Foods to avoid during your treatment, from Dr. John White

There are a variety of foods Dr. John White wants you to avoid while you're wearing braces. Some foods can occasionally damage braces, but certain foods can bend the wires or even break the brackets on your braces. If you’re wearing braces, you should avoid starch, sugar and gummy foods, as these foods can be difficult to remove during brushing. Foods that are high in sugar and starch tend to cause plaque, cavities and even tooth decay.

Avoid tough meats, hard breads and raw vegetables such as carrots and celery. Before long, you'll be able to bite a cucumber again. But you'll need to protect your orthodontic appliances when you eat for as long as you're wearing braces.

Foods you should definitely avoid:
• Chewy foods: bagels, hard rolls, licorice
• Crunchy foods: popcorn, ice, chips
• Sticky foods: caramels, gum
• Hard foods: nuts, candy
• Foods you have to bite into: corn on the cob, apples, carrots
• Chewing on hard things (for example, pens, pencils or fingernails) can damage the braces. Damaged braces will cause treatment to take longer.

If you have any questions on which foods you should be avoiding and why, we invite you to give us a call or ask our staff during your next visit! We also encourage you to check out this helpful article about eating with braces, courtesy of Parenthood.com.

And, as a "Thank You" to all who "Liked" us on Facebook, we will put your name in the drawing twice IF you post a smile picture here on our Facebook Wall by tonight at midnight. Good luck to you all! Enjoy your weekend!

September is National Childhood Injury Prevention Month! From Dr. White

This month, Dr. John C. White and our team want you to be extra careful with your braces and appliances. Why? September marks the start of fall sports and an increased risk to mouth injuries. September also happens to be National Childhood Injury Prevention Month, and Dr. White thought it’d be a good idea to share a few sobering facts about sports and facial injuries, courtesy of our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists, or AAO.

Injuries can happen at any age: More than half of the seven million sports and recreation-related injuries that occur each year are sustained by youth between ages 5 and 24. Collision and contact sports have higher injury rates—baseball, soccer, basketball and football account for about 80% of all sports-related emergency room visits for children between 5 and 14 years of age. Despite the risks, many kids are still not wearing mouth guards and facial protection during games and practices.

Mouth guards are not being used: Sixty-seven percent of parents say their child does not wear a mouth guard, yet, 70% say their biggest fear when their child plays is that they will get hurt. And here’s a chilling stat: One out of every four (27 percent) parents say their child has sustained an injury during an organized sport resulting in a trip to the emergency room, according to the AAO.

Not enough support for mouth guards: Of the parents whose children do not wear a mouth guard, 84 percent say it's because the league or coach does not require it, the AAO says.

Hard hits occur in every sport: The average high school baseball pitcher can throw a fast ball between 75-to-85 miles per hour!

We hope this helps you remember to always wear a mouth guard and other forms of protective gear when participating in fall sports! We encourage you to give us a call if you have any questions!

SureSmile/"Fix Your Kisser"

Check out SureSmile braces at work on an episode of ABC's "The Doctors." At the orthodontic office of Dr. John White, we love working with SureSmile technology, as it is faster and produces better results than traditional braces. Take a look at the video, and be sure to let us know what you think.

Happy Monday! By the way, starting today on KISS-FM 96.5, the station is running a "Fix Your Kisser" contest. You can submit yourself or submit someone else. The winner gets a full set of braces or Invisalign treatment and a tooth whitening with Zoom (in office power bleach) at our office!

Give us a call for more info!

Ask Dr. White: What's the connection between Invisalign and oral health?

When considering treatment options, patients often ask us how Invisalign treatment is so different than wearing traditional braces. Well, there are more reasons to smile about Invisalign with Dr. John C. White than you may know. Invisalign is a series of removable aligners that are nearly invisible, and besides straightening your teeth, can improve your oral health. Here’s how:

Healthy gums: Straight teeth allow a close fit for gums. This lessens the gum stress that is caused by crowded or widely spaced teeth, thus also reducing red and swollen gums.

Easy cleaning: Invisalign is removable, therefore brushing and flossing is easier and you are able to maintain a healthy mouth. These habits are vital to avoiding tooth decay, plaque and even gum disease.

Improved speech and chewing: Properly-aligned teeth don’t have the discomfort or compound speech impediments that can be caused by crowded teeth or a deteriorating jawbone.

If you have any questions about Invisalign, please post your question on our Facebook page or give us a call at 330-650-1660.

Smile! It's National Smile Week!

With National Smile Week upon us, Dr. White wanted to remind you all to keep smiling during your orthodontic treatment! After all, people with big, happy smiles may actually out-live those who don’t, according to study conducted this year at Wayne State University in Michigan.

Another reason to smile this week is our Apple iPad giveaway, which well host next month! By “Liking” us on Facebook by September 15th, you will be automatically entered for a chance to win an iPad! If you don't win the ultimate giveaway, not to worry! The runner-up will receive a $100 Best Buy gift card, and three third-place winners will each receive a $50 Best Buy gift card.

Love your new smile? Then we invite you to review Dr. White on Google!

At the orthodontic practice of Dr. John White, our greatest goal is to help you achieve a healthier, happier, more confident smile. Dr. White has over 30 years of experience in orthodontics as a student, teacher, and practitioner. He understands the needs of his patients, and treats patients with the same respect, compassion, and honesty that he would expect for his own family.

Whether you've visited our offices in Northfield Center and Hudson for weeks or months, we'd love to hear your feedback about Dr. White and our team on our Google Local page.

You may write a review here for our Hudson office or here for our Northfield Center location.

Thanks in advance and we hope you're having a great weekend! Dr. White & our staff look forward to reading your testimonials! And be sure to "Like" us on Facebook for a chance to win an Apple iPad!

Like us on Facebook, and you might win an iPad!

At Dr. White’s office, we value the relationships we’ve developed with our patients over the years. Even if you visit our office on a regular basis, did you know you can always connect with us on Facebook and other social networks?

In fact, by “Liking” us on Facebook by September 15th, you will be automatically entered for a chance to win an Apple iPad! The runner-up will receive a $100 Best Buy gift card, and three third-place winners will each receive a $50 Best Buy gift card.

By “Liking” us on Facebook, you will receive contest news, updates and announcements – all through your news feed! The drawing will be done in our office the week of September 20th, with the winners notified and the prizes distributed in our office the week of September 27th.

See you on Facebook and GOOD LUCK everyone!