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Did you know three U.S. presidents died on the 4th of July? Who knew that President Donald Trump is the 45th President of the United States but only the 44th man to hold the position? Presidents Day is the perfect time to test your knowledge on America’s presidents. Find out how much you know about our fearless leaders with our Presidents Day trivia.

Which U.S. president was the first to bring a pet to the White House?

Thomas Jefferson’s beloved mockingbird, Dick, is thought to be the first pet to live in the White House. Birds were said to be Jefferson’s favorite animal and Dick often had free range of the president’s study. Dick often sang the president to sleep, liked to sit on his shoulder and would even take food from Jefferson’s mouth.

Which former U.S. presidents died just hours apart on July 4?

Three of the first five U.S. presidents died on July 4. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died in 1826, just hours apart from one another. James Monroe, the fifth president, died five years later in 1831.

Which president could’ve been the next Mozart?

Maybe Harry S. Truman. He had the work ethic. Truman used to get up as early as 5 a.m. to practice the piano for two hours.

Which president installed a putting green in the White House?

Many American presidents have golfed while in office, beginning with William McKinley in 1897. Only Teddy Roosevelt, Hoover, Truman and Carter avoided the game. Dwight D. Eisenhower, though, was the first to bring the game to the White House itself. Less than a month after taking office in 1953, Eisenhower began practicing chip shots on the South Lawn and eventually commissioned a 3,000-square-foot putting green just outside the Oval Office. Supposedly, he played over 800 games of golf while in office.  It's no secret that President Donald Trump also has a love for the game. After all, he owns 17 golf courses around the world.

Who was the first to run against a woman for the presidency?

No, that wasn’t Donald Trump. Ulysses S. Grant ran against Virginia Woodhull, the nominee of the “Equal Rights Party,” in 1872.

Which president had 15 children?

John Tyler holds the record for the most children sired by a president. John Tyler’s first wife had been Letitia Christian, with whom he had eight children. She died of a stroke in 1842. He married his second wife, Julia Gardiner in 1844, and they had seven children together bringing his total to 15.  He was a devoted husband and doting father to his rather large brood of children from both marriages.

Which President was shot in the middle of a speech but kept speaking?

On October 14, 1912, Roosevelt was campaigning in Milwaukee. He finished his dinner and stepped out of the Pfister Hotel to enter a waiting car. An assassin stepped out of the crowd. Raising a gun, the man fired one bullet at President Roosevelt. It passed through Roosevelt's overcoat, a fifty-page manuscript, a steel eyeglass case, and lodged in his chest. He coughed into his hand, and seeing no blood, determined that the bullet had not entered his lung. Refusing medical attention, Theodore Roosevelt went on to deliver the ninety-minute speech. Doctors later examined him and decided it was safer to leave the bullet in his chest. It remained there for the remainder of his life.

Which two presidents donated their salaries to charity?

Herbert Hoover and John F. Kennedy. If he follows through with donating his salary, President Donald Trump will be the third.

Who were the tallest and shortest presidents?

Abraham Lincoln was the tallest by far at 6 foot 4 inches. James Madison was the shortest president at 5-foot-4 inches.

Which president loved jelly beans?

Ronald Reagan loved jelly beans and placed a standing order of 720 bags per month to be delivered to the White House and various federal buildings.

Know any fun trivia that we missed?  Share it with the team at Bel Air Orthodontics!

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 t00th. 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.