Our Blog

If this is your child’s first holiday season with braces, here are some tips on how to help children get the most enjoyment from these celebrations without compromising their braces or leaving them feeling left out of the festivities.

Halloween

When you think dental health, “Halloween” is not usually the first thing that comes to mind. Halloween can be tricky, but with some planning and intervention, you can make sure your child doesn’t miss out on the treats that make the holiday a favorite.

Braces present other challenges besides dealing with the scary amount of sugar in every trick-or-treat bag. Certain treats can be a challenge to clean from braces, and can even cause broken brackets and wires. How to avoid these frightful results?

• Go through your child’s treat bag when you get home after neighborhood trick-or-treating. Anything which can damage braces, such as regular gum, candy with nuts or caramel, or hard or chewy candies should be discarded. Perhaps you and your child can choose a selection of soft candy such as plain chocolate and peanut butter cups to trade for those tricky treats. Your child’s favorite soft fruits, cupcakes, and cookies could also be safe substitutes.
• Party time? Candy apples, bowls of candy corn, and popcorn balls are favorite treats at Halloween parties, but very bad for braces. Help your child recognize what should be avoided before attending, and suggest safe options like soft cupcakes.
• Finally, even safe treats will leave more sugar than normal in your child’s mouth and therefore more potential for plaque build-up. Brush and floss more often, if needed, and rinse regularly with water.

Talk candy guidelines over in advance with your child. If you’d like, Dr. Byron Diehl can recommend safe alternatives. With your help, Halloween won’t be a fearsome experience for you or your trick-or-treater.

Thanksgiving

Now, this is a holiday to be thankful for! Almost all of your traditional favorites are perfect for family members with braces.

• Appetizers: Offer soft food options such as silky cheeses and deviled eggs instead of crunchy vegetables, chips, and nuts.
• Dinner: Turkey is a required dish on many tables, and no need to miss out! Just make sure pieces are bite-size and off the bone. Creamy mashed potatoes and gravy and jellied cranberry sauce are also braces-friendly traditions. Any cooked vegetable should be fine, but do cut the corn from the cob first. Dressing is a great side dish if your child avoids any crunchy tops and edges, as are soft, nut-free rolls and muffins.
• Dessert: Pumpkin pie, cheesecake, and apple pie with ice cream are all safe (and delicious) choices. Leave the pecan pie, caramel sauce, and anything nutty or chewy off your child’s menu. And remember to brush and floss carefully after the feast!

If you are concerned that following the usual food guidelines might be a little more difficult during this time of year, talk to us. Dr. Byron Diehl and our team are happy to suggest ways to make your child’s first holidays with braces memorable for all the right reasons. The last thing you’ll want is an emergency visit to our Redlands, CA office!

Most of us aren’t born with a red carpet smile. And if you’ve thought about straightening your teeth but are apprehensive about doing so with traditional orthodontic treatment, Dr. Byron Diehl and our team at Diehl Orthodontics want you to know there is another option – Invisalign®!

Invisalign is an ideal solution for most adults looking for a less noticeable way to achieve a better smile. In fact, Invisalign has increasingly become a very popular choice for adults looking for a more comfortable, convenient and cosmetically-appealing treatment for straightening their teeth.

Our team at Diehl Orthodontics is proud to offer Invisalign, which uses a series of invisible, removable and comfortable aligners that no one can tell you’re wearing, which allows you to smile more during treatment, as well as after. Not only are the aligners invisible, they are also removable, so you can eat and drink what you want; brushing and flossing is easier with Invisalign than with traditional braces.

Invisalign’s aligners are also comfortable, with no metal to cause mouth abrasions during your treatment. And no metal and wires usually means you spend less time at our office getting adjustments. Invisalign also allows you to view your own virtual treatment plan when you start, so you can see how your straight teeth will look when your treatment is complete!

A consultation with Dr. Byron Diehl can determine if Invisalign is right for you. We encourage you to give us a call at our friendly Redlands, CA office if you’re interested in learning more about Invisalign or if you are ready to visit us for an initial consultation! We look forward to seeing you!

As the school year gets under way in Redlands, CA, you’ve got a lot going on. New classes. New teachers. New activities. New books and supplies and . . . well, it’s a lot! If orthodontic treatment is one of those new experiences, we have some suggestions to help you enjoy the year with a confident smile.

You may not have realized it, but the skill sets you’ve developed for school are useful beyond the classroom—you can use those same skills to help you achieve your orthodontic goals. If you’re going to school with braces, aligners, or appliances for the first time, this orthodontic study guide will help you maintain a healthy, stress-free smile:

Do Your Homework

Oral hygiene is more important than ever when you’re in orthodontic treatment. Plaque and food particles collect around braces and fixed appliances. If you’ve been brushing at home twice a day for two minutes and flossing once a day, good work! But now it’s time to level up your cleaning routine.

While you’re in treatment, you might need to brush and floss more often, whether several times a day or after each meal or snack. Follow Dr. Byron Diehl’s recommendations for brushing and flossing to help keep your smile cavity free.

The right tools will make life easier. Special brushes, flosses, and rinses designed for orthodontics can make cleaning your teeth easier and more effective. Electric toothbrushes and water flossers can be a game changer when it comes to removing plaque and food particles from tricky spaces. Talk to your orthodontist to learn the best tools and techniques for home care.

Essential Supplies

Put together a kit for your backpack or locker so you’ll always have the orthodontic supplies you need on hand. These tools will help you manage any expected—and unexpected—challenges while you’re away from home. Depending on your type of treatment, your kit might include:

• Travel toothbrush in a ventilated case (bacteria aren’t fans of fresh air!)
• Travel size toothpaste
• Orthodontic floss and interproximal brushes (for stubborn food particles around brackets and wires)
• Small mirror to make sure your smile and braces are food-free
• Dental wax to prevent irritation from loose wires or brackets
• Extra rubber bands for those who use them
• Your appliance case to prevent damaging or losing your retainer or aligners
• Your orthodontist’s phone number for emergencies

Add any other items you think will be helpful, and you’ll be prepared to handle any orthodontic-related issues throughout the day.

Follow Directions

Your orthodontist’s treatment plan is carefully designed to make your beautiful, healthy smile a reality as soon as possible—and the plan works best when you follow it!

• Wear your aligners, appliances, or elastics for the recommended number of hours each day. That’s the quickest way to a healthier smile.
• If you wear braces, see Dr. Byron Diehl for regularly scheduled adjustments.
• If you wear aligners, follow your orthodontist’s schedule each time you change trays. Changing to a new set of aligners too soon can cause stressful pressures on your teeth and jaws. Changing trays too late can delay your progress.

Any Questions? Ask!

Asking questions is one of the best ways to learn. Your orthodontic team has years of education and experience to help you answer some of the questions you have about navigating your school day.

Which cafeteria foods are orthodontic-friendly? Can you play a brass or wind instrument in band? If you play school sports, how do you wear a mouthguard with braces?

Your orthodontic team at Diehl Orthodontics has the answers—or knows how to help you find them. Work with your team to make sure that you’re able to enjoy all the possibilities of the school year, from classroom to lunchroom to extracurriculars, with a healthy confident smile!

When beginning orthodontic treatment, most patients ask Dr. Byron Diehl and our team a lot of questions about what to expect, while others choose to just "go with the flow" and leave it to us to build for them a beautiful smile. And for our team at Diehl Orthodontics, that's understandable.

But for those who do ask questions, two of the ones we frequently hear are "Will my braces hurt?" and "How long will these be on?"

We explain to our patients that despite what they've heard, braces do not hurt when they're initially put on. Yes, you will experience soreness after your braces are placed and when your teeth start to move. Too often, our patients hear horror stories about how much it hurts to get the braces on, so they tend to over-worry. The truth is, after their braces are on, almost all patients say "that's it?" because it's actually easy and painless!

At Diehl Orthodontics, we answer most of your other questions during your initial exam. When a patient visits our office for the first time, we give him or her a time estimate of how long it will take to achieve their ideal smile. All other questions are answered at the bonding appointment when the braces are placed. We cover all the topics, everything from eating to brushing with braces, but we also know that after your initial appointment, it's natural for you to have questions about your or your child's treatment. And we are always here for you; we are thorough and always try to answer any questions or concerns you may have. As a patient, that's one thing you never have to worry about. You will always know what's going on throughout your orthodontic experience.