But teens with braces can still get their sweet on. October is National Orthodontic Health Month (NOHM) and the Association of Orthodontists (AAO) has some suggestions to satisfy the sweet tooth in all of our teens with braces.

Some foods can bend or break braces which (1) doesn’t make a parent’s pocketbook very happy and (2) can prolong treatment which likely won’t make a teen very happy. The AAO recommends staying away from such foods as:

• All hard candies
• All chewy candies
• Caramel
• Nuts
• Licorice
• Taffy
• Jelly beans
• Hard pretzels
• Bubblegum
• Popcorn (including unpopped kernels)
• Taco chips
• Ice

So what does the AAO recommend as braces-friendly treats? They tell you to look for foods that are soft and easy to chew. Many of their suggestions aren’t something you’ll likely get in your trick-or-treat bag, but you could trade one of these treats for that snickers bar in your teen’s treat bag. The list of braces-safe treats includes:

• Soft, melt-in-your-mouth chocolates
• Peanut butter cups
• Milk shakes
• Gelatin
• Peeled, thinly sliced apples
• Ice cream

Or skip trick-or-treating all together and just make some yummy braces-friendly Halloween recipes at home.

And don’t forget to remind your teens to always brush and floss after treats (even if they don’t have braces).

Photo courtesy of stock.xchng.

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Post from: Blisstree

Braces-Friendly Halloween Treats

I spent a few months asking every kid I saw with braces who their orthodontist was and if they liked him/her. The more I talked to kids, the more one name just kept coming up. I called Dr. A’s office and set up a second opinion visit. From the time we walked in, I knew that we had made a good choice.

Dr. A’s office is high tech, kid friendly and very common sense!! One of the coolest things they do is take images of the kids’ thumbprints and then let the kids check themselves in at each visit using a thumbprint reader. They took a dozen before photos of her face and teeth and then printed them all out on a composite sheet for me to take for our records.

She recommended that we start with doing braces on Miss M’s top and bottom four teeth so we can get those top teeth to jump over the bottom ones. Once her last baby molars come out they can reevaluate and see what else will need to be done.

Yesterday was the big day where she got her braces on. She was so excited. At the office they took a last set of x-rays, did molds of her teeth, put on the bands in the back, and then installed the brackets on the front teeth. Of course, her favorite part was picking the color of her rubberbands – pink and green this time.

Once they had everything installed, the orthodontist took about 15 minutes to go over the care and keeping of her braces and to give her the list of all the foods she cannot eat anymore – there went about 90% of her favorite snacks!

I’ll post progress reports over the next year as those teeth line up better. And I’m sure we’ll have some braces drama along the way, too. Do your kids have braces? Do you have any good drama tales to tell? If so, we’d love to hear them.

Post from: Blisstree

B is for Braces

My 8 year old had her first orthodontic appointment today. She has an underbite going and some crowding. All I am seeing is dollar signs, but in the long run, she will feel better about herself as a young lady when her teeth are straight and pretty.

The orthodontist was very nice, took the time to explain everything to us and was in no rush at all with her treatment. As a matter of fact, he doesn’t want to see her again for 6 months. He did recommend having 3 of her baby teeth pulled to allow for more room for the adult teeth, but that was it for now. I suspect by this time next year she will have a positioner, but that’s it for now.

How many of you have kids in braces? Any tips for someone just starting the journey?

Post from: Blisstree

Our First Trip to the Orthodontist