Our Blog

A CRITICAL COMPONENT of personalized patient care is cultivating the art of listening. One of the most important reasons we use social media is to be sure it’s easy for you to connect with us—whenever and wherever you want. We’re always anxious to know your thoughts about how we can best serve you.

Your Feedback Helps Us Be Our Best

The statement above isn’t just lip service. Whether you need to let us know about a concern or question you have, or you just want to reach out and say thanks to a team member, your thoughts and suggestions help us continually shape our service priorities. Feel free to leave a comment on our blog any time, or you can contact us directly.

Our Focus Is On Your Comfort, Health, And Appearance

We know that every patient’s needs are different—and, we want to know what we can do to keep you healthy and comfortable. So let us know!

Social Media Makes Communication Easy

We want you to be able to reach out to us in a way that’s easy for YOU. For many of our patients, that includes being accessible on social media sites like Facebook and here on our blog where you can leave comments. So don’t be shy! When you have questions, just ask!

Thank You For Being Our Valued Patients And Friends!

We’re so grateful for the opportunity we have to work with you. Thank you for your kind referrals of extended family members, coworkers, and friends. And most of all, thanks for being a part of our orthodontic family. It’s wonderful patients like you that help make our jobs joyful and fulfilling.

Looking forward to seeing you soon at Gorczyca Orthodontics and listening to you.

YOU MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE CHILDREN OF YOUR OWN. Either way, we all have children we care about in our lives—nieces, nephews, grandchildren, neighbor’s and coworker’s children, etc. That’s why we’re taking a quick step away from orthodontics this week, to help everyone be aware of this severe health issue affecting kids.

It’s Easy To Protect Against Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

Did you know that the most common childhood disease today is tooth decay? Tooth decay results when bacteria in one’s mouth interacts with the sugar and starches in foods and beverages, creating acid which erodes tooth enamel. And although baby teeth are temporary, they’re critical to a child’s health, comfort, and long term oral health development. Without proper care those baby teeth are subject to painful, unnecessary caries.

Don’t Let Babies Fall Asleep With Their Bottles

Here’s what typically happens... The baby is put to bed with a bottle. Seems harmless enough. But if the bottle is full of milk or juice it’s also full of sugars that combine with bacteria to produce acids. Babies drift off with the bottles still in their mouths. The fluid pools around their teeth and the enamel on those new little teeth is slowly eroded away throughout the night.

The result can be painful caries, and/or the need for stainless steel crowns. In addition, since children’s teeth are still coming in they’re more susceptible to decay underneath the gum line. This decay can become so severe that delicate surgery under a general anesthetic may be required to remedy the problem.

Take A Moment To Be Informed

If you start early, you may be able to train your child to drink water in his or her bottle at nap time. Here are some other tips:

• use gauze or a wet cloth to wipe children’s gums and teeth after feedings
• work toward using “sippy” cups by his or her first birthday
• don’t nurse continuously during the night
• never dip pacifiers in honey or any sugary liquid

The video below offers other suggestions:

If You Have Questions, Please Ask

Think about the children you know and kindly help every parent understand this important topic. If you have any questions about dental health for your child, or for a child close to you, ask our team at Gorczyca Orthodontics about it. You can leave a comment below, or on our Facebook page.

You can also learn more about baby bottle tooth decay from this ADA webpage.

Thanks for your trust in our practice. We appreciate having you as our valued patient!

DID YOU KNOW almost 40 percent of all dental injuries are sports related? And if you wear braces, contact sports don’t only put your teeth at risk, metal in an athlete’s mouth can introduce a host of new risks as well.

Mouthguards Are SO Important

Most contact sports require athletes to wear mouthguards. Properly fitting mouthguards help protect both an athlete’s teeth and the other athletes on the field. But once your braces are fitted, that mouthguard may not fit properly. An ill-fitting mouthguard is not only uncomfortable, it’s also less effective at protecting you from impact, injury, and damage.

At Gorczyca Orthodontics, we recommend adjustable mouth guards that can fit over your braces during orthodontic treatment. After orthodontic treatment is completed, we can create a custom mouth guard for you just like professional football players wear. Call us at (925)757-9000 for a complementary examination if you are in need to a sports mouth guard.

Braces Are An Investment Worth Protecting

Even if you don’t always wear a mouthguard while playing sports, you’ll want to reconsider while wearing braces. Stray balls and other athletes coming in contact with your orthodontic equipment can a painful experience. Not only that, excessive contact can damage brackets and cause delays in orthodontic treatment.

If you ever take a big hit during a game, let us know! We can help assess the damage to your braces and get your orthodontic treatment back on track.

We Want To Help Protect Your Smile

Investing in a mouthguard can make all of the difference for you and your family’s oral health. While participating in sports and other activities is fun, it’s important that you protect your beautiful smile while doing so! Let’s talk about your unique and individual oral safety needs. If you or someone you know are in need of a mouthguard during orthodontic treatment or have questions about mouthguards, please contact us.

Thank you for being our valued patient and friend!

Top image by Flickr user M I K E M O R R I S used under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

SOME EATING HABITS ONLY apply while you’re in braces. But learning how to snack smart will also help you maintain great oral health AFTER you’re done with treatment.

So what’s the danger in snacking? Well, every time we eat, our mouths go to work cleaning things up and restoring “balance”. Having three meals a day is one thing. But when we continuously snack, our mouths struggle more to maintain that clean, happy balance—especially when we’re eating the wrong kinds of foods.

The Types Of Foods We Snack On Make A Difference

While you’re in braces, it’s best to avoid really sugary, sticky, and acidic foods altogether. So use this time to get to know other great snack foods that work for you. Keep these tips in mind:

1. Be more aware! Notice WHICH snacks you eat, and WHEN you’re eating them.

2. Keep “teeth-healthy” snacks handy. At first you’ll miss the sweets. But very quickly your tastes will adjust and smart snacks will easily tide you over between meals and late at night. Here are some suggestions:

• Crunchy, fibrous fruits and vegetables actually scrub your teeth and increase saliva flow.
• Protein-rich foods like beans, meats, and eggs have phosphorus and minerals that help build strong teeth. Try edamame as a snack!
• Cheese is sugar/starch free, and dairy products are high in calcium, which is great for teeth.

Did You Know An Apple Is Like A Mini Toothbrush?

When you’re craving a snack, practice putting away the crackers and cookies. Opt for something that’s good for your teeth instead. One special note about apples, though: we do NOT recommend eating an apple off the core while you’re in braces. Instead, cut it up into easy, bite-size pieces. 

Eating Treats With Your Meals

Don’t torture yourself. If you choose, having a starchy or sugary treat once in a while is fine. Eating them at the right time can help too, and potentially have a less damaging effect on your teeth.

• Eat treats WITH a meal to help dilute their effects and wash them down. During meals, you have increased saliva flow to clean away debris, counteract acids, and remineralize your teeth.
• Follow up with brushing or rinsing.

Do you have smart snacking tips of your own? We’d love to hear them! You can leave a comment below, or you can always reach us on our Facebook page.

Call us at Gorczyca Orthodontics, (925) 757-9000, or find us at clubbraces.com if you have questions about smart snacks for your smile.

Thanks for your trust in our practice! We appreciate you!