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It's National Dental Health Month, and the team at Bel Air Orthodontics thought it would be a great time to share some oral hygiene tips.

Having braces can present some new challenges when it comes to keeping your teeth clean. It is essential that you put some extra effort into preventing tooth decay while wearing braces. When your braces are finally removed, you want a beautiful, white smile, not decayed or stained teeth. Here are a few tips to help you keep your teeth healthy while wearing braces:

The Tooth, The Whole Tooth, Nothing But The Tooth

When you brush, take time with each individual tooth and pay careful attention to the spots around the braces where food can become trapped. Brush for two to five minutes using a soft toothbrush with fluoride toothpaste for best results. Using an oral rinse every day will help too. Rinsing with mouthwash helps to disinfect the entire mouth, including the spots under the braces where you brush can't always reach.

It's All About The Angles

Place your brush at a 45-degree angle against the gums in order to clean the whole tooth. It's important to clean the front surface, inner surface (tongue side) as well as the chewing surface. Be sure to clean along the gum line - a key spot for plaque buildup. Don't forget to also brush gently in the area between the wiring and the teeth.

Brush After Every Meal

Since braces block food from naturally escaping your teeth after eating, it's important that you take the time to brush after every meal. Bits of food can easily get caught between braces and teeth. These food bits interact with the natural bacteria in your mouth and can cause plaque buildup and decay. If you are eating somewhere that you can't brush, thoroughly rinse your mouth with water.

Like A Boy Scout, Always Be Prepared

The easiest way to be sure you can brush after every meal is to get in the habit of taking a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss with you wherever you go. Designate a special container just for your teeth-cleaning tools and keep in in your purse, backpack or car.

Fluoride Is Your Friend

Fluoride - a mineral that helps prevent cavities and tooth decay - can help keep your teeth strong! Be sure to brush with fluoride toothpaste and rinse with a fluoride mouthwash. When choosing your fluoride products, look for the American Dental Association's (ADA) seal of acceptance. Products marked with the ADA seal of approval have been carefully examined and have met the criteria of the ADA for safety and effectiveness.

Pointy Brushes Reach Tiny Places

Interproximal brushes (sometimes called proxy brushes or interdental brushes) are cone-shaped, small brushing devices. They come in handy for reaching spots round your braces that standard brushes can't. Feel free to ask our clinical assistants for a sample and instructions for using the interproximal brushes at your next regularly scheduled appointment.

Find The Floss That's Right For You

Regular floss works for many patients, but others find it easier to work with a floss threader which helps you get the floss into tight places. Other patient like the all-in-one products, such as Superfloss, which comes with a stiff end for easy threading, a spongy section for cleaning wide spaces, and regular floss for narrow spaces. These products are relatively inexpensive and available at your local drugstore, so try them all to see which one works best for you.

Be Gentle With Your Teeth

Always avoid biting pens and other hard objects, and use your teeth for chewing food only - not as tools to open containers! Also, if you are a habitual tooth-grinder, let us know. We can help you address that habit to protect your teeth.

Eat Braces-Safe Foods

When you have braces, there are certain foods that you must avoid. For starters, sticky foods such as caramel or gum can get stuck in your braces and are difficult to remove during brushing. Avoid hard foods too, such as nuts and candy. Those goodies can bend wires and even break a bracket. So just what can you eat? We recommend soft foods that are low in enamel-busting acids, such as bananas, mangoes, milk, poultry and pasta. Don't worry, most of these dietary changes are temporary. Soon you'll be back to eating your favorite foods.

Get Regular Checkups

It's your job to take care of the everyday cleaning, but make sure to visit your dentist regularly while in treatment. Your dentist should be seen twice a year for a deep, thorough cleaning. With professional tools, your dentist hygienist can remove plague and tartar buildup that can form around your braces, bands or other appliances which can lead to cavities. Cavities can prolong your orthodontic treatment, and no one wants that.

As long as you practice good oral hygiene and follow these basic tips, you should have no problem keeping your teeth healthy during your orthodontic treatment. If you have any questions, feel free to let us know. We're always here to lend a helping hand.

We’ve probably all seen that unhappy kid or frazzled parent sifting through trash for a lost retainer. If you're really unlucky, YOU might have been that unhappy kid or frazzled parent sifting through the unpleasant remains of third period lunch hour. But getting tossed isn’t the only risk these appliances face. Read on for ways to keep your retainer (and your parent!) happy.

Keep Your Retainer with You

Always carry a retainer case. If you automatically put your retainer in its case when you’re eating, you are much more likely to remember it then if it has been wrapped up in a napkin on your lunch tray. And, if the worst happens, much more likely to recover it in one piece.

Choose the brightest colored case you can live with, so you will have an easier time locating it if need be, and discuss how to label the case to get it back safely to you–just in case.

Keep Your Retainer Intact

You might think if you put your retainer in your backpack, or purse, or saxophone case, or athletic bag, it will be safe. It will not. Retainers are designed to be tough enough for everyday wear, but being tossed on the floor while inside a backpack is not everyday wear. Always put your retainer back in its (brightly colored) case before packing it away.

Retainers can warp if they are exposed to heat, so keep them away from potential heat sources like stoves, microwaves, and washers and dryers. Even your car dashboard can become hot enough to warp your retainer. And never use boiling water to clean them.

Finally, your dog might find your retainer to be the #best-chewtoy-ever, so be sure to put it in a spot pets can’t reach when you’re not wearing it.

Keep Your Retainer Clean

Just like plaque can build up on your teeth, minerals and calcium can build up on your retainer. Different types of retainers require different cleaning methods, so talk to us about how to keep your retainer clean and bacteria-free. We will be happy to give you instructions on the best way to take care of your particular appliance. And don’t forget to clean your case regularly!

Accidents will happen, of course. If your retainer is lost or damaged, call the Bel Air Orthodontics team as soon as possible. We might be able to fix minor damage, and, if needed, we can replace a lost retainer quickly.

Your time in braces is over, but your teeth are still stabilizing in their new, healthy positions. Wearing your retainer regularly is the final step in producing the beautiful smile you’ve worked so hard for. Keep your retainer clean, keep it safe, and keep it with you, and you can enjoy that smile now and for years to come!

It's that time of year again; a time when we're thinking about those all too familiar New Year's resolutions. Promising to spend less, exercise more and clear the clutter are often at the top of our list, but this year the team at Bel Air Orthodontics has decided to keep our New Year's resolutions easy and entertaining. We've vowed to laugh more, smile often and have more fun. In the spirit of that fun, we came up with a few resolutions for our patients in orthodontic treatment. Tell us what you think, and share your own New Year's resolutions with us on our Facebook page!

• I will wear my elastics religiously.
• I will not flick my elastics at my brother or sister!
• I won't call my orthodontist during the Super Bowl with an emergency.
• I will brush my teeth at least twice a day for no less than two minutes. (Five minutes would be better!)
• I won't eat jolly ranchers or other sticky, chewy foods while I have braces.
• I won't gross out my parents or friends by smiling with food in my braces.
• I will not lie to my mom when she asks about my brushing.
• I won't let the dog wear my retainer (or eat it for that matter!)
• I will remember to wear a mouthguard when playing sports.
• I will simply stop complaining about my braces!

Happy New Year from the team at Bel Air Orthodontics.

Have you ever wondered where all those missing retainers go?

Well, our patients have some amazing stories to tell. Fact, fiction or just plain silly . . . only our patients know for sure. All we ask is that the stories entertain us, and many of our patients deliver just that. We thought we’d share a few of the stories we have received as a regular Blog feature.

Here's Our Latest Story . . .

It was December 23rd, just a few days from Christmas. Soon, Santa would take his annual journey and deliver presents to all the world. I went to settle in for bed, first stopping to brush my teeth. As I took my retainers off, a swirling portal appeared around me, drawing in air; then, it sucked in my retainers! I wasn’t going to let my retainers get away from me, so I hopped into the portal right after them. I emerged on the other side of the portal, shivering from the sudden cold. I was facing a window in a huge room where I could see the falling snow. I turned around, and I will never forget what I saw. I was standing in the middle of Santa’s workshop! Little elves with pointed ears bustled about, manning the machinery on a conveyor belt which was spewing toys of all shapes and sizes. Christmas carols were playing, and the workshop was adorned with Christmas decorations.

I heard, above the racket of the toy factory, someone saying, “Ho, Ho, Ho! These retainers will be perfect for the job!” In the center of the room, I saw Santa at a workbench covered with papers, surrounded by a ring of elves jumping up and down. I found myself with conflicted feelings. On one hand, I wanted to tackle the man for stealing my stuff; but on the other, I wanted to hug him because he was Santa—one of the most lovable guys around. I went to over to Santa’s workbench and tapped on the shoulder of one of his elves. I must’ve surprised him when he turned around, because he said, “Oh gingersnap! Why is a CHILD in here? Santa! Get her out!”

Santa looked at me and chuckled. He said to the elf, “Jingles, this is the girl whose retainers you took. I think she may have snuck in through the portal.” I stared down at Jingles and asked, “Why did you steal MY retainers?” Jingles ran and hid himself behind Santa’s large self.

Santa explained to me, “My dear. Christmas isn’t always easy. Sometimes it’s hard work. With all the resources being used by humans every day, some years, we don’t have enough materials to make toys for every boy and girl..” He waved his hand in the air and a sparkling imaged appeared. It showed a little boy in his bed, dreaming of a toy car for Christmas.

Santa said, “We needed a toy for this child, the last little one on our list. However, the workshop didn’t have enough materials. We needed your retainers to melt down for the plastic which would become the last wheel on his toy car.” He held up a small retainer case decorated with small candy canes and gingerbread cookies. “You can still have them back if you want them."

I knew I had a choice. I could leave with the retainers, or I could give them up to make that little boy smile on Christmas morning. I said to Santa, “You can keep them. I hope you make the little boy happy.” With a smile and a twinkle in his eyes, Santa thanked me. The elves cheered, and Jingles even came out from behind Santa’s back. Santa gave me one last smile. He waved his hand in front of my eyes, and the workshop faded to black.

On December 25, Christmas Day, my family and I visited a friend’s house. The family had a little boy. He was playing with a small toy car. The car was different from most others I had seen. There were only three black wheels. The last wheel was white. Believe it or not, I gave up my retainers to help Santa save Christmas, especially for this little boy!

We hope your holidays are filled with the joy of giving!