Halloween Candy Braces Care - Braces Las Vegas

Most of us are probably excited for Halloween right about now, but as an orthodontist in Las Vegas; I wanted to personally remind you how to have a sticky-free Halloween this year.

Some Candies are Worse than Others

First off, you or your children do not have to give up candy completely, but rather take steps in trying to minimize the amount of harm done. The fact of the matter is that there are a wide variety of candy products on the market with some being worse than others.

Icky Sticky

If you’re thinking about putting any sticky candies into your mouth, or candies that are gooey then you may want to reconsider this and evaluate the positives and negatives.

Any candies with caramel, taffy, and others always pose the possibility of breaking one of your brackets off directly from your teeth. The reason is because when the candy sticks to the teeth, it adds extra pressure to your teeth every time you open and close your mouth. If the situation is worse enough, then the pressure will eventually pull a bracket right off. Beware!

Hard Times

If it’s hard, then be careful. Every candy can be considered “hard” to a certain degree but we’re referring to actual hard candies such as jawbreakers or anything that must be sucked on for a period of time before you have any chance at biting down. Biting down too forcefully on hard candies may result in damaged braces. It’s not worth it!

Quick tip: suck on any hard candies instead of biting down, that way you still enjoy your candy! 

It's Not Just About Candy

Lastly, it’s not necessarily all about what type of candy you’re consuming, but rather how frequently you’re consuming it. At the end day, we can all agree that candy is over 50% sugar. Unfortunately, sugar causes our mouth to become an acidic environment that is perfect for initiating tooth decay.

Quick tip: it’s actually better to eat more candy at once rather than stringing it out for the whole day. When you string candy out in small pieces throughout the day, you constantly expose your mouth to an acidic environment and that isn’t good.

If you’re going to partake in the candy tradition this Halloween, then don’t forget to compensate for this by putting extra effort into brushing and flossing your teeth. Make absolutely sure to remove any candy particles that are caught between your teeth and in your braces.

Happy Halloween from your braces orthodontist in Las Vegas!

Orthodontist Offers Tips on Caring For Retainers - Braces Las Vegas

Always wear your retainer!

Retainers are a fact of life for anyone that has recently had their braces taken off. Regardless of the type of braces you chose, a retainer would always be required as a way to help you keep your teeth straight. In a basic sense, if you don’t wear a retainer, then your teeth will begin to return to their unstraightened position. Nobody wants this to happen – it would only result in a huge waste of time and money. Your braces Las Vegas orthodontist offers you tips on how to manage these awkward looking “things”.

Retainer Problems Your Orthodontist May Not Tell You

Your orthodontist may or may not tell you these few things about retainers, but honest information is good – and it’s something you can learn a thing or two from.

Retainers are Fragile

You have to be careful with your retainer, otherwise you’ll ruin it and be forced to obtain a new one, and let’s face it… nobody has time for this if it could have been prevented in the first place. To give you an idea on how fragile they can be: it’s possible to chip or break it while you sleep.

So here’s what we recommend you do. Most people find convenience in grabbing the nearest tissue and then placing their retainer on that when they do not use it. While this does work, we strongly suggest investing in a retainer case or a small Tupperware. These are usually very inexpensive and work well at keeping your retainer free from damage when you aren’t using it. You won’t believe how many times we’ve heard patients say they damaged their retainer because they were careless.

Drooling is Normal

Just like it takes to time adjust to braces; it also takes time to adjust to a retainer. Depending on your situation, your orthodontist may recommend you wear your retainer all day and night for a few weeks. Or you may only have to wear it at night.

Either way, one thing is for sure: you will drool. This typically happens at night when you’re sleeping. Patients will wake up from a good night’s sleep only to find a puddle of drool next to their mouth or smashed within the retainer. Don’t be alarmed, this is common and usually dies down within a week.

Lisp Trouble

Braces may have caused you a lisp, and there’s always a chance retainers will as well. Again, this is a normal phenomenon that dissipates over time as you become comfortable with your retainer.

Our advice: practice talking with your retainer on. To yourself, in front of a mirror, just talk. This will help you get comfortable more quickly.

Follow our advice, and your life with retainers will not be a hassle as it is for those unaware of potential problems that may arise.

If you are interested in learning more about braces and retainers, then please visit our Patient Care section where we cover a variety of different topics and questions.