Egg-cellent Easter Candy for Braces

The Easter bunny is a few days away from making his debut and delivering some delicious treats. Aside from Halloween, Easter is a big holiday surrounded by tons of decorative candy, sure to make almost anyone tempted to indulge in more than the average serving. If you or your kids wear braces, you might want to inform the Easter bunny about a few Easter treats easy for patients with braces to consume.

Kemp Orthodontics has taken the time to make a basic list of Easter goodies for our patients. Keep reading to learn about some egg-cellent candy totally suitable for our patients with braces. The following Easter candy doesn’t just taste good but also doesn’t damage braces. Feel free to dig into these this year if you wear braces!

• Dark Chocolate: contains antioxidants that are great for your teeth and gums
• Peanut Butter Cups: these are soft and delicious and come in festive shapes and sizes. 
• Cadbury Eggs: these are an Easter must-have for most people, and they’re braces friendly.
• Peeps: this popular candy is soft enough for braces and not too sticky to damage them.

Other items Include: soft chocolate candy like Hershey’s kisses, milk chocolate rabbits, soft cookies, and decorated brownies.

Today’s braces are a big investment of time and finances. It’s important for you to be aware of what you, or your child, are eating this Easter to avoid damaging braces and dodge costly repairs.

Orthodontics for Adults

The first day of January often motivates adults to consider setting new goals for their new year. The last day of January often brings adults to reconsider how they are achieving those goals. For many adults, one of their goals is to seek out the best orthodontist who can give them the smile they’ve always desired. To help those adults who are considering orthodontic treatment in this new year, we at Kemp Orthodontics have collated some general ideas to help you as you think about how orthodontic treatment with Dr. Kemp can improve your health.

Many adults assume that orthodontic treatment is only about getting your crooked teeth straight. While straightening crooked teeth is a major factor for seeking orthodontic treatment, other important dental and skeletal issues may exist that require treatment by an orthodontist. Orthodontic treatment is about creating the best position for your teeth as well as improving the coordination of your mouth and jaws, and your orthodontist must complete several years of additional education and clinical residency after dental school to learn about these intricate balances and movements.

Why should adults get braces?

If you think braces are only for kids and teens, you’re wrong. Every day adults get braces to improve their oral health. Some of the top reasons adults should consider braces are --

1. Teeth can shift at any age, even if you wore braces or you didn’t need braces as a child.

2. Misaligned teeth can contribute to serious health problems for your teeth and mouth, like headaches, ear pain, and even stomach issues.

3. The braces that are available today at Kemp Orthodontics are not like the braces of the past. Dr. Kemp treats his patients using 3M’s Clarity Advanced brackets, an ultra aesthetic bracket, and special tooth-colored wires that create a system that is virtually unnoticeable. Additionally, Dr. Kemp’s system reduces treatment time, so you get a beautiful healthy smile in a shorter amount of time.

4. Maybe your parents couldn’t afford braces. Dr. Kemp offers several flexible options for you to pay for your braces, so don’t let the cost hold you back.

5. People are living longer and keeping their teeth for life. Getting braces, even if you are a senior adult, helps your entire mouth stay healthy by making your teeth easier to keep clean.

Are you ready to start to achieve your 2016 goal of a better and healthier smile? Contact Kemp Orthodontics today to setup your consultation and let us show you what braces options are right for you as an adult. It’s never too late to have a smile you love.

Waterpik-Orthodontic Tool

At Kemp Orthodontics we know that for some of our patients it can be difficult to weave through those wires and brackets as you brush and floss during your treatment without leaving food particles.

A lot of our patients have found that when they use a Waterpik they are able to flush out food particles stuck between their teeth.  The water from the Waterpik can reach behind the brackets and wires and hit spots where your floss simply cannot reach. People suffering from gum disease also find Waterpik quite effective because of their ability to flush out bacteria from inside the deep pockets.

If you have any questions about Waterpik or any general questions or concerns about your orthodontic treatment, we encourage you to please ask us at your next appointment!

I just got braces...now what?

 

At Kemp Orthodontics we believe you have taken the first step toward a healthier and more beautiful smile but you are probably wondering what comes next. The first week is the biggest period of adjustment, and there is a lot to learn in this short time.  What to eat?  How to brush?  No worries, in a very short time your braces will feel completely natural.

On the first day, your braces will probably feel sort of like a mouthful and it may take time to get used to them. By the second day, you may feel some soreness or discomfort.   If you are going to experience any discomfort, the second and third days are when it will happen. If you do experience discomfort it can be dealt with by taking an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as Tylenol.

If you have any questions or concerns the team of Kemp Orthodontics is here to help you.

Teeth Grinding

Teeth grinding is also know as Bruxism.  We know that stress can cause you to clench and grind your teeth.  Usually, you grind your teeth at night but sometimes you may grind your teeth during the day also, often subconsciously.

If you already clench and grind your teeth, stress could make the habit worse. Grinding your teeth can lead to problems with the temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ), located in front of the ear where the skull and lower jaw meet. Some of the symptoms of TMJ disorder are popping and/or clicking of the joint, limited opening of mouth, and locking of jaw.

If you are clenching or grinding or experiencing any TMJ disorder symptoms call Kemp Orthodontics to schedule a complimentary examination. Dr. Kemp may recommend a night guard, worn as you sleep, to help you minimize the stress on your TMJ.

 

Braces and Brushing

 

The biggest enemy of our teeth is plaque, and the most effective way to remove plaque is with regular brushing and flossing.  As you eat, your teeth and braces collect food.  If this food is left on your teeth and at your gum line, bacteria will attack the food and change it into plaque.  Plaque will cause white marks on your enamel, swollen gums and, if left too long, will cause a cavity.  Your Beautiful Smile should be filled with sparkling clean teeth, not white marks and cavities.  The team at Kemp Orthodontics is here to help you achieve the best smile possible.   

Plaque: The #1 Enemy

The biggest enemy of our teeth is plaque, and the most effective way to remove plaque is with regular brushing and flossing.  As you eat, your teeth and braces collect food.  If this food is left on your teeth and at your gum line, bacteria will attack the food and change it into plaque.  Plaque will cause white marks on your enamel, swollen gums and, if left too long, will cause a cavity.  Your Beautiful  Smile should be filled with sparkling clean teeth, not white marks and cavities.  The team at Kemp Orthodontics is here to help you achieve the best smile possible.   

Word up...Braces!

 

So you're about to get braces. Congratulations! You are taking a very smart step to improve the health of your teeth as well as get that beautiful smile you always wanted. Some foods just don't mix with braces. The foods listed below should be avoided while you are wearing your braces because they can pop the brackets and bend the wires. In other words, these foods can really ruin your day, and send you back to Kemp Orthodontics to get your braces repaired.

Before you get your braces on we suggest that you make a trip to the grocery store, one last time, to pick up the following:

Beef jerky
Raw carrots
Taffy
Pizza crust
Bagels and other crusty bread
Popcorn
Hard candy
Nuts and seeds

The day your braces are placed, the team at Kemp Orthodontics will give you more information about eating with braces. Some foods, such as apples, are okay as long as you cut them into pieces first.  Others, like pudding and pasta, are fine just as they are.

It won't be forever! You can do this! So before your braces go on, enjoy some treats but remember to brush afterwards!

Good Brushing Habits

Good oral hygiene habits you use while wearing braces will help you achieve the beautiful smile you and the Kemp Orthodontics team have been working toward. Once your braces are off, it may be tempting to slack off on the brushing and flossing. Don't let yourself fall into any habits that will have a negative impact on your oral health or the beautiful smile you waited for throughout the months you wore braces. It is important that you see your general dentist for regular cleanings, and continue to brush and floss your teeth each day. 

Your smile is forever!

Crooked Teeth

What to do about crooked teeth?

According to the American Association of Orthodontists, approximately 80 percent of American teenagers are currently undergoing orthodontic treatment. Although advances in orthodontic devices and increased availability of such devices explain part of this increase, it still means there are a lot of crooked teeth in the world.

The theories about what is causing so many crooked teeth range from the ridiculous to the scientific. For years, oral health professionals believed that crooked teeth were an evolutionary result of the change in Western diets from raw, wild foods to soft, processed foods. That theory has since been debunked.

The truth is that crooked teeth can be caused by a number of things.  It could be an inherited trait. Parents with crooked teeth and malformed jaws are more likely to have children with malocclusions.  Sometimes dental restorations such as crowns can change your bite and cause teeth to become crooked.  Baby teeth that fall out early or hang on for too long can cause teeth to crowd.  It could be possible that the jaw is just too small to accommodate all of a person's adult teeth. In addition, there are harmful habits such as  thumb sucking and the use of a pacifier for too long  that can contribute to crooked teeth.

Fortunately, modern orthodontics offers a number of solutions for crooked teeth. Traditional metal braces used to be the most popular solution but Kemp Orthodontics provide a number of clear, aesthetic options as well. If you're tired of hiding your smile because of crooked teeth, contact Dr. David Kemp and his team at Kemp Orthodontics to set up an appointment. We'll have you showing off your straight Beautiful Smile in no time!

Halloween: Trick or Treat?

 

At Kemp Orthodontics we want to remind you to not be tricked by your treats.  Let's try to get through this season without causing harm to your braces.  Remember that hard candy can damage your braces by causing brackets to come dislodged or bending your archwire.  Since your archwire is the guide to where your teeth are going to be move, if you make a bend in your wire by biting on something too hard you can cause your teeth to move in the wrong direction.  We all enjoy sweet treats but stay away from the hard, sticky and chewy candy to avoid breaking your braces.   Because your braces will trap the sugar and keep it close to your teeth,  please brush promptly after eating to ensure healthy teeth and a beautiful smile.

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