2. Find out what braces colors are available. Ask if they have a color selector that you can use to help assist in comparing all the different braces colors. It’s important to know that colored braces will look slightly different from the color sample after they are installed. You don’t have to choose only one color for your braces. You might want to try a variety of color combinations to find something you like. Rainbow colors are a popular choice when kids get colored braces.

3. Choose darker colored braces and you might want to avoid getting lightered colored braces. The white braces colors tend to highlight your teeth too much and they can even make yellow stains, defects and food colors on your teeth more noticeable. If you go with darker colors like green or red, these things will not be as noticeable. Choose any braces colors you want, but white does tend to highlight things more easily

4. And if you don’t want any braces colors at all you can choose clear or tooth-colored braces. This way the braces colors will blend in with your teeth and be less noticeable. Some people like gold, metal or silver colored brackets for the braces but if you don’t want that you can choose translucent ones with clear wire on them. Colored braces such as the tooth-colored ones or clear braces, are the most popular with adults who do not want them to be as noticeable. They do not stain easily but they are not as durable as metal ones.

http://www.ehow.com/how_6061551_choose-braces-colors.html

Flossing & Brushing Tips With Braces

To floss your teeth if you have braces, feed the short end of the floss through the space between the main arch wire and the upper portion of the tooth closest to the gum. Use a gentle sawing motion to work the floss on each side of the two teeth the floss is between. Be careful not to pull with too much force around the arch wire. Begin brushing your teeth by using a regular soft toothbrush. Brush down from the top and then up from the bottom on each tooth with

braces. Next, brush your teeth with a proxabrush or “Christmas tree” brush. This brush is specially designed for cleaning between two braces. Insert the brush down from the top and then up from the bottom between two braces.

Use several strokes in each direction before moving on to the next space between two braces. Repeat the procedure until all teeth have been cleaned.

Foods to Avoid While Wearing Braces

While wearing braces, most of the foods you like can still be eaten if you cut them into small pieces that can be easily chewed. There are certain foods, however, that can break or loosen your braces and should be avoided, such as:

• Hard or tough-to-bite foods, such as apples or bagels
• Chewy foods, such as taffy or caramels
• Corn on the cob
• Hard pretzels, popcorn, nuts, and carrots

In addition to foods, do not chew ice or bubble gum.

Caring for Retainers

http://www.braces.org/mythsandfacts/index.cfm

- Pumpkin Cream Pie

- Emeril’s Pecan-Chocolate Chip Pie

- Cranberry and Cinnamon Tart

- Coconut-Key Lime Pie

- Mini Cranberry Meringue

- Chocolate Meringue Pie

- Lemon Cream Pie

- Coconut Custard Pie

- Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

and much more Delicious Recipies can be found at : http://www.marthastewart.com/274759/thanksgiving-pie-and-tart-recipes/@center/276949/everything-thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING ,

FROM MINARS ORTHODONTICS!

September 27, 2010

If you walk the halls of an elementary school, you’re likely to see a lot of “metal mouths.” Many parents are now opting for early orthodontic treatment, and the American Association of Orthodontists recommends that children see an orthodontist for an evaluation no later than age 7. But research shows there are often advantages to deferring treatment, though decisions are made on a case-by-case basis.

“There’s been a number of studies that have shown for some very common problems that you’re better off waiting until all the permanent teeth have come in first before treatment is started,” says Robert Williams, a board certified orthodontist who teaches at the University of Maryland.

Common problems that fall into the “better-to-defer” category include conditions such as overjets — that’s when teeth protrude or stick out — or crooked teeth that just need simple straightening.

“Many years ago, you wouldn’t do anything until the permanent teeth were all in,” says Antonino Secchi, a professor of orthodontics at the University of Pennsylvania. Now he says if parents opt to treat an overjet early — say at age 9 — the child may end up needing another phase of intervention a few years down the road.

“And at the end, instead of having two years of orthodontics, you end up having four years of orthodontics,” Secchi says. And he says this can be much more expensive. “Instead of paying one bill, you pay two bills.”

Evaluating Treatment Options

Orthodontists have varying payment structures. Sometimes families are given a break or a discount on a second phase of treatment. “You want to get the most bang for the least number of bucks,” Williams says. So, when parents are trying to decide on the best treatment plan, he says, they should ask questions until they understand the pros and cons of each option.

“I definitely asked a lot of questions,” says Mary Bateman, whose 9-year-old daughter Rachel is being treated for a crossbite. That’s when upper teeth bite down on the inside of the lower teeth. If left untreated, it could lead to problems like damaging the gum tissue.

“This is the kind of problem that we pretty much always treat early,” Williams says. Other conditions that warrant early intervention include overbites or severe crowding.

In Rachel’s case, the ideal time to intervene is between the ages of 6 and 9.

“When the baby teeth are still in, we have more treatment options because we have more flexibility in moving the teeth,” Williams says.

The Batemans ended up at the University of Maryland orthodontic clinic after an evaluation by another orthodontist recommended an expander to correct the overbite. “I didn’t just jump into it,” says Mary Bateman. Over the course of getting orthodontic treatment for her three older children, she learned that expanders aren’t the best option for every case, though many orthodontists recommend them in certain circumstances.

“In some cases expansion of the upper arch [using an expander] is not a stable position,” Williams says. He opted to treat Rachel Bateman’s overbite by extracting a few baby teeth and putting on braces to move a problem tooth. Williams says some people don’t realize that expansion may relapse and not hold, so some patients may need to wear retainers indefinitely to maintain the extra space in their mouths.

Form Vs. Function

Orthodontists have varying approaches, and there isn’t one right way or wrong way to treat a problem. Patients, likewise, have different expectations. Many parents put a strong emphasis on a beautiful smile over fixing functional dental problems. This is the case with Pamika Lee, the mother of 15-year-old Quinique Jones.

“I looked at her teeth today, and they are beautiful,” Lee says. “Perfect.”  Jones is about to get her braces off, and Lee says her daughter’s self-confidence is already improved.

As orthodontists blend aesthetic, or cosmetic, interventions with the business of fixing dental problems, people who have just marginal cases of crooked or crowded teeth are increasingly opting for treatment. Lee says she’s considering it herself — when she can afford it.

“I may get braces soon,” Lee says. And she’ll be in good company — the American Association of Orthodontists now says 1 in 5 new patients is an adult.

“Some of my patients are in their 60s and 70s,” Williams says. “It’s never too late.”

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130073442

So much more than than a pair of upturned lips, the smile is the most scientifically studied human facial expression. In her new book, Lip Service, Yale psychology professor Marianne LaFrance, PhD, draws on the latest research—in fields from biology to anthropology to computer science—in an effort to shed some light on the happy face. Here, six facts that may make you, well, you know.

People with big grins live longer. In a study published last year, researchers pored over an old issue of the Baseball Register, analyzing photos of 230 players. They found that on average, the guys with bright, bigmouthed beams lived 4.9 years longer than the players with partial smiles, and 7 years longer than the players who showed no grin at all. We can’t credit wide smiles for long life spans, of course, but smiles reveal positive feelings, and positive feelings are linked to well-being.

Smiles exert subliminal powers. When study subjects are shown an image of a smiling face for just four milliseconds—a flash so quick, the viewers don’t consciously register the image—they experience a mini emotional high. Compared with control groups, the smile-viewers perceive the world in a better light: To them, boring material is more interesting, neutral images look more positive, even bland drinks seem tastier.

There are three degrees of happiness… An article in the British Medical Journal reported that it is indeed possible to spread the love: Within social networks, when one person is happy, the feeling migrates to two people beyond her. So if you smile, a friend of a friend is more likely to smile, too.

…and two types of smiles. Genuine smiles and fake smiles are governed by two separate neural pathways. We know this is true because people with damage to a certain part of the brain can still break into a spontaneous grin even though they’re unable to smile at will. Scientists speculate that our ancestors evolved the neural circuitry to force smiles because it was evolutionarily advantageous to mask their fear and fury.

To spot a faker, check the eyes. When someone smiles out of genuine delight, a facial muscle called the orbicularis oculi involuntarily contracts, crinkling the skin around the eyes. Most of us are incapable of deliberately moving this muscle, which means that when a person fakes a smile, her orbicularis oculi likely won’t budge.

Smiles have accents. When reading facial expressions, different cultures home in on different parts of the face. In the United States, we focus on mouths; the Japanese, by contrast, search for feeling in the eyes.

Article taken from http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/what-the-size-of-your-smile-says-about-you-2528046/

Take it from teen sensation Justin Bieber, Invisalign is the way to go. Most of Justin Bieber’s fans don’t even know that he is using Invisalign to improve his smile. Being in the spotlight doesn’t allow much room for metal braces. With invisalign, Justin Bieber is always prepared for the cameras, concerts and awards shows. Straightening your smile doesn’t mean you should have to hide it in the meantime!

Curious how it works? Invisalign is a series of custom-made aligners that are created specifically for you. These aligners are made of a smooth, comfortable plastic that won’t irritate your cheeks and gums like traditional metal braces often do. Simply wear them throughout the day, and remove them when you eat or to brush and floss your teeth. As you wear each set of aligners, your teeth gently and gradually begin to shift into place.

Learn more about Invisalign, view testimonials and take a self assessment test at www.InivsalignTeen.com.

Call our office today at (954) 981-2345 for your FREE orthodontic evaluation to see if Invisalign could be the right choice for you.