Braces Are Great At Any Age

Don't let age stop you from having the straight teeth you've always dreamed of. Braces aren't just for kids anymore. Parents are still making regular trips to the orthodontist's office, but these days more and more are leaving their kids in the waiting room.

Sad, but true…over time our bodies start to wear out, including our teeth. As you age, your teeth break down. Unfortunately, it's one of the most visible signs of aging. As teeth wear, the lower and the upper jaw move closer together. Shortening of your teeth causes your lips to change, creases to form on the sides of your nose and mouth, a deep crease develops between your chin and lower lip and jowls develop on the sides of your jaw. Crooked teeth and a bad bite can also contribute to gum and bone loss, tooth decay and abnormal wear of the tooth enamel.

Orthodontic treatment at later stages in life can dramatically improve your personal appearance and self-esteem. Numerous technological advances have made braces less noticeable, less painful and even less time-consuming.

As America's baby boomers have become more health conscious, they're rejecting the notion that loosing teeth and dentures are a routine part of growing older. These days people are exercising more and eating healthier and braces are another way of demonstrating that you care about yourself and your overall health.

Don’t believe us? Still think you’re too old for braces? Check out these adults who decided it was time to improve their smiles…you might be surprised.

Faye Dunaway - Age 61 Tom Cruise - Age 40 Gwen Stefani - Age 30

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Become Besties With Your Braces

Every relationship takes work and the relationship between you and your Braces is no different.

You and your braces will become besties over the upcoming months. There will be some bad days, but there will be good days too.  If you stick with it and work through those bad days, the good days will be that much better.

To prevent any ill feelings between you and your braces we recommend...

Avoiding sticky or hard foods. You don’t want to do anything that could cause your bestie harm. And even though it may seem like the best foods are the foods that are sticky and/or hard…sticky or hard foods can break a bracket or wire.

Chewing with your back teeth. Taking a large bite of food with your front teeth can leave your braces vulnerable to damage. Cut large foods into pieces and use your back teeth to chew.

Flossing. We know that it can be a pain to floss around your braces…your braces may even fight you on it. But flossing is the best way to prevent gum disease and other oral health problems. If you find flossing with braces difficult, don’t give up on it. There are tools that can help. Ask us about Floss Threaders. Floss Threaders definitely make flossing with braces much easier.

Smoothing things over. When you first get your braces, sore spots may develop on your cheeks. To protect your cheeks, place wax on the bracket or wire. Rinsing with warm salt water several times a day is also very soothing to your gum and cheek tissues. Don’t worry…the soreness from your braces won’t last long, so try your best not to get mad at your braces.

You and your braces will go through a lot together. When all is said and done, you’ll smile at yourself in the mirror one day, remembering your braces fondly and you'll know that the relationship was totally worth it.

Treatment Troublemakers

Successful orthodontic treatment depends upon our patient exercising reasonable care in avoiding hard or chewy substances which will damage braces or other orthodontic appliances.

Please Stay Away From These Troublemakers:

• Sticky foods like taffy and caramels
• Crunchy foods like pretzels, popcorn, and nuts
• Vegetables and fruits such as apples and raw carrots should be cut into small pieces
• Do not open sports bottles with your teeth
• Biting on things like pen caps, pencils, ice or fingernails

It is impossible to list all the types of food that need to be avoided, so please use common sense in your selections.

If you experience a problem with a loose bracket, band, or other orthodontic appliance, please call us at Poser Orthodontics as soon as possible during regular office hours. That will allow us to schedule the additional time necessary for the repair.

Calling All Cheeseheads

We are excited to announce we have a new contest going on this month for our patients. It’s easy to enter and we have 2 awesome prizes up for grabs!

Can you guess how many mac & cheese noodles are in this jar?

#PoserCheesehead

To enter:

1. Go to our Facebook Page

2. LIKE US

3. Post your guess with your name, and office you are seen at.

4. Use #Posercheesehead

Two winners will be announced, one from both of our offices. Each winner will get a Green Bay Packers gift basket!

The contest will run January 1-January 29th!