About Our Practice - Hannah & Oltjen - In the News
| It’s Back to School Time! Welcome back to school! Congratulations to all the winners of our Back to School Drawing. The winners received $50 gift certificates for school supplies. As you begin the new school year, many of you will be returning with shining smiles from new braces. Throughout the year, you may encounter some minor orthodontic emergencies. To help you with these, we have delivered some miscellaneous orthodontic supplies to the neighboring school nurses. Some of the supplies sent are wax, toothpaste, threader floss and toothbrushes. We have also included a topical analgesic, which can be applied to canker sores. The wax can be applied to a “poking” wire for temporary relief, and the threader floss can be helpful in removing trapped food from between the teeth that could cause gingival (gum) inflammation. Let us know if your school nurse needs more supplies and we would be happy to send some their way. October is National Orthodontic Health Month! The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) has declared the month of October as National Orthodontic Health Month. It is interesting that it is also one of the most challenging times of the year for an orthodontists because of all the Halloween candy. Halloween candy may not be "braces friendly" and can be down right "frightful" for braces and orthodontic appliances. Seasonal foods like caramel apples, hard and sticky candies and nuts can "spook" braces off teeth. Not only can these foods cause damage to braces, the sugar content can be harmful to the teeth as well. Sugar left on the teeth for an extended period of time can be used by bacteria to produce acid that can dissolve the tooth and can lead to 'white spots' around the braces or in extreme cases even cavities. Therefore, it is especially important to focus on proper brushing and flossing during the Halloween season. |
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Jay M. Oltjen, DDS, MS
by the American Board of Orthodontics
