It’s the most wonderful time of year! And 2020 is right around the corner. Can you believe it’s not only a new year, but a
new decade
?! Whatever holiday you celebrate, spirits are high this time of year, full of giving and family! This edition will include important information about white spots that result from poor hygiene; a great holiday gift idea; my family’s favorite holiday cookie recipe; and more!
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Getting braces off is often one of the happiest days for orthodontic patients. However, after all the work of creating a beautiful, aligned smile, sometimes little white spots appear around where the brackets were. These white spots, or decalcification, occur when plaque sits on the tooth and around the braces for prolonged periods of time. These spots can be permanent! What can be done about them?
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Prevention!
The best way to deal with white spots is to not let them form in the first place. Here are some tips to prevent white spots from forming:
- Waterpik around your gums, between your teeth, around all braces and appliances.
- Brush your teeth around all edges of the braces and gums
- Use a fluoride toothpaste or a prescription toothpaste with added fluoride or calcium.
- Use an anti-cavity rinse such as ACT
- See your dental office routinely for cleanings while in braces
- Avoid sugary drinks like soda, sports drinks and juice
- Limit the sugar in your diet
If you do have white spots after getting your braces off, talk to your orthodontist or dentist about what options are best for you. Here are some options that might be available to you:
- Prescription toothpaste- to help re-mineralize the teeth
- Topical fluoride- from your dentist to help re-mineralize your teeth
- Tooth whitening- once the mineral has been restored and teeth are strong and healthy again, see your dentist about tooth whitening options. This can bring the rest of the tooth color closer to the color of the white spot making it less noticeable.
- Microabrasion- a dental procedure in which the dentist removes a small amount of enamel from the surface of the tooth making the white spot less visible.
- Bonding/composite filling- the dentist can place a plastic filling material, the same color of your natural tooth, over the demineralized area of the tooth.
- Veneer- your dentist, working with a lab can create a porcelain covering for the front of the tooth that can cover the white spot.
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Be Merry, Be Bright - with a Great Smile!
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Stumped on a Christmas gift for your child or a spouse? Give them the gift of a great smile (or at least the tools to get one)!
Dr. Moricz highly recommends the Waterpik Complete Care 5.0! Complete Care comes with a separate sonic toothbrush and a water flosser in one device to provide a convenient, complete clean!
Benefits of a Waterpik water flosser:
- Remove up to 99.9% of plaque from treated areas.
- Clinically proven up to 50% more effective for improving gum health vs. traditional flossing.
- Easy to use for those with implants or braces!
If you’re interested in the Waterpik Complete Care 5.0, you can find it
here
for only $99.99.
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Dr. Moricz and her staff always love to help out in our community and November was full of amazing events that we had the pleasure of being a part of. Here’s what we were up to:
- Dr. Moricz and her team had a blast at the Pine View Fair – a day full of games, rides, and fun!
- We were super excited to participate in Pow Wow with the Venice Elementary School community. The event was full of games, food trucks, music, bounce houses, and more all supporting teachers in their classrooms.
- On November 16th, we helped sponsor the Harvest Festival, benefitting Garden Elementary School. This was another fun-filled event with games, music, dancing, and prizes – all for a good cause!
We look forward to continuing being involved in our community into the New Year!
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A Holiday Favorite - Molasses Cookies!
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To help spread some holiday cheer, here is one of my family’s favorite recipes: molasses cookies. Who doesn’t love a good cookie? Especially freshly baked and made from scratch!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup margarine, melted
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 cup white sugar
Directions
- In a medium bowl, mix together the melted margarine, 1 cup sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in the molasses. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger; blend into the molasses mixture. Cover, and chill dough for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Roll dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining white sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until tops are cracked. Cool on wire racks.
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We encourage our happy patients to share their results and experience with us with their family and friends so that they can also achieve a great smile! For every new client you refer that starts treatment with us, we’re offering you
$100 off your bill or a $100 Amazon gift card.
Spreading love is rewarding! Thank you to those of you who have already referred friends, many of you have referred a number of people and we really appreciate that!
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