Take On Summer With A Fresh New Smile

If you are considering straightening your teeth with orthodontic work, this summer is a great time to get started on your journey toward a beautiful smile. While you can straighten your teeth at any time, upcoming barbecues, Fourth of July celebrations, and beach parties make the summer months a great time to improve the appearance and function of your teeth. Orthodontics are appropriate for patients of all ages, and there are many reasons that you should finally take the steps to straighten your teeth.

Improve Your Appearance
With the summer months approaching, you may be working on how to improve your physical appearance. Tanning, exercising, and eating right are likely on your agenda for getting a beach-ready body, but don't forget your smile. A straight smile is a beautiful smile, and straightening your teeth can go a long way in improving your appearance. Straighten your teeth over the summer and be prepared to show off a straighter, more beautiful smile during this year's wedding season.

Straight Teeth are Healthy Teeth
If you choose to straighten your smile this summer, you will be left with healthier teeth. Straight teeth are less likely to experience discoloration, fractures, and uneven wear, and they are less likely to develop cavities. The gums that support straight teeth are healthier than those that support crooked teeth, meaning you can chew and eat anything that you want. Straight teeth are less likely to experience cold or heat sensitivity, and they also lower your risk of developing expensive and painful dental problems.

Boost Your Self Confidence
A great smile is usually the first thing that someone new will notice about you. If you have crooked teeth or an improper bite, you may feel self-conscious of your smile and might try to hide it. Studies have shown that the better you feel about your looks, the better you will also feel about yourself as a whole. This improved self-esteem and confidence can benefit your life in a variety of ways, from dating and socialization to greater career opportunities at work, so consider straightening your teeth this summer.

If you are ready to get that straight smile you deserve, call Beim Orthodontics today at 407.323.0600.

What Causes Orthodontic Problems In Children?

Orthodontic problems such as crowding of the teeth, too much space between the teeth, jaw growth problems, protruding teeth, and bad bites can be inherited or caused by injury to the mouth, early or late loss of baby teeth, or thumb sucking habits.

Most children have lost all their baby teeth by age 13 and by the end of their teen years the jaw bones will harden and no longer continue to grow. Orthodontic procedures for adults often take more time and can involve tooth extraction and the possibility of oral surgery. As a child, receiving early orthodontic treatment can help prevent the need for orthodontics as an adult, leaving little to no chance of extraction or surgery in the future.

If your child is between the ages of seven and eight and shows signs of needing orthodontic care, or if you have been directed by your family dentist to visit the orthodontist, please contact Beim Orthodontics and schedule an appointment. Our team will provide your child with an initial exam, and discuss with you the best steps to take toward caring for your child’s smile.

New Braces Friendly Breakfast Recipe

Whether you're new to wearing braces or have had them for a while, you've probably noticed that certain foods are hard to enjoy while being treated for orthodontics. Instead of loading up a list of things you can't eat, we suggest creating a list of new foods and recipes you can eat. This makes wearing braces a pleasurable experience that will leave your teeth, and your tummy, very happy!

To help you start this positive orthodontic experience Beim Orthodontics found a new breakfast recipe that is braces friendly and taste buds approved! Check it out below.

French Toast Roll Ups

Ingredients

• 8 slices white sandwich bread
• softened cream cheese, diced strawberries, or Nutella
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons milk
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 1 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon
• butter, for greasing the pan

Instructions

• Cut the crust from each slice of bread and flatten it out with a rolling pin.
• Place about 1-2 teaspoons of your chosen filling 1 inch from one end of the bread in a strip. Roll the bread up tightly and repeat with the remaining pieces of bread. Try cream cheese with diced strawberries as one combination and Nutella with diced strawberries as another combination.
• In a shallow bowl whisk the eggs and milk until well combined.
• In a separate shallow bowl mix the sugar with the cinnamon.
• Heat a skillet set over medium heat and melt a tablespoon of butter.
• Dip each bread roll in the egg mixture coating well and then place them in the pan seam side down. Cook in batches until golden brown, turning them to cook and brown on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Add butter to the pan as needed.
• Add cooked rolls immediately from the pan to the cinnamon sugar and roll until completely covered in sugar. You can serve with syrup for dipping but I think they're perfectly good all by themselves.

Flossing With Braces

The Beim Orthodontics team knows that oral hygiene is important, whether you have braces on your teeth or not.  If you are a person who wears braces, caring for your teeth and gums can become somewhat challenging. Without daily oral hygiene practices, you may become prone to cavities and tooth decay during your time in braces.

Naturally, you know that brushing your teeth each morning and night, as well as after you eat, will help keep your mouth healthy and clean during the months you wear braces. But flossing is also an important part of your hygiene routine. Flossing with braces can be tricky, but it's not impossible.

Flossing Tips for Those with Braces

Use a floss threader! It is a small plastic needle that will help you guide the floss between your wires and teeth. Give yourself enough floss to thread, about 12-18 inches. Guide the needle under the wires and once the floss is behind the wire, you can move the floss easily between your teeth removing any food particles. Repeat this between each tooth making sure you use a clean section of the floss.

Another helpful tool that Beim Orthodontics suggests is a proxy brush. The proxy brush can remove and loosen food particles. If you need any helpful tips to keeping your braces clean, Beim Orthodontics staff are trained to help you achieve that beautiful smile.

The Benefits Of Adult Coloring Books - Now Available At Beim Orthodontics

We all know that braces are no longer for kids, but what about coloring books? Believe it or not, there is a huge trend surrounding adult coloring books right now.  While researchers and art therapists have been raving about the calming benefits of adult coloring books for decades, recently coloring books have gotten some serious grown-up attention.  With the popularity of adult coloring books, as well as the benefits they offer, Beim Orthodontics now offers adult coloring books for parents or patients to utilize while they wait in our lobby.

Keep reading to learn about the benefits of adult coloring books.

Adult coloring books provide art therapy. According to the American Art Therapy Association, art therapy is a mental health profession in which the process of making and creating artwork is used to "explore feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior and addictions, develop social skills, improve reality orientation, reduce anxiety and increase self-esteem." Although, it's important to note coloring itself cannot be called art therapy because art therapy relies on the relationship between the client and the therapist.

Adult coloring offers several mental health benefits. Coloring can help reduce anxiety, focus the mind, and lower stress levels. Similar to meditation, coloring can help adults turn their brains off from other thoughts and focus on the moment.

We hope you will enjoy the benefits of our adult coloring books the next time you are at Beim Orthodontics. Who knows, perhaps a coloring contest will be in the near future!

Why Should You Consider Orthodontic Treatment As An Adult?

Beim Orthodontics understands the concerns you may have about being treated for orthodontics as an adult. We recognize that adults and children have several different needs, and require a different level of attention and care. Braces aren’t just for kids anymore. Tooth alignment can be changed at any age if your gums and bone structure are healthy.

Why should you consider orthodontic treatment as an adult?

• Straight teeth are healthy teeth — Teeth that are properly aligned are easier to keep clean with flossing and brushing, and may help prevent other health problems.
• A beautiful, straight smile builds confidence — Orthodontic treatment can help boost your self-confidence, giving you a better quality of life and the freedom to smile without holding back!
• Mouths left untreated can get worse — Not receiving orthodontic treatment when it's needed can create long-term health issues costing you more in the end.

A large percentage of our patients are adults, and they agree that it’s never too late to improve your greatest asset – your smile.To learn more about the benefits of adult orthodontics at Beim Orthodontics, please contact our practice to schedule an appointment. We understand that you have a busy schedule, and we will work with you to make sure each office visit is as convenient as possible.

Tips For A Picture-Perfect Smile

With summer lurking around the corner you can expect to attend some special events fairly soon. Whether you’re celebrating a graduation, wedding, or heading out on a family vacation, it’s safe to say you will probably be taking tons of pictures. Do you dread taking pictures because of a lack of confidence in your smile? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. For this reason, we’ve gathered a few easy tips to help you relax and learn to love your photos.

Our Beim Orthodontics team has created a list of easy things you can do to have a picture-perfect smile this summer.

Be Positive
When you’re self-conscious about your smile, it shows. Try to relax and think positive happy thoughts. It helps to think of things or people you love, or incidents and memories that make you laugh. Laughing will help you look natural and that will show in your smile and your eyes.

Say Cheese & Strike A Pose
When we tell you to say “cheese” we really mean to say “banana.” Saying banana will give you an easy-going smile as opposed to cheese which will draw out your lips due to the “ee” sound. Also, position your body in a pose that feels natural and comfortable.

Be Confident
If your teeth aren’t in the best shape right now, that’s ok. Be confident because your best smile will stem from that. You can aide your confidence by maintaining healthy, bright, and clean teeth.

If you’re holding back your smile because of misaligned teeth, we can help. Beim Orthodontics provides the highest quality treatment and utilizes the most advanced techniques available today to help you get the picture-perfect smile you’ve been dreaming of. We offer a full range of braces, including clear, Damon® braces and Invisalign® clear aligners.

Call us at 407-323-0600 to schedule your first visit.