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Dr. Todd Hamilton will tell you that keeping your teeth clean is more important than ever when you have braces. Food bits have more spots than usual to hide in your mouth, so you must be diligent in order to avoid bad breath, swollen gums, discolored teeth and cavities. If you remove plaque regularly during treatment, you'll experience better results and shorter treatment time. Keep plaque at bay with these top 10 tips:
1. One tooth at a time. When you brush, take time with each individual tooth – at least 10 seconds each – and pay careful attention to the spots where your teeth touch your braces.
2. It’s all about the angles. Brush the tops of your teeth and braces with your brush angled down toward where they meet. Brush the bottoms of your teeth and braces with your brush angled up.
3. The tooth, the whole tooth, nothing but the tooth. While the front surface of your teeth may seem like the most logical to clean, it’s equally important to clean the inner surface of your teeth (tongue side) as well as the chewing surface. And be sure to clean along your gum line – a key spot for plaque buildup.
4. Step 1: eat, step 2: clean. While you’re in treatment, it’s important to brush after every meal. Bits of food can easily get caught between braces and teeth, and these food bits interact with bacteria in your mouth to cause decay. The longer food is in contact with your teeth, the greater opportunity for plaque to form. If you are eating somewhere that you can’t brush, thoroughly rinse your mouth with water.
5. Like a Boy Scout, always be prepared. The easiest way to be sure you can brush after every meal is to get in the habit of taking a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss with you wherever you go. Designate a special container just for your teeth-cleaning tools and keep it in your purse, backpack, or laptop case.
6. Remove the moving parts. If you have elastic bands or headgear, remove these parts before you brush or floss.
7. Fluoride is your friend. Fluoride helps prevent cavities. Be sure to brush with fluoride toothpaste, and rinse with fluoride mouthwash.
8. Pointy brushes reach tiny places. Interproximal brushes (sometimes called proxa brushes or interdental brushes) are cone-shaped and come in very handy for reaching spots around your braces that standard brushes can’t.
9. Find the floss for you. Regular floss works for some patients, but others find it easier to work with a floss threader, which helps you get the floss into tight places. Other patients like an all-in-one product called Superfloss, which comes with a stiff end for easy threading, a spongy section for cleaning wide spaces, and regular floss for narrow spaces.
10. Make time for the pros. It’s your job to take care of the everyday cleaning. But make sure to visit your dentist regularly while in treatment, to get the deep, thorough cleaning that only a professional can provide. If you need help finding the right Dentist for you, feel free to contact our office - we’d love to help!
Hope this helps!
- Dr. Hamilton and team

You just got braces at Hamilton Orthodontics and Dr. Todd Hamilton has informed you that during your orthodontic treatment you will want to avoid eating anything sticky, hard, crunchy, or chewy. What does this leave for you to eat? Lettuce? Nothing?
Luckily, our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists, or AAO, created a variety of “braces-friendly” recipes that will allow you to enjoy your favorite treats without interfering with your orthodontic care!
Recipes include main dishes, side dishes and even yummy desserts! After all, a healthy diet provides essential nutrients and helps the patient achieve the best possible results from orthodontic treatment.
If you have any questions about the recipes listed or about the foods you should be avoiding during your orthodontic treatment, please give us a call or ask us on Facebook!
Enjoy!

Our team at Hamilton Orthodontics found a great video that discusses the advantages of Invisalign. In the video, Kimberley Clayton Blaine, "The Go-To Mom," discusses the Invisalign and Invisalign Teen treatment and her personal experience with Invisalign.
To determine if Invisalign is right for you, schedule a complimentary consultation with Dr. Todd Hamilton. Have a great week!

Dr. Todd Hamilton will tell you that braces were originally considered to be best appropriate for teens. But these days, kids as old as seven are beginning their orthodontic treatment. Because preadolescent kids are typically not self-conscious, our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists suggest it could be a good idea to start early.
Experts, however, say it depends on the treatment required. Some children who get braces at an early age end up in a second phase of treatment, and end up having braces well into their teenage years despite starting young.
Most orthodontic treatment begins between ages nine and 14, and the folks at the AAO estimate most orthodontic treatment lasts from one to three years, with two years being the average. It’s important, however, that children be screened no later than age seven for Dr. Hamilton to assess what the best age for treatment is.
Hope this helps! Give Hamilton Orthodontics a call if you have any questions about your child’s treatment!