout your orthodontic treatment.

Regardless of the type flossing tool you use, make sure that you floss on a regular basis - at least once a day. Though flossing may add one more step to your daily routine, it's just as important to achieving a healthy smile as brushing. As always, let the team at Bel Air Orthodontics know if you have any questions about the best way to keep your teeth clean and healthy while you're in treatment.