Foods to Avoid During Your Orthodontic Treatment

There are a variety of foods Dr. Sankey recommends you avoid while wearing braces. Some foods can occasionally damage braces, but certain foods can bend the wires or even break the brackets on your braces. If you’re wearing braces, you should avoid starch, sugar and gummy foods, as these foods can be difficult to remove during brushing. Foods that are high in sugar and starch tend to cause plaque, cavities and even tooth decay.

Avoid tough meats, hard breads and raw vegetables such as carrots and celery. Before long, you'll be able to bite a cucumber again. But you'll need to protect your orthodontic appliances when you eat for as long as you're wearing braces.

Foods you should avoid include:

• Chewy foods: bagels, hard rolls, licorice
• Crunchy foods: popcorn, ice, chips
• Sticky foods: caramels, gum
• Hard foods: nuts, candy
• Foods you have to bite into: corn on the cob, apples, carrots

Also, chewing on hard things (for example, pens, pencils or fingernails) can damage the braces. Damaged braces will cause treatment to take longer.

If you have any questions on which foods you should be avoiding and why, we invite you to give Flower Mound Orthodontics a call or ask our staff during your next visit.

You're Never Too Old to Treat Yourself to a New Smile!

Did you know one in every five orthodontic patients is an adult? We’re living longer and technology is improving, making orthodontic treatment an appealing and safe option for patients of all ages. As the trend toward treatment later in life grows, we’re seeing braces on parents as well as children – and even adult celebrities such as Tom Cruise, Gwen Stefani and Nicholas Cage have shown off their braces. It’s never too late to look and feel your best with Flower Mound Orthodontics!

Can Braces Work for Adults?

People of all ages can benefit from orthodontic treatment with Dr. Sankey. The physical process for moving teeth is the same, young or old, which means it’s never too late to address issues such as an overbite or underbite, crooked or crowded teeth, or jaw disorders.

How Do I Get Started?

If you’re considering orthodontic treatment, we’ll make a consultation appointment with you. During this meeting we will perform a general assessment of your oral health, discuss options for treatment, and answer any questions you may have. We will also discuss matters of cost and insurance. The next step is an orthodontic records appointment in which we take x-rays, photos, and an impression of your teeth. This information drives your unique treatment plan.

What Are the Benefits?

Straightening your teeth can improve your smile, your self-esteem, and your dental health. Technologically advanced new treatments make it easier to identify the option that best fits your lifestyle. Modern techniques and materials have made braces and aligners more effective, comfortable and unobtrusive than ever.

If you think you might benefit from orthodontic treatment, give Flower Mound Orthodontics a call, so we may set up a consultation to determine what type of treatment best meets your needs.

A Festive and Braces-Friendly Recipe to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day

If you're planning to spend St. Patrick's Day celebrating your Irish heritage, or just enjoying the festivals, food and "wearing of the green"- we've got a treat for you! Our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists have a tasty and braces-friendly recipe that is perfect for today. Corned beef casserole presents a twist on the traditional St. Patrick's Day corned beef and cabbage, and will surely become a family favorite!

Corned Beef Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 (8-ounce) package medium egg noodles, uncooked
• 1 (12-ounce) can corned beef
• 1 (10.5- to 14-ounce) can cream of celery soup, undiluted
• ¾ cup milk (use just ½ cup if using larger soup can)
• 1 Tablespoon dried minced onion
• ¼ cup bread crumbs (seasoned or toasted plain)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. In a saucepan, cook the noodles just until tender; drain. In a large bowl, chop the corned beef into a coarse crumbly texture.

Stir in soup, milk and onion. Grease a 2-quart casserole. Add the noodles and the corned beef mixture and stir together well. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top.

Bake covered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Serves 6-8 people.

Try serving the casserole with petite whole green beans from the freezer…or add 1 cup of finely chopped purple cabbage, 1/4 cup diced onion and 2 teaspoons fennel seed or powder for some true Irish flavor.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

What can I expect during my consultation?

When you first come in for your initial consultation, Dr. Sankey will conduct a comprehensive examination to assess your oral health. This will better enable us to determine the best treatment method for you.

Your orthodontic evaluation will consist of an oral and facial examination to assess your oral health. Dr. Sankey will have you take intraoral and facial photographs as well as panoramic and cephalometric X-rays to help determine the proper orthodontic treatment method. Then, an impression of your teeth and bite will be taken to construct a model of your mouth. (This will help Dr. Sankey when examining your diagnostic records).

At your second appointment, Dr. Sankey will discuss your options with you. Our team feels it’s important to take the time to carefully examine your diagnostic records after your consultation so that Dr. Sankey can more thoroughly prepare for your treatment at Flower Mound Orthodontics. This additional preparation will ensure that you receive the best orthodontic care possible. At this time, we encourage you to ask us any questions you may have about your treatment.

If you are seeking orthodontic treatment for your child, our staff asks that both you and your child attend the initial consultation. We feel it is important that both you and your child completely understand Dr. Sankey’s recommendations before we proceed with treatment.

Give us a call today and schedule a consultation! We look forward to hearing from you!

Smile wider, live longer, from Dr. Sankey

Folks with big smiles may actually live longer than those who don’t, according to a March 2010 study at Michigan’s Wayne State University. Dr. Sankey has known for quite some time that positive emotion has been linked to both physical and mental health, but researchers at the university did something quite interesting: they looked at photos of 230 ball-players who began their careers in baseball prior to 1950 and studied their smile intensity (ranging from big smile, no smile or partial smile). The players' smile ratings were compared with data from deaths that occurred from 2006 through 2009. The researchers then took into account other factors that impact life longevity, including body mass index, career length and even college attendance.

The results? Researchers found that players who weren't smiling in the photos died at the average age of 72.9 years. Players with partial smiles lived to be 75. Those with big smiles, however, lived on average to be 79.9 years old.

The take-away from the new study? Smile now, smile often and you might just live longer! Have you been perfecting your smile by visiting Dr. Sankey on a regular basis? If not, give us a call!