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Beware of Sports Drinks – They Can Damage Your Teeth

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Sports Drinks Damage Tooth EnamelLollipops are a cavity on a stick and soda is pure sugar in a can. Candy and soda cause tooth decay. You’ve been taught this since grade school. This is not news, is it? Well, what about the fact that sports drinks ruin your teeth, too? Heard that one before?

Dr. Davis, Dr. Womack and the team at Affiliated Orthodontics want to make sure you understand sports drinks can damage healthy teeth. Actually, “erode” is more like the term, especially around the brackets while wearing braces. These sort of drinks erode your teeth by “demineralization,” or reducing the minerals in the outer tooth enamel and also the dentin (“dentin” is a yellowish, calcified tissue underneath the tooth enamel). It doesn’t affect the enamel underneath the braces covered by the brackets.

Dental erosion is common. It happens when you lose tooth structure since acids dissolve enamel and dentin. When your teeth are exposed to an acidic substance like a sports drink, soda, or candy, dental erosion is not far behind.

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Patients Beware: Don’t Be In for a Fright Eating the Wrong Stuff at Halloween

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Jack-O-BracesEveryone knows that at Affiliated Orthodontics, we love having fun at Halloween.… But it can be a “nightmare” if orthodontic appliances are damaged eating the wrong treats.

Every year, the entire Affiliated Orthodontics team is proactive in educating parents and patients of the potential problems that can occur if orthodontic patients don’t watch what they eat during this fun time of year.

October is National Orthodontic Health Month. Affiliated Orthodontics supports the American Association of Orthodontics in their efforts to make patients aware of foods they need to avoid, especially with Halloween goodies.

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Don’t Let This Happen To You – Protect Your Smile!

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Now that summer is over and everyone is back to school, Affiliated Orthodontics just wanted to take a minute to remind our patients to wear a mouth guard when playing fall sports, especially unorganized sports in your neighborhood.

Sports Injuries Affiliated Orthodontics in Peoria AZ
Why everyone should wear a mouth guard while playing contact sports. This could be you if you don’t.

A mouth guard protects not only teeth, but your lips and cheeks while wearing braces. A mouth guard is your best protection against serious sports injuries. The next time you’re in for a visit at Affiliated Orthodontics, we encourage you to ask us for a mouth guard! A mouth guard is your insurance policy to safeguard your long term dental health. Sports injuries can require major dental expense throughout your life. It only takes a second to pop one in to prevent loss or damage to teeth. Even though they may be uncomfortable to wear and tough to talk with, it is nothing compared to the discomfort you would experience in an accident… so make sure you play it safe.

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Braces and Nail Biting – Does Orthodontics Break the Habit?

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Nail biting and bracesSome parents at Affiliated Orthodontics ask if stopping a child’s nail biting habit is another positive effect of orthodontic treatment. Since nail biting can be harmful to braces by breaking brackets and bending wires that delays treatment, Dr. Womack and Dr. Davis feel that finding ways to curtail the habit is in our patient’s best interest.

Here are a few facts about nail biting… technically called “Onychophagia”.

  • About 30 percent of children aged 7-10 bite their nails
  • About 45 percent of teenagers bite their nails
  • About 25 percent of young adults bite their nails
  • Only about five percent of older adults bite their nails

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