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It’s Valentine’s Day. Love and friendship are in the air, and candy is on the gift list. Are there tasty Valentine treats that are safe to eat even with your braces? We have some sweet news for you!

Safe Valentine candy, like the rest of your braces-friendly diet, won’t stick to your braces (potentially causing cavities) or damage them (potentially causing emergency visits to the orthodontist). In other words, foods that aren’t sticky, chewy, hard, or crunchy.

So, which candy treats are on the “Loves Me Not” list?

• Chewy Candies

Love heart-shaped gummies? Or spicy cinnamon jellies? Or Valentine-pink taffy? These sweet confections might be delicious, but, no matter how delicious, all that sugar sticking to your brackets and wires is not healthy for your teeth and it’s especially hard to brush off. And the chewy nature of these treats can break wires and pull brackets loose from your enamel.

• Hard Valentine Candies

Do U luv these? R they UR favorites? Whether or not they come in the shape of colorful hearts with clever stamped messages, as crunchy nuts surrounded by chocolate, or as gleaming red hearts on a lollipop stick, hard candies R not 4 U when you wear braces. Biting down on hard foods can damage wires and loosen brackets.

• Boxes of Assorted Chocolates

The beauty of a heart-shaped box filled with chocolates is its variety. The problem with a heart-shaped box filled with chocolates is its variety. Any pieces with nuts, toffee, or caramel should be left in their little paper cups. Sticky, chewy, and crunchy foods are some of the worst offenders when it comes to damaging your braces. If your candy doesn’t come with descriptions, break open the piece before you indulge to see just what you’re biting into.

Is this list a bit depressing? Take heart! There are several Valentine’s options that are safe for your braces.

• Soft Chocolates

Any kind of soft chocolate should leave your braces intact—and if you choose dark chocolate, you’ll be enjoying less sugar and more minerals and antioxidants.

• Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Candies

These treats are also soft enough to be harmless to your brackets and wires. And if they’re molded into hearts? Bonus!

• Boxes of Assorted Candies

The problem with a heart-shaped box filled with chocolates is its variety. The beauty of a heart-shaped box filled with chocolates is its variety. Nestled among all the sticky, chewy, and crunchy chocolates are the safer soft cream centers. Choose the braces-friendly options and share the rest.

Whether you’re buying a candy gift for someone in braces, or you’re the lucky giftee, choose candies that will make Valentine’s Day memorable for all the right reasons! Don’t be afraid to think out of the (heart-shaped) box—pink milkshakes or smoothies, sweetly decorated cupcakes, and creamy pastel ice creams and frozen yogurts are soft, smooth, and safe holiday treats.

Of course, after indulging in any Valentine treat, be sure to clean your teeth and braces carefully. Cavities are never fun, and especially not when you’re in braces. Brush and floss after eating, and make sure your brackets and wires are clear of any sticky, sugary souvenirs. If you do have a problem with damaged wires or brackets, be sure to call our Menlo Park or San Carlos, CA office right away to keep your treatment plan on track. Valentine’s Day comes once a year, but your beautiful, healthy smile? You want it to last 4ever!

Braces are an investment in your smile. When your teeth reach a desired straightness, you’ll have a beautiful smile, but it’s important to keep it that way! You can accomplish this with a retainer provided by Tavarez Orthodontics.

A retainer is a small, custom-fit device that reinforces the new position of your teeth after your braces are removed. But for many patients, especially the youngest ones, wearing a retainer may seem like an annoyance. So exactly how long after your braces come off should you wear your retainer?

Graduation of Wear Time

When we remove your braces, Dr. Kathleen Tavarez will evaluate the condition of the bone structure surrounding your teeth and determine how well it is adjusting to the new position of your teeth. For the first few months, we may require you to wear your retainer both day and night, except during meal times and for brushing and flossing.

As the bone and gum tissues adjust to your new smile, we may determine that you need to wear your retainer only at night. After about one year of wearing the retainer every night, you may be able to take a couple of nights off each week.

However, we do not recommend ever stopping permanently. To best secure the position of the teeth, especially through future extractions and oral health changes, wearing your retainer a few nights a week will be necessary for many years.

Considerations

If you are concerned about your appearance when you wear a retainer, there are many that can be worn discreetly. You could choose a clear plastic one that is less obvious during the months immediately following removal of your braces. When you change to night wear only, clear wire retainers are available for minimal visibility as well.

Another option is a lingual retainer. It is placed on the back sides of your teeth so no one will ever know it is there! Lingual retainers are also permanent, so there’s no risk of losing them.

Remember, wearing your retainer is an investment in your smile. If you fail to wear it consistently, the tissues that support your teeth will be unsupported, and you may begin to experience noticeable shifting. You’ve worked hard to get that beautiful smile — your retainer will let you keep it! Remember to call our Menlo Park or San Carlos, CA office if you have any questions about your retainer!

Invisalign is gaining traction as a sought-after solution for orthodontic problems. Unlike traditional braces, which require the placement of brackets on teeth and the connection of unsightly wires, Invisalign works nearly invisibly (as its name suggests). Particularly for those who do not wish to draw attention to their orthodontic work, Invisalign provides an attractive solution.

Consultation with a Treatment Provider

Our practice has received specialized training to work with Invisalign. During your consultation appointment, Dr. Kathleen Tavarez will assess your smile needs. In some cases, the type of problem may not lend itself to correction through Invisalign, and we may offer an alternative solution.

Creation of a Custom Treatment Plan

Invisalign works using a series of customized clear trays that fit almost perfectly over the teeth. To create these trays, Dr. Kathleen Tavarez will take X-rays and impressions of your teeth. These are submitted to a specialized laboratory that makes a 3D image of your smile. This is used to create a specialized treatment plan that provides an estimate of how long treatment will take.

Arrival of Custom Trays

Once your customized trays have arrived, the treatment begins. For Invisalign to work properly, you must wear the aligners 20 to 22 hours per day, removing them only to eat, drink, and brush your teeth. The trays gently draw your teeth into proper alignment, correcting your orthodontic problems as you go about your everyday life.

In general, you will replace your aligners with a new set every two weeks. This is to encourage your teeth to continue moving throughout the treatment process. You’ll need to check in with our Menlo Park or San Carlos, CA office every six weeks or so to ensure treatment progresses smoothly.

Beautiful Smile: Complete!

Once you complete your individualized treatment plan, you’ll have the smile you’ve always dreamed of. Like with traditional braces, Dr. Kathleen Tavarez may recommend that you wear a retainer to ensure that your teeth remain in their new positions.

Water picks, sometimes called “oral irrigators,” make an excellent addition to your regular home care regimen of brushing and flossing. Especially helpful to those who suffer from periodontal disease and those patients of ours undergoing orthodontic treatment with full-bracketed braces, water picks use powerful tiny bursts of water to dislodge food scraps, bacteria, and other debris nestled in the crevices of your mouth. Children undergoing orthodontic treatment may find using a water pick is beneficial if their toothbrush bristles tend to get caught on their wires or brackets.

When you use a water pick, you’re not only dislodging any particles or debris and bacteria you might have missed when brushing, you are also gently massaging the gums, which helps promote blood flow in the gums and keeps them healthy. While water picks are an excellent addition to your daily fight against gingivitis and other periodontal diseases, they are incapable of fully removing plaque, which is why Dr. Kathleen Tavarez and our team at Tavarez Orthodontics want to remind you to keep brushing and flossing every day.

If you have sensitive teeth or gums and find it uncomfortable to floss daily, water picks are a good alternative to reduce discomfort while effectively cleaning between teeth. Diabetics sometimes prefer water picks to flossing because they don't cause bleeding of the gums, which can be a problem with floss. If you have a permanent bridge, crowns, or other dental restoration, you may find that a water pick helps you keep the area around the restorations clean.

So how do you choose the right water pick?

Water picks are available for home or portable use. The home versions tend to be larger and use standard electrical outlets, while portable models use batteries. Aside from the size difference, they work in the same manner, both using pulsating water streams. A more crucial difference between water picks is the ability to adjust the pressure. Most home models will let you choose from several pressure settings, depending on how sensitive your teeth and gums are. Most portable models have only one pressure setting. If you want to use mouthwash or a dental rinse in your water pick, check the label first; some models suggest using water only.

Please give us a call at our Menlo Park or San Carlos, CA office if you have any questions about water picks, or ask Dr. Kathleen Tavarez during your next visit!