Protect Those Faces This Spring

It’s National Facial Protection Month, so Kemp Orthodontics is spreading the word to our patients to remind everyone to protect those faces this spring. As many children and adults gear up to start a new sports season, it’s important to keep faces and heads protected from injuries.

Did you know spring is one of the busiest times in emergency rooms for mouth and facial injuries? Several of these injuries happen in the spring because they are sports-related accidents that can be easily prevented with the use of sports safety equipment. By utilizing equipment like helmets and mouth guards, children and adults can avoid serious facial injuries.

Just by wearing a mouth guard or helmet, patients can reduce the risk of having a concussion, knocking out teeth, or breaking jaw bones. Most coaches recommend a mouth guard or helmet. Unfortunately, many athletes neglect these two very important pieces of equipment because they don’t comprehend the importance of wearing them.

Even though personal safety is the most important concern, parents and patients are also aware of the high cost of treating an injury to the face or head. These emergency treatments for injuries can cost thousands of dollars, and some injuries, like concussions, have lifelong implications. As so many of these injuries can be easily prevented, we can’t stress enough the importance of simply wearing a mouth guard or helmet during organized sports and activities. And wearing a mouth guard and helmet is a good rule of thumb to abide by all year long, not just in the spring time. If you have any questions regarding facial protection, please contact Kemp Orthodontics at 615-790-7027. We have specialized mouth guards in our office that are designed to fit comfortably over your braces. The cost is only $10.00.

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.

The Tooth Truth

 

Our bone and gum tissues are supported by our teeth. If this support is lost or is poorly aligned then our bone and gums can begin to erode. If the teeth are properly aligned the bone and gums are less likely to erode.

Your teeth play an important role in digestion. Before your food ever enters your stomach, it has to be chewed by your teeth. This process is called mastication. The food has to be partially broken down before entering your stomach to be properly digested. Braces straighten your teeth and give you the alignment you need to properly chew your food.  

If you are concerned about your alignment, why don't you call Kemp Orthodontics for a complimentary examination?

 

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The team at Kemp Orthodontics will be happy to answer any of your questions about your orthodontic treatment.

Braces Friendly Foods

One of the first questions orthodontic patients and their families ask Dr. Kemp and his team at Kemp Orthodontics is, "What can I eat while I have braces on my teeth?" That answer is, "Almost everything!" Just with a few exceptions.

While you wear your braces or other orthodontic appliances, you will want to choose foods that are more soft and easily chewed, and you might limit certain types of foods that are sticky, hard, crunchy, or brittle. Great food choices for orthodontic patients include--

Meats/poultry - soft-cooked chicken, meatballs, lunch meats, even steaks and chops if you cut them into tiny bite-sized pieces;
Seafood - fish including tuna, salmon, crab and crab cakes;
Vegetables - mashed potatoes, peas, yams, steamed spinach, beans, and, if you cut them into tiny pieces, you can have corn, celery, and carrots
Fruits - any soft fruit like bananas, grapes, kiwi, peaches, even apples if you cut them into tiny bite-sized pieces
Dairy - pudding, soft cheeses
Breads – sliced lunch bread, soft tortillas, pancakes, muffins w/o nuts, biscuits
Grains – noodles, pasta, soft-cooked rice
Treats - ice cream without nuts, milkshakes, smoothies, Jell-O, cake
Other – eggs, hamburgers, chili, beans and much more

Candy treats and chewing gum are not only bad for your health, but they are really bad for your braces. These foods can break your braces, which will add more time to your orthodontic treatment. Dr. Kemp suggests you completely avoid these snacks:

• BUBBLE GUM


• CARAMELS


• GUMMY BEARS


• CORN CHIPS


• AIRHEADS


• TAFFY


• HARD WHOLE NUTS


• POPCORN


• TOOTSIE ROLLS


• SNICKERS


• NOW AND LATERS


• PAY DAYS


• BLOW POPS


• HARD CANDY

This list is just a guideline for foods to avoid. Just remember that while your braces are powerful enough to give you a great smile, each little brace is delicate if you try to use it to tear, chomp, or bite off foods. Choose your food wisely, cut it into tiny pieces, and chew on your back teeth. Soon those braces will be off and reveal a gorgeous new smile!

Benefits Beyond Your Smile

Since it is National Orthodontic Health Month, Dr Kemp and all the Kemp Orthodontics team want to remind you that orthodontic health is much more than straight teeth. When Dr. Kemp creates beautiful smiles for his patients, he places all the elements of the face into their perfect alignment for a healthy as well as beautiful smile. Orthodontic treatment at Kemp Orthodontics also provides many additional health benefits. Here are just a few you might not realize:

• Prevent TMJ: TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint) Disorders occur from stress on the jaw joint. Often, people who suffer from TMJ have an incorrect bite pattern or a misalignment of their bite. Orthodontic treatment can align the teeth and bite to remove the stress on the joints that causes TMJ Disorder.

• Aid Digestive Health: Perfectly aligned teeth help you chew your food more effectively, which helps your digestive health.

• Avoid Tooth Decay and Gum Disease: Crowded and misaligned teeth make it difficult to clean your teeth and gums, which can lead to food and bacteria build-up. It's much easier to brush and floss your teeth when they are in healthy alignment.

• Correct some speech impediments: Sometimes when your teeth and joints are misaligned, this misalignment causes speech impediments. The teeth and tongue are important tools in our speech process, and it is extremely important that these tools be in their perfect alignment to speak our best.

If you have any questions about the health and aesthetic benefits of orthodontic treatment, feel free to contact us today. At Kemp Orthodontics our goal is for our patients to feel that their experience with our office is remarkable, unique, and pleasurable.

Orthodontics & Halloween Sweet Treats

October is a month full of sweet treats, from crisp apples to Halloween candy. Now is the perfect time to
think about enjoying these great treats while protecting your braces and/or your orthodontic appliances. The American Association of Orthodontist offers four helpful tips for patients.

1. Avoid sticky situations with your braces and aligners. Stay away from hard, sticky, crunchy or chewy candy and snacks. These include caramel, gummies, licorice, taffy, bubblegum (even the sugarless kind), jelly beans and soft drinks.

2. Say no to hard treats - including hard-shelled peanut candies, nuts or nut-filled candies, taco chips and popcorn (especially un-popped kernels). Also, Dr. Kemp cautions everyone, whether you wear braces or not, to avoid crunching and chewing ice.

3. Brush up! Sweets can cause cavities, which means brushing and flossing are more important than ever during the Halloween season. Orthodontic patients should be especially vigilant about brushing and flossing after consuming sugary or starchy foods.

4. Spooktacular news: Not all Halloween candy is off-limits. Good alternatives include soft chocolates, peanut butter cups or other melt-in-your-mouth varieties. The American Association of Orthodontists even offers orthodontic-friendly recipes for Halloween goodies on its website at http://www.mylifemysmile.org/pressroom.

So, grab your costume this Halloween and enjoy the fall festivities.

October is National Orthodontic Health Month

When many people think about October, they think of falling leaves, hot apple cider, and Halloween. While carved pumpkins and funny costumes are exciting features of October, here at Kemp Orthodontics we are even more excited to welcome October because it's National Orthodontic Health Month!

Every year, the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) recognizes October as a time to raise awareness of the benefits of orthodontic treatment. At Kemp Orthodontics we want our patients and community members to understand the health benefits and lifestyle benefits of orthodontics.

Have any questions regarding our office and orthodontic treatment? Feel free to give Kemp Orthodontics a call, we'd love to answer your questions! You can also visit our website, www.KempOrtho.com, to read more about the health benefits of having Dr. Kemp create a beautiful smile that's just for you.

Protect Your Beautiful Smile

Fall sporting activities are underway. Playing fall sports is lots of fun but can be a little dangerous. Our question for you: are you protecting your beautiful smile with a mouth guard?



What is a mouth guard?
Mouth guards are used to help cushion a blow to the face and to minimize the risk of broken teeth and injuries to your lips, tongue, face or jaw. The mouth guards that Kemp Orthodontics supplies cover the upper and lower teeth, giving your mouth its greatest protection.

Here's a fact for you:
Sports-related injuries often end-up in the emergency room. The US Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that more than 600,000 of these visits involve injury or damage to the teeth and mouth. This fact alone lets you know just how important it is to be protected by a mouth guard.

Types of dental injuries that can occur without a mouth guard:

• Broken or chipped tooth.


• Entire tooth knocked out from the root.


• Tooth dispositioned in socket.

If you are involved in sporting activities, we ask that you contact Kemp Orthodontics for a specialized mouth guard that is designed to work and fit with your braces while providing you with the protection that you need.

Orthodontic Diet

Oh, no!  It's that awful four-letter word again.  Yes, I need to talk to you again about what you are eating.  The number one cause for breakage in braces is biting into something that's too hard.  At Kemp Orthodontics we desire to achieve a Beautiful Smile within the shortest treatment time possible, but excessive broken braces can extend your treatment time.  Try to avoid hard foods like nuts, hard candy, corn chips, and crispy taco shells.  In addition, you should cut some foods, like apples, into small pieces.

If you need a detailed list of foods to avoid, please let us know, and we'll be happy to give you a handout.  Take good care of your teeth and braces, and together we will achieve your treatment goal of a Beautiful Smile.

 

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.

 

Regular Dental Checkups Are Essential!

Are you brushing after each meal and flossing daily during your orthodontic treatment?  If yes, that's awesome!  Don't forget that it is also important for you to visit your general dentist at least every 6 months.  Regular dental checkups are imperative for maintaining good oral health, especially during your treatment at Kemp Orthodontics.

Your general dentist can check for problems that may not be seen or felt, like cavities and early signs of decay. Early detection and treatment is the key to good oral health.

During an oral exam your dentist can check the health of your mouth, teeth, gums, cheeks and tongue. Checkups will also include a thorough teeth cleaning and polishing.   At Kemp Orthodontics we suggest that your dentist take x-rays to insure overall dental health.  If you have not been to the dentist in the last six months, let us know during your next visit at Kemp Orthodontics. It would be our pleasure to provide a few great references in your area!

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.   

Good Dental Health Starts Early

 

At Kemp Orthodontics, Dr. Kemp knows that, as a parent, you want the best for your child.  That includes healthy teeth and a pleasing smile.  Start with regular dental care.  The American Dental Association recommends that a child visit the family or pediatric dentist by his or her first birthday while baby (primary) teeth are erupting.  Your dentist can alert you to any concerns about how the teeth and jaws are developing.

To have a beautiful smile that's good for life, your child needs teeth and jaws that are aligned properly, creating what we like to call a “healthy bite.”  The American Association of Orthodontists recommends your child get an orthodontic check-up no later that age 7.  By then, your child's teeth and bones have developed enough that subtle problems can be spotted with jaw growth and erupting teeth.

Dr. Kemp will help you achieve that healthy and beautiful smile you want for your child.

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!

Brace Friendly Recipes

At Kemp Orthodontics, Dr. David Kemp and our team understand how hard it can be to get your child to eat the recommended daily allowance of fruits and vegetables. The task of providing fun, nutritious meals becomes even more challenging if he or she wears braces. It's an age-old saying that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. These five braces-friendly recipes are not only nutritious, but will put a smile on your little ones face when they sit down at the kitchen table in the morning.

Scrambled eggs are soft and easy to eat if you have braces. If you drown them in ketchup (which many kids love to do), eggs become even mushier.  The key to a brace- friendly recipe is minimal chewing.

A healthy breakfast provides energy and jump-starts metabolism.  How about a smoothie?  It is not only a good source of fruit, but it's also gentle on braces. More importantly, smoothies are fun to create. You can toss anything in the blender (bananas, mangoes, strawberries, spinach) and create a drink that's loaded with vitamins and antioxidants.

If you wear braces, eating crunchy cereals or granola for breakfast is out of the question: Bite down the wrong way and you might snap the wires or dislodge the brackets. However, you can get your grains and oats by substituting oatmeal for cereal. This mushy breakfast treat has a host of health benefits.

Pancakes are not the healthiest breakfast choice. Still, this Sunday morning favorite is braces-friendly. The idea is to make it healthier by hiding blueberries in the pancake batter.

Toast with jam is ok but how about slathering  some peanut butter on the bread to add some protein. The general rule of thumb is to steer clear of foods that are hard or chewy. These types of foods can break wires. Of course, most kids will agree that toast isn't the most exciting breakfast recipe. Make it a Pop-Tart instead!

If you have any favorite brace-friendly recipes we would love to have you share them with us.

WHAT CAN I EAT WITH BRACES?

At Kemp Orthodontics we know that wearing braces may limit some of the snacks you can eat but there is still plenty of choices for fun and healthy foods that will not harm your braces.  

Sweet Treats

Puddings provide a sweet and safe snack while you are wearing braces.  If you are concerned about sugar intact you can choose a reduce sugar.   There are a lot of flavored puddings such as caramel to satisfy the urge for items you should not eat. They can be purchased already made or whipped up at home.  Ice cream and yogurt are also choices; just avoid products with nuts.

Healthy Snacks

Fruits are an excellent choice for a healthy snack. You just need to avoid biting into hard fruits such as whole apples, just cut them into wedges!  Why not try fruit cocktail? It is softer but still has the flavor and nutrition.  You should avoid fruits packed in heavy syrup. 

Crunchy or Salty Snacks

Not all crunchy foods are bad; you just need to limit the crunch. Walnuts are a softer nut that can normally be eaten safely.  Small cheese crackers satisfy the need for crunchy and salty. You can also allow pieces to dissolve slightly in your mouth before chewing, to reduce any risk.

Soft granola bars are also an option. Check the granola ingredients to ensure there are no large nut pieces, and brush your teeth afterwards. Otherwise pieces can become stuck in your braces.

If you have any questions about safe snacks, do not hesitate to ask the staff of Kemp Orthodontics.

Beautiful Smiles

 

At Kemp Orthodontics we know that most people want a naturally aligned and beautiful smile and we know that we can provide that for them. Dr. David Kemp of Kemp Orthodontics has been practicing orthodontics in the Middle TN area since 1986.

Did you know that there is a greater benefit to wearing braces than just straight teeth? You actually gain more oral health benefit than cosmetic ones.

Let's talk about tooth decay and gum disease. When your teeth are crowded or crooked they create overlapped and tight spaces that make it hard to brush and floss. If you can not keep the area clean it allows bacteria and plaques to build up which eventually can lead to tooth decay and gum disease. When you teeth are aligned you are able to keep your teeth cleaner.

Do you have difficulties with your speech? The position of your teeth affect speaking and can make it hard to articulate your words causing embarrassment and frustration. Braces can move your teeth in a better alignment and allow for clearer speech.

For more information about how Kemp Orthodontics can help you, please contact our office for a complimentary examination.

Foods to avoid while you are in braces

At Kemp Orthodontics we want you to know that some foods can also help or hurt you while you're wearing braces. Remember to cut your food into small pieces that can be easily chewed. You will want to avoid hard and chewy foods that can break your braces or bend your wires.

Foods such as corn on the cob, nuts, carrots, apples, ice, and bubble gum should be avoided but you can take the corn off the cob, chop the nuts, and slice your apples… get the idea?

We will provide you with a list, which is to be used as a guideline but just because the food isn't on the list it doesn't mean it isn't meant to be avoided.

Remember if you think it is probably too hard chances are it is.

Our main concern at Kemp Orthodontics is that your braces come off in a timely manner. Excessive breakage of your appliance can add to the time you are in braces. It is a small sacrifice for such a short time and then you will have your beautiful smile for a lifetime.

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!