Halloween is such a fun time for children, with costumes and candy. For kids with braces, it can be tough to judge what candy may harm their braces. I tell my patients that for this night, it is OK to enjoy some treats, but to follow some guidelines. Here is a list of common candies that are acceptable and not recommended.

Absolute No- No’s:     Candies on this list are either really hard, extremely chewy, or have a consistency that will likely damage your braces.

• Jolly Ranchers or hard candy
• Taffy or hard caramels
• Starburst
• Now and Laters
• Tootsie rolls
• Sugar Daddies
• Pay Days (or anything with full nuts)

Acceptable as Treats:     These candies are acceptable (as limited treats only!), especially if they are broken into smaller pieces.

• Chocolate, Hershey’s Kisses
• Most soft candy bars (Milky Ways, Three Musketeers, and Snickers and Twix in small pieces)
• Fun dips
• Lolly Pops- just don’t bite into them!
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

In general, break things into small pieces, chew lightly, and consume sugar in moderation!

Dr. Dan Rejman is a Board Certified Orthodontic specialist, and is the owner of meadows Orthodontics in castle Rock, CO.

When the time has come to where you have almost completed treatment with  braces (or Invisalign), Dr. Dan will help you decide which retainers will be best for you and your bite. There are three main types of retainers that we offer (four including Invisilign Vivera retainers), and each has distinct advantages that different people prefer. Her is a description of each type to help you decide which retainer is best for you!

• Vacuum formed retainers:  Vacuum formed retainers are what is referred to as  “essix”clear retainers”, or “clear trays” by most patients. This retainer is made by vacuum forming clear plastic over a stone model of your teeth. Besides being comfortable, the advantage of this type of retainer is its clear appearance. Both upper and lower trays can be worn without them being seen (unless people are REALLY up close!). Kids and teens seem to really like wearing this type of retainer because of the way they look, and how easy they are placed. A relative downside compared to other retainer types is that longevity is usually less than the ones listed below.
• A subset of vacuum formed retainers are Vivera Retainers, which are made by the Invisalign company. These are clear vacuum formed trays, but they come in a package with 4 sets of retainers, which addresses the longevity issue. When one set wears out, you move right to the next one. Vivera can be a nice option for people that grind their teeth at night, as there is full coverage over the biting surface.
• Hawley retainers:  This type of retainer is the traditional type that usually comes to mind when picturing a retainer. Hawley retainers are made of acrylic that is custom formed to the palate and inside of the upper teeth, and along the inside surface of the lower teeth. There is usually a metal “bow” that is formed to the outside surface of the upper and lower teeth. Hawley retainers have several advantages. They can be modified to stay in your mouth really well if this is an issue with the vacuum formed retainers, and they are very durable (they should last for years id well cared for). Depending on personal preference, some people like the feeling of their teeth being more “free”, as Hawley retainers do not fully cover the teeth like vacuum formed retainers. The acrylic can also be customized in any color, design, with glitter… the choices are endless! Relative downsides of this retainers is the visible metal bar across the front of the teeth, and a fuller feeling on the tongue side of the teeth.
• Bonded retainers:  Bonded lingual (which means tongue side of the tooth) retainers are tiny wires that bond permanently to the inside surface of the front teeth. Bonded retainers can almost always be used on the lower teeth, but due to the way teeth fit together, often they cannot be used on the upper teeth (Dr Dan will let you know where they will work for you). The main advantage of this type of retainer is that it is always on, and stays for years. Lower front teeth are notorious for crowding as people age whether they have had orthodontics or not, and bonded retainers will prevent this from happening. The disadvantage to bonded retainers is also that they are permanent and bonded to the back of the teeth- and this makes it more difficult to clean and floss around them. Because of this, I only recommend them for teens and adults who have great oral hygiene.

I hope this helps with the decision of choosing a retainer!

Dr. Dan Rejman is one of the few orthodontists that are Board Certified in Douglas County, Colorado. Meadows Orthodontics is located in the Meadows in Castle Rock, and will soon be opening another location in the Founders Marketplace in East Castle Rock.

In the last blog, I addressed why early treatment (often called Phase 1 treatment) may be recommended, and the conditions that often require early intervention. As a summary, early treatment has been recommended by Dr. Rejman only if a window of opportunity will be missed (due to age and skeletal growth patterns) that will negatively affect a child’s facial structure, bite, esthetics, or periodontal support (tooth stability).  Orthodontists undergo years of study focused on craniofacial growth and development, and there is considerable variation in age regarding dental and skeletal maturity between children.  Dr. Rejman will inform you when we can best take advantage of this growth, and will let you know when the optimal time is to begin treatment. Orthodontic treatment and a child’s growth
should complement each other if it is timed properly.

If early treatment has been recommended for your child, here is what to expect:

• Because early treatment occurs during the mixed dentition (when both “baby” and “adult” teeth are present), treatment does not involve a full set of braces. We often use a limited number of braces to achieve the desired correction, in conjunction with other devices such as an expander and appliances designed to improve the relationship the child’s upper and lower jaws. It is sometimes advantageous to have several baby teeth removed if there is a severe issue with spacing or improper tooth eruption.

• Because Phase 1 is problem focused, we like to be as efficient as possible, and remove the appliances and limited braces once the problem has been addressed. Phase 1 treatment can be as short as 6 months (for dental based interceptive issues), to more than a year for more difficult skeletal issues (such as underbites).

• Retainers will be fit to maintain the correction that has been achieved while we wait for the permanent teeth to erupt. We use a number of different retainers to maintain the correction of different problems. The nice thing for kids is that retainers are usually only worn at night while they are sleeping.

• Often retainers will stop fitting correctly as more permanent teeth continue to erupt, and retainers after Phase 1 are relatively temporary for this reason. Dr. Dan checks the patient’s bite every four to six months during this period and will let you know when it is time to stop wearing this retainer (this is usually when they are ready for the full set of braces).

• Early treatment is very problem focused, and Phase 1 is only meant to address a specific concern that needs immediate attention, not align the entire dentition.  We use the name “Phase 1”, because it implies that there will usually be a “Phase 2” when a full set of braces is used to align the full set of adult teeth when they have erupted. This usually occurs between the ages of 10-14 years old (there is considerable variation in physical and dental maturity and development in children!).
I hope this answers many of the questions that you may have regarding your child’s development, and early treatment if it has been recommended.

Dr. Dan Rejman is a Board Certified Orthodontic Specialist, and is the owner of Meadows Orthodontics in Castle Rock, Colorado.