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After getting your braces, it is important to know how to take care of your teeth in order to ensure that your braces stay intact and do their job so that your teeth are in top-notch condition after you complete your orthodontic treatment. Today, our team at Chan & Chen Orthodontics thought we would provide you with five tips you need to know to ensure you undergo successful treatment at our Andover office.

Flossing
Flossing twice a day or after every meal can help you clean areas between teeth and other places a toothbrush can miss. We also recommend using a floss threader, which can be used to help you navigate safely around your braces and brackets. It is vital to floss twice a day, preferably after lunch and before bedtime to keep gum disease and tooth decay at bay.

Brushing
Teeth and appliances should be brushed after every meal and before bedtime using fluoride toothpaste and gentle, soft strokes. We recommend using an interdental toothbrush, which can help you clean the hard-to-reach areas under wires better than an ordinary toothbrush.

Using Elastics
This phase of orthodontic treatment requires cooperation and consistency on your part. If your orthodontist has prescribed elastics, make sure they are worn at all times, except when eating meals or brushing teeth. It’s important that you wear the correct size elastics and have extras in case they are misplaced. By failing to wear your elastics for even one day, you run the risk your teeth moving back toward their original position.

Addressing Damage to Your Braces
In case your appliances are damaged, we ask that you call our team at Chan & Chen Orthodontics immediately to set up an appointment.

Eat Friendly Foods
When undergoing treatment, there are certain foods you must avoid. Foods that are hard, sticky, chewy or sour can add months to your treatment time. These includes gum, caramels, taco shells, nuts, ice, chips or hard candies.

We hope that helps! If you have any questions, please give us a call at our Andover office or ask us during your next adjustment appointment!

You've made an investment on spending money on getting braces, so why not keep your teeth in good health while undergoing orthodontic treatment?  Dr. Kathleen Chan and Dr. Ivy Chen and our team at Chan & Chen Orthodontics will tell you it is just as important to develop a regular hygiene routine while you're wearing braces as you did before proceeding with treatment.

Flossing is essential to the health of your teeth and gums when you're wearing braces. Because braces may hold food, sugars and liquids upon eating, it is very important to keep on top of your brushing and flossing, as well as visiting our office for regular adjustments.

While we know it's tough enough to get kids to floss daily without braces, that battle becomes even tougher when braces are involved. Remember that by not flossing, you will become more prone to cavities and gum disease during your treatment.

When flossing, remember to gently massage your gums in between the teeth. You will find that flossing with braces takes extra time, as you will have to weave the floss through each bracket. When flossing, there should be no signs of blood. If you see blood, you are not flossing enough or properly.

Using an electric toothbrush is also a good idea to massage your gums before or after flossing as electric toothbrushes can help remove any harmful bacteria that are lingering in your mouth. And don't forget to add a mouthwash to your routine to break up any bacteria that has formed. A good mouthwash will help keep your teeth and gums in good shape during your treatment.

If you have any questions about flossing or your orthodontic treatment at Chan & Chen Orthodontics please don't hesitate to give us a call or during your next adjustment appointment!

Sticky, hard, and gooey: these candies fill your dopamine receptors with spasms of sugar-filled joy, but if you’re undergoing orthodontic treatment at Chan & Chen Orthodontics to straighten your teeth, then these sweets are not so sweet. While you may have a Willy-Wonka-sized sweet tooth, there are some candies you’re going to have to avoid while wearing braces.

Here are five bracket- and wire-destroying culprits that Dr. Kathleen Chan and Dr. Ivy Chen and our team recommend leaving on the candy aisle and not put in your mouth, no matter how tempting they may be.

1. Gum is sticky and stringy. It can get tangled like fishing net in your braces. You don’t want to be that boy or girl trying to pull knots of Wrigley’s out of your braces without being seen.
2. All chewy, gooey candies need to be avoided. When you’re wearing braces, don’t even think about putting a caramel candy in your mouth. Caramel will not only stick to your braces, making it look as if you haven’t brushed your teeth in a week, but the gooey texture can pull apart the wires, and trigger an emergency visit to Chan & Chen Orthodontics.
3. Hard candy may seem like a safe choice, but it’s not. What’s the problem? Nobody ever just sucks on hard candy; sooner or later, we bite down on it. Biting a hard candy may cause part of your braces to snap. Furthermore, once the candy is broken into a bunch of little pieces, it’s not uncommon for one of those sugary shards to get wedged between your braces and teeth … and that’s a cavity waiting to happen.
4. The taffy you enjoy getting at a seaside boardwalk is going to have to go on the back burner. Like caramel, taffy can pull apart and damage your braces. You don’t want to have your expensive orthodontic gear replaced.
5. Please, just one lollipop? Nope. A lollipop is nothing more than hard candy on a stick. If you can’t have hard candy during orthodontic treatment, then you shouldn't have hard candy on a stick either.

Have any more questions about what you can and can’t eat when you have braces? Please give us a call at our convenient Andover office to learn more, or ask Dr. Kathleen Chan and Dr. Ivy Chen during your next adjustment visit!

Happy February from Chan & Chen Orthodontics. February is National Children’s Dental Health Month Dental which makes it the perfect time for us to review some of the important steps in keeping your child’s smile happy and healthy. Keep reading to discover how you can help your child maintain a smile that will last a lifetime.

Oral hygiene is important at every stage of your child’s development. As soon as a tooth appears in the mouth, it's time to start keeping it clean. For older children in orthodontic treatment, keeping the teeth clean around their appliances can be challenging and requires diligent attention. Sometimes an electric toothbrush can help because it can have a timer so your child knows that they’ve brushed their teeth an appropriate length of time. As for the amount of toothpaste to use when brushing, a pea-sized amount is all that is required. For everyone, including adults, always use a soft-bristled toothbrush.

Ensuring your child has a balanced diet is another key step to maintaining a healthy smile. Any diet low in sugar is desirable for balancing good oral health. We recommend avoiding beverages such as soda and sports drinks, that are high in sugar and acid. Low sugar intake aids in reducing the risk of cavities.

The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that children have their first check-up with an orthodontist by age 7. By this age, a child will have a mix of baby and permanent teeth, and we will be able to recognize orthodontic problems (“malocclusions”) even in their earliest stages. Some situations will benefit from early treatment to prevent more significant issues later. We offer a warm, inviting, safe environment for your child’s orthodontic visits.

If you have any questions or concerns or want to learn more, our team at Chan & Chen Orthodontics are always happy to discuss them with you—any time of year! We look forward to seeing you and your family in our office soon.