Foods to Avoid during your Orthodontic Treatment

There are a variety of foods Dr. Guyer wants you to avoid while you're 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 Main Street Orthodontics a call or ask our staff during your next visit.

Dr. Guyer wants to know: What do you love about our community?

Main Street Orthodontics, located in Niles and St. Joseph, and serving surrounding communities, is situated around some pretty unique neighborhoods. Each is special with its own personality, created by the people and places (and our fantastic patients) living within.

Today, Dr. Guyer and our team thought we'd ask: What are your favorite things about Niles, St. Joseph or our local communities? Is there a local event you attend every year? Do you have a favorite eatery? Perhaps a favorite Michigan getaway?

Please feel free to share some information about your favorite local hang-outs in Niles or St. Joseph, and everything you love best about “your neck of the woods.” And, who knows, we might post your response on our social networks!

When should you call Main Street Orthodontics?

Our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) have put together this helpful list for your advantage. Here are some early warning signs indicating it’s time to check in with us:

1. Early or late loss of baby teeth
2. Difficulty of chewing or biting
3. Mouth breathing
4. Finger sucking or other oral habits
5. Crowding, misplaced or blocked-out teeth
6. Jaws that shift, make sounds, protrude or retrude
7. Speech difficulty
8. Biting the cheek or biting into the roof of the mouth
9. Protruding teeth
10. Teeth that meet in an abnormal way or don’t meet at all
11. Facial imbalance or asymmetry
12. Grinding or clenching of teeth

Do any of these warning signs fit you? If so, give Dr. Guyer and his team a call today!

Happy Wednesday!

Patient reviews for Dr. Guyer and Main Street Orthodontics

Dr. Guyer and his team just love getting patient reviews. And lately, Main Street Orthodontics, serving St. Joseph, Niles and surrounding communities, has been getting some pretty great testimonials! We thought we'd share some with you today! Happy Tuesday!

"Dr. Guyer is very friendly and patient focused. His staff is also friendly, curteous, and very helpful!" ~ Tristan W.

"The professionalism of a friendly and helpful staff, and the fact that Dr. Guyer comes strongly recommended through word of mouth through out the community. As a mother of one patient, I will continue to hold his practice in high regard and urge family and friends to seek out his exceptional quality of service." ~ Eric L.

"Takes the time to educate the patient and family. Streamlined and efficient operation. Dr. Guyer himself is easy to deal with, experienced, and well established in his field." ~ Lorraine J.

"My daughter is not the best patient. But in spite of this, I feel all the members of the staff have gone above and beyond to make it all work for us. My daughter now has her braces on and is doing wonderful. Thanks to a top notch staff." ~ Mike and Julie B.

"Everyone is friendly, things are explained clearly and there are no surprises. When we have had to come in for broken appliances or something, it's never a problem. And the coffee tastes great!" ~ Tyler B.

Keeping you safe this cold & flu season, from Main Street Orthodontics

Traditionally cold and flu season starts in Fall, but this year it seems to have started much earlier and with the number of patients canceling appointments because of flu and H1N1 symptoms Main Street Orthodontics is taking additional precautions to help prevent the spread of germs.

To promote a healthy and clean environment, we give a great deal of attention to sanitation and sterilization in our office at all times as well as following all requirements for sterilizing instruments and work surfaces.

For the protection of other patients and our staff, we always ask that patients reschedule their appointments if they have any type of cold or illness that can infect others.

Maintaining and protecting oral hygiene equipment is also important this flu season. To protect your toothbrush from bacteria follow these steps:

• Wash your hands before and after brushing
• Allow the brush to air dry after each use, harmful bacteria dies after being exposed to oxygen
• Store the toothbrush in an upright position to allow water to drain and dry faster
• Replace toothbrush after every cold or flu or every 3-4 months when bristles appear worn

Hope this helps and give us a call if you have any questions! Stay healthy!

Bottled Water May Be Behind Tooth Troubles, Main Street Orthodontics

We at Main Street Orthodontics want you to know that as more families turn to bottled water and away from the tap, they may be missing out on one important ingredient that most brands of bottled water fail to include: fluoride!

As of 2005, bottled water is second only to soft drinks as the most popular drink in the United States, beating out milk, juice, and – more significantly – tap water. Between 2001 and 2006, the amount of bottled water sold in the U.S. rose an average of 10% per year. And many dental health specialists point to bottled water’s increased popularity as the culprit behind rising rates of cavities.

Because fluoride helps strengthen teeth, it is an important component of maintaining good oral health. The benefits of fluoride were noticed in the early part of the twentieth century, when researchers found communities with low levels of tooth decay. It turned out that these towns had measurable levels (around 1 part per million) of fluoride in their drinking water.

Beginning in the 1940s, communities have fluoridated their water supplies, and dentists have seen a significant decline in cavities ever since. The American Dental Association endorses both community water fluoridation and the use of fluoride-containing products as a safe means of preventing tooth decay. Between tap water and toothpaste, most of us get sufficient amounts of fluoride.

But if your family avoids fluoridated tap water in favor of ever-more-popular bottled water, you could be missing out on the levels of fluoride necessary to make a difference in your oral health.

If bottled water is your water of choice, check the label to make sure that your brand contains fluoride. As of a 2006 decision, the FDA allows bottled water containing .6 to 1.0 milligrams per liter of fluoride to carry a label stating that fluoridated water may reduce the risk of dental cavities or tooth decay. The ADA has backed this decision.

Of course, simply drinking fluoridated water is not a magic ticket to perfect teeth. To keep your choppers in tip-top shape, it’s important to brush and floss daily and avoid sugary sweets, in addition to maintaining your fluoride intake and visiting us at Main Street Orthodontics regularly.