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As the school year gets under way in Chicago, you’ve got a lot going on. New classes. New teachers. New activities. New books and supplies and . . . well, it’s a lot! If orthodontic treatment is one of those new experiences, we have some suggestions to help you enjoy the year with a confident smile.

You may not have realized it, but the skill sets you’ve developed for school are useful beyond the classroom—you can use those same skills to help you achieve your orthodontic goals. If you’re going to school with braces, aligners, or appliances for the first time, this orthodontic study guide will help you maintain a healthy, stress-free smile:

Do Your Homework

Oral hygiene is more important than ever when you’re in orthodontic treatment. Plaque and food particles collect around braces and fixed appliances. If you’ve been brushing at home twice a day for two minutes and flossing once a day, good work! But now it’s time to level up your cleaning routine.

While you’re in treatment, you might need to brush and floss more often, whether several times a day or after each meal or snack. Follow Dr. Iwei Huang’s recommendations for brushing and flossing to help keep your smile cavity free.

The right tools will make life easier. Special brushes, flosses, and rinses designed for orthodontics can make cleaning your teeth easier and more effective. Electric toothbrushes and water flossers can be a game changer when it comes to removing plaque and food particles from tricky spaces. Talk to your orthodontist to learn the best tools and techniques for home care.

Essential Supplies

Put together a kit for your backpack or locker so you’ll always have the orthodontic supplies you need on hand. These tools will help you manage any expected—and unexpected—challenges while you’re away from home. Depending on your type of treatment, your kit might include:

• Travel toothbrush in a ventilated case (bacteria aren’t fans of fresh air!)
• Travel size toothpaste
• Orthodontic floss and interproximal brushes (for stubborn food particles around brackets and wires)
• Small mirror to make sure your smile and braces are food-free
• Dental wax to prevent irritation from loose wires or brackets
• Extra rubber bands for those who use them
• Your appliance case to prevent damaging or losing your retainer or aligners
• Your orthodontist’s phone number for emergencies

Add any other items you think will be helpful, and you’ll be prepared to handle any orthodontic-related issues throughout the day.

Follow Directions

Your orthodontist’s treatment plan is carefully designed to make your beautiful, healthy smile a reality as soon as possible—and the plan works best when you follow it!

• Wear your aligners, appliances, or elastics for the recommended number of hours each day. That’s the quickest way to a healthier smile.
• If you wear braces, see Dr. Iwei Huang for regularly scheduled adjustments.
• If you wear aligners, follow your orthodontist’s schedule each time you change trays. Changing to a new set of aligners too soon can cause stressful pressures on your teeth and jaws. Changing trays too late can delay your progress.

Any Questions? Ask!

Asking questions is one of the best ways to learn. Your orthodontic team has years of education and experience to help you answer some of the questions you have about navigating your school day.

Which cafeteria foods are orthodontic-friendly? Can you play a brass or wind instrument in band? If you play school sports, how do you wear a mouthguard with braces?

Your orthodontic team at Gold Coast Orthodontics has the answers—or knows how to help you find them. Work with your team to make sure that you’re able to enjoy all the possibilities of the school year, from classroom to lunchroom to extracurriculars, with a healthy confident smile!

Some people choose bottled water over tap because they think it’s cleaner. Some do it out of convenience: It’s easy to grab a bottle of water to take with you for the day as you run out the door or hop in your car.

Whatever the reason, bottled water has been coming in ahead of tap water for the last couple of years. What many people may not know is that choosing bottled water over tap can actually be detrimental to your dental health.

Most brands of bottled water fail to include a vital ingredient: fluoride. Fluoride plays an important role in helping maintain good oral health because it helps strengthen our teeth. Stronger teeth mean a lower chance of tooth decay, and who doesn’t want that?

When we choose bottled water over tap water, we deprive our pearly whites of something they might very well need.

The good news is that the American Dental Association has endorsed both community water fluoridation and products that contain fluoride as a safe way to prevent tooth decay. If bottled water happens to be the preference for you or your family, you don’t necessarily have to force everyone to start drinking tap water.

Just check the label and make sure the brand you purchase contains fluoride.

It’s essential to remember that switching up the water you drink isn’t going to put you on the fast track to perfect teeth, though. Flossing and brushing three times a day is vital!

If you have any questions about fluoride or your dental health, don’t hesitate to ask Dr. Iwei Huang at our Chicago office!

Modern dentistry has made the most of today’s technological innovations. And we’ve come a long way from the fraying sticks our ancestors used as toothbrushes.

On the other hand, while it’s a lot better than a fraying stick, the manual toothbrush model you’ve used for years might be ready for an upgrade. Should you take this opportunity to try out some new technology offering all the bells and whistles? Let’s answer that question by asking a few more questions.

Happy with your manual brush?

If you like your manual toothbrush and it’s doing the job, by all means, stick with it. But even your old familiar brush can evolve:

• There are lots of bristle options, but soft bristles are almost always the way to go. Medium and hard bristles can be too abrasive for your enamel.
• Heads come in a variety of sizes, so make sure the head size is comfortable. You want to be able to maneuver to reach every tooth surface, which a too-large brush head just can’t do.
• Try a different handle shape if you’re having trouble maneuvering and keeping a firm grip.
• Change your brush regularly. Brushes are effective for about three months before the bristles start to fray and breakdown. This is a good opportunity to experiment with different brands and styles.

Does your old brush suit your current needs?

Different types of manual toothbrushes are available for effective and comfortable brushing when you need options that a typical brush doesn’t provide:

• Special orthodontic toothbrushes are designed with bristles trimmed to fit around brackets and wires and smaller heads to reach into tight places.
• For those with mobility issues, brushes with larger or easy-grip handles make cleaning more comfortable.
• Brushes with extra-soft bristles are available if you have enamel erosion or sensitive gums.
• Because many women find their gums become especially sensitive during pregnancy, there are brushes designed especially for moms-to-be.

Is it time to go electric?

If you haven’t tried an electric toothbrush before, you might find that getting braces is a great reason to give one a spin.

• Electric toothbrushes can outperform manual models. A dedicated brusher might manage hundreds of brushstrokes for each minute of brushing, while an electric brush can provide thousands. If, despite your regular brushing, you have plaque build-up, an electric brush might be a good alternative to your manual brush.
• Models are available which can alert you when you’re brushing too hard—which is important for your enamel if you’re a heavy-handed brusher.
• If you tend to *think* you’ve brushed for the recommended two minutes, but have *actually* brushed 32 seconds, some electric brushes come with timers!
• There are tapered electric orthodontic brush heads designed just for people with braces.
• Electric brushes have bigger handles and can be easier to grip.

Is your current brush doing the job?

So, should you stick with the familiar toothbrush that’s worked for you all these years, or take this opportunity to try out some new technology that offers all the bells and whistles? The answer is clear: the right brush for you is the one that works!

If your regular checkups show that plaque is under control, you’re doing just fine with the brush in hand. If you or Dr. Iwei Huang notice plaque buildup, it’s time to consider making some changes. Whether it’s a question of tools, techniques, or time spent brushing, your Chicago dental team has the answers you need for state-of-the-art dental hygiene.

Did you know that the most common oral health diseases are tooth decay and gum disease? Not so coincidentally, they are also the easiest to prevent. As much as we would like for the brushing and flossing to do all the work for us, in reality, we really are what we eat — and a healthy diet is just as important for dental health as it is for the rest of the body.

Eating well boosts your immune system, and makes you less susceptible to gum disease and tooth decay. When you maintain a balanced diet, you provide your body with all the nutrients it needs to succeed. So what does a healthy, balanced diet entail? It’s really quite simple. Here are some tips:

1. Focus on lean meats, veggies, whole grains, and healthy fats.
2. Limit your intake of sugary drinks like energy drinks and soda.
3. Keep your sweet tooth in check.
4. Beware of acidic meals and snacks that are high in salt and sodium.
5. Drink lots of water.

Unfortunately, there’s no “one size fits all,” magic diet that will automatically improve your oral health, but following the five guidelines above as best you can is a great way to start. Food and drinks that are high in sugar or acidity weaken your enamel, stain your teeth, and make you more likely to develop a cavity or gum disease.

At Gold Coast Orthodontics, we like to encourage our patients to drink a lot of water during the day. Doing so not only keeps you hydrated, but also helps rinse out the sugar and acid from various things you’ve consumed during the day.

If you think your diet might be affecting your smile, come pay Dr. Iwei Huang a visit or give our Chicago office a call! We’re always happy to answer your questions.