Candy Alternatives for Kids with Braces

T-minus 2 days until Halloween! And what better time than now to remind our orthodontic patients which candies they should steer clear of. 

While candy in moderation won’t do too much damage, children with braces should always do their best to avoid hard, sticky sweets. So in honor of National Orthodontic Health Month, keep the below in mind:

Candies To Stay Away From
Broken bracket? Bent wires? Candy is the biggest culprit! Stay clear of an orthodontic emergency on Halloween by avoiding these sweets:

• Gummies
• Taffy
• Sugary bubblegum
• Hard candies
• Candied/Caramel apples

Alternative Halloween Snacks

Boonanas and Pumpkintines: Transform everyday fruits into spooky treats for your little ones. Make a ghost out of a banana by cutting it in half and adding chocolate chips for the eyes and mouth. Peel a clementine and use celery or cucumber pieces for the pumpkin stem!

Spiders on a log: Add a creepy crawly twist to a classic treat. Fill celery sticks with peanut butter and decorate with plastic spiders. Just make sure your kids remove the spiders before digging in!

Black apples: Instead of candied and caramel apples, cut some thin apple slices and allow your kids to dip in a creamy chocolate sauce for a sweet treat!

Jack o’ Lantern hummus plate: First you were carving pumpkins and now you’re making one! Grab red pepper hummus (for the orange color) and black beans to create the pumpkins face. Add whole wheat crackers and let your children dip and enjoy!

From all of us at Adelberg Montalvan - we hope your family has a fun and safe Halloween! And remember, there’s only a few days left to receive a complimentary consultation with our of our orthodontists in honor of National Orthodontic Health Month: Dr. Jenny is in our Nesconset location (631) 360-7337 and Dr. Jon in our Massapequa location (516) 798-1111!

Importance of Pediatric Dental and Orthodontic Care

 www.adelbergpediatricdental.com

 

 

Happy National Orthodontic Health Month! As October brings orthodontic health into focus, the staff here at Adelberg Montalvan want to discuss the importance of early orthodontic treatment and the benefits of a pediatric dental/orthodontic team approach to providing care.

For the past several years, the orthodontic profession has seen a shift focusing on early childhood treatment. Because of this, the ability of the pediatric dentist to monitor the child’s growth and development, identify the onset of certain problems, and then make the appropriate referral to the orthodontist makes them an indispensable gatekeeper for coordinated patient care. 

Early childhood treatment usually entails a TWO-PHASE approach to orthodontic treatment:

• The FIRST PHASE occurs when the child still has both their primary (baby) and permanent (adult) teeth.  
• The SECOND PHASE – which is usually full top and bottom braces - occurs at a later stage when all of the permanent teeth have erupted.  

Benefits of First Phase Treatment

• Early treatment occurs while the child’s jaw bones are still soft. Because the bones are still pliable, this allows the orthodontist to utilize appliances that will guide and direct the growth of the upper and lower jaws so that they can correctly relate to each other. Some examples of misaligned jaws are crossbites, underbites, deep overbites, or excessively protruding teeth.
• Permanent teeth can be accommodated. By developing the jaws at an early age, there’s more of an opportunity to accommodate all the permanent teeth - thereby alleviating the need for extractions of permanent teeth later in life due excessive crowding.
• Potentially destructive habits can be stopped. Another reason for early childhood treatment is focused on the cessation of habits such as thumb sucking and tongue thrusting. If left untreated, these habits will negatively affect both the teeth, as well as the jaws.

These are just a few of many different reasons why it is both beneficial and important to perform early orthodontic treatment.  Leaving such conditions untreated until all permanent teeth erupt could result in discrepancies too severe to achieve with braces.

If you're seeking orthodontic treatment for your child, consult with one of our orthodontists here at Adelberg Montalvan Pediatric Dental & Orthodontics. Let us help identify and appropriately treat these problems early on to make sure your child’s orthodontic experience is easier in the long run. Call (516) 798-1111 or visit our website to schedule an appointment!

NSLW 2014 - Braces Friendly Snacks

 www.adelbergpediatricdental.com

Braces certainly take some getting used to, especially in terms of the foods we eat. Children who would normally chomp into their crunchy snacks, now need to revise their diets to include foods that aren’t painful or damaging to their new wiring.

In honor of National School Lunch Week and National Orthodontic Health Month, we bring you a list of braces-friendly snacks to incorporate into your child’s lunches this year:

• Sliced Fresh Fruit - Try choosing fruits that are soft so they won’t cause damage or a dart of pain (IE: kiwis, bananas, strawberries, grapes, oranges, etc.).
• Applesauce - We all know Fall is peak time for apple picking, so take all those freshly picked McIntoshes and put them to use! Applesauce is packed with vitamins and fiber, and can be made in a big batch, cooled to room temperature and frozen in sealed containers to enjoy later.
• String Cheese - Great as a side snack, cheese is soft enough to bite and as an added bonus, calcium rich foods help to repair damaged tooth enamel
• Hummus - Whether you choose to make your own or purchase one of the many flavors on store shelves, hummus is packed with nutrients including fiber and protein that offers a high satiety value. Serve with cucumber slices (as they are softer than carrots) or pieces of pita bread.

Have any other brace-friendly treats your kids love? Head to our Facebook page and share with the rest of our community!

Adelberg Montalvan Pediatric Dentistry has three Long Island locations. We specialize in caring for children’s teeth in a comfortable and caring environment. Call (516) 798-1111 or visit our website to schedule an appointment.

It's National Orthodontic Health Month!

 www.adelbergpediatricdental.com

 

 

Along with National Dental Hygiene Month, October is also Orthodontic Health Month. Dental health is something that effects everyone, having healthy teeth and gums contributes to a nice smile and gets you on the right track to a lifetime of comfort and well being.

Orthodontists are just one of the dental practitioners your child could visit at some point in their life. The goal of orthodontic treatment is to enhance the smile, by adjusting the bite (malocclusions). Malocclusions affect the way one smiles, chews, and cleans the teeth. With the right orthodontic treatment and dental health practices, teeth can last a lifetime!

And some of these practices include eating for healthy teeth! With Halloween around the corner, if your child is currently undergoing treatment  - you likely know the dangers of sticky sweets with braces. Caramels, jellybeans, tootsie rolls, laffy taffy, the list goes on! Not to mention the hard candies that could crack braces.

This year try to keep your children in the safe zone with the below options (just be sure they brush their teeth once they're done snacking!):

• Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
• Hershey’s Chocolate bar
• Kit Kat Bar
• 3 Musketeers
• Peppermint Patty

Although an orthodontist can enhance a smile at any age, the American Association of Orthodontists recommends that the initial orthodontic evaluation should occur at age 7. If you are unsure if your child qualifies, make an appointment for a FREE orthodontic consultation at one of our offices. Let us help you identify and reduce problems early on to make sure your child’s orthodontic experience is easier in the long run! Call us today!

 

October is National Orthodontic Health Month!

Adelberg Montalvan Pediatric Dental and Orthodontics

www.adelbergpediatricdental.com

Leaves are changing color, temperatures are getting cooler, and our little ghouls and goblins are getting ready for Halloween! But did you know that October is also National Orthodontic Health Month?

In a month full of hard, sticky, crunch, and chewy treats - it's more important than ever to encourage everyone to take proper care of their teeth, especially those going through orthodontic treatment.

So if your children have braces, beware of these treats this Halloween season:

• Caramel
• Popcorn
• Taffy
• Licorice
• Bubblegum

We know that Halloween is filled with sugary sweets so as always please encourage your children to brush and floss after consumption! Sweets lead to cavities and certain candies can lead to damaged braces, we wouldn't want that to happen!

And in honor of National Orthodontic Health Month, our Massapequa Park and Nesconset locations are offering FREE orthodontic consultations. Be sure to call either office anytime this month for  a complimentary consultation for your child!

Massapequa Park Office
1000 F. Park Blvd.
Massapequa Park, NY 11762
(516) 798-1111

Nesconset Office
62 Lake Ave., Suite A
Nesconset, NY 11767
(631) 360-7337

Image Source: AAOInfo.org