orthodontic emergency

Don’t Be Naughty With Your Braces During The Holidays

December 21st, 2018

BE NICE TO YOUR braces this holiday season. Be sure to eat holiday treats that are soft and braces-friendly.

Hard candies are on the braces naughty list. These include candy canes and all hard candies. Gum and chewy, sticky candy are also on the braces naughty list and could lead to an orthodontic emergency.

The Braces Nice List

Soft candies, including chocolates, and easy to chew candies like Almond Joys or Mounds bars, are much safer to eat.

Be sure Holiday gift box chocolates are soft. Stay away from the sticky chewy ones. To ensure braces safety when eating mystery chocolates, you may need to cut your gift box candy in half to see what lies inside before you take a bite.

Small, soft M&Ms that can be chewed with the back teeth are on the nice list. Most desserts, including ice cream, cakes, and brownies and can be easily enjoyed with braces. If you really want to impress Santa with your braces niceness, eat the Holiday Jello! This will put you at the top of the braces nice list!

Keep Taking Care Of Those Teeth!

Be sure to brush and floss your teeth regularly and frequently during the holiday season. This will put you on the nice list not only with Santa but also with your orthodontist. We wish you a joyful holiday season without any orthodontic emergencies.

Merry Christmas and happy New Year from all of us at Gorczyca Orthodontics.

Gorczyca Orthodontics, 5201 Deer Valley Road, Suite 1A, Antioch, California (925)-757-9000.

Top image used under CC0 Public Domain 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.

Aligner Comfort

April 30th, 2018


MANY PATIENTS TODAY are choosing aligner treatment for orthodontic tooth movement. There are many reasons influencing this choice, including appearance, ability to eat all foods, and comfort.

Aligner therapy also eliminates the possibility of broken braces brackets or poking wires. For the busy professional or college student away at school, traveling, or living abroad, aligner comfort is a big factor for orthodontic treatment comfort consideration. There is however one tool you should include in your aligner emergency kit. That is a nail file or emory board.

How Does An Emory Board Help?

Just as with braces, your initial aligners may irritate your cheeks and tongue for a short time and will take some time to get used to. Aligner edges may slightly stick out due to the shape of your gums when they are originally scanned or captured in the initial impressions for your aligner tray fabrication. You can smooth any slight protrusion in your aligner with your sandpaper nail file to immediately increase comfort without making an emergency trip to the orthodontist.

Come See Us!

If you have questions about aligners, Invisalign, Clear Choice, or overlay clear retainers, call us at Gorczyca Orthodontics in Antioch, California 925-757-9000. If you are interested in aligner orthodontic treatment, call us for a free exam or visit our website at www.clubbraces.com.

Gorczyca Orthodontics has been providing aligner orthodontic treatment with Invisalign since 1999 and we have several hundred very happy aligner patients.

Here’s to your aligner orthodontic treatment and comfort! Your smile is our inspiration.

Braces, Apples, and Caramel

September 15th, 2017

APPLE SEASON IS HERE and every orthodontist knows what you're thinking: can I eat apples slices with caramel with my braces?

The answer is: YES!

Take Care When Eating Apples With Braces

A favorite treat in September and all year round, apples can be eaten with braces as long as they are cut into thin slices. Remember to slice your apples with braces and enjoy this healthy treat.

What you need to AVOID with braces is biting directly into an UNSLICED APPLE with braces. Biting directly into an unsliced apple with your front teeth while wearing braces is very likely to break off your orthodontic brackets. This will create an orthodontic emergency which will need attention and rework for you and your orthodontic office.

The most dangerous apple of all for braces is the candied apple. Biting into a candied apple with braces is orthodontic bracket suicide! DON'T DO IT! Even slicing a candied apple is not good. Stay away from candied apples with braces.

You're The Apple Of Our Eye!

Thank you from all of us at Gorczyca Orthodontics for taking care of your braces during apple season. If you have questions about braces, call us at (925) 757-9000 for a free orthodonic exam. Visit us at 5201 Deer Valley Road in Antioch, California right behind Deer Valley High School.

A sliced apple a day keeps the orthodontist away! Remember to slice your apples with braces.

Top image by Flickr user rumpleteaser 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.

5 Items to have on Hand in Case of a Dental or Orthodontic Emergency

August 29th, 2017

OUR TEETH–AND BRACES–POTENTIALLY DEAL with a lot when we’re out and about. Basketball games, pie-eating contests, pizza crust... it’s a rough life. Usually our teeth are strong enough (or we’re lucky enough) to not suffer any major problems.

However, accidents happen. And fortune favors the prepared, so here are some tips for guarding yourself against dental and orthodontic emergencies.

You’re Less Likely To Suffer A Dental Emergency If You...

  • Wear a mouth guard during sports
  • Keep good, regular care of your teeth and gums
  • Keep your regularly scheduled appointments to check on teeth and orthodontic work
  • Stay away from the hard, crunchy, and sticky foods we warned you about when you started orthodontic treatment

Just In Case, Here Are Five Items To Have On Hand

Keep these items in a little dental emergency kit that you can keep on hand—at home, in you car, and while you travel.

Painkiller: An all-natural topical painkiller that many people find useful is clove oil. Remember, NEVER put aspirin right ON the tooth.
Orthodontic wax: If something is out of whack, you can just cover it with wax until we can take a look.
Floss: This is handy if something uncomfortable gets wedged between teeth, or wires.
Gauze: In case of a knocked-out or loose tooth, you can put the tooth back in place, and bite on some gauze to keep it there until you get professional care.
Fingernail clipper: A fingernail clipper can be used to clip a poking wire.
Pencil with eraser: The eraser of a pencil can be used to slide a wire back into place or push a poking wire.
Tweezers: Tweezers can be used to grab the end of a wire and place it back into an orthodontic bracket.
Our contact info: Be ready to contact us. If you’re on vacation, we can give you professional advice and maybe refer you to someone nearby.

Are You Going On A Vacation This Summer?

Remember the tips above. If it’s time for your check-up, visit us before your trip. Contact us at Gorczyca Orthodontics in Antioch, California 925-757-9000. Don't let dental or orthodontic issues interfere with your family vacation. Be prepared!

Let us know where you’re going on vacation below! We’d also LOVE to see your photos. You can share them on our Facebook page.

Thanks for being a valued part of our practice. Stay safe, and have fun!

More Topics
diplomate american board of orthodontics Edward H. Angle Society of Orthodontists advanced education in orthdontics
member american association of orthodontists seattle study club american dental association california dental association
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