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If this is your first winter with braces, you might be wondering how to make the best of the holiday season. Dr. Clifton Lauritzen and our team have some suggestions for happy and healthy holiday smiles.

Treat Yourself

Winter means tasty holiday treats, and just because you wear braces doesn’t mean you need to step away from the holiday table! You can enjoy your favorites if you remember to check your list for the usual problem foods. Hard, crunchy, chewy, and sticky items? Naughty list.

• Crunchy vegetables on the appetizer plate
• Nuts
• Hard rolls
• Candy canes and other hard sugar treats
• Caramels, Toffee and other sticky candies
• Pecan pie
• Fruit cake

Luckily, there are plenty of nice alternatives.

• Turkey and ham—remember, small pieces are best
• Dressing and stuffing
• Mashed potatoes
• Soft breads and rolls
• Pumpkin pie—but skip a tough crust!
• Cheesecake
• Soft cookies and cakes
• Soft chocolates

We’re happy to provide recommendations for braces-friendly holiday foods. And we don’t expect you to turn down every sweet treat this season.  Just be sure that if you enjoy something sugary, brush carefully after indulging.

Express Yourself

While you’re decking the halls, or pinning up the New Year’s balloons and streamers, or even choosing a great holiday outfit, don't forget that your ligatures can be decorative as well as functional.

• Celebrating Christmas? Red and green bands around your brackets are jolly and traditional.
• How about Hanukkah? Try blue and white!
• Love the season? Icy silvers and pale blues are a frosty statement—and can have the benefit of making your teeth look whiter, as well. Snowy white? The arctic idea is great, but white bands can sometimes make teeth look more yellow, or become stained themselves.
• Glam New Year? Gold adds sparkle to your smile, but can bring out any yellow tones in your teeth. Silver might be the perfect choice, because it is generally neutral with enamel shades.

Check out our ligature colors for the best possible choices for your teeth and coloring. Take advantage of these options to create a fresh, confident look for the season. Give others the gift of your smile!

Look After Yourself

Winter comes with some special reminders about your dental health.

• Winter sports are a great way to celebrate the snow and ice, but be sure to protect your teeth and braces. If you enjoy skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, hockey, or any other winter activities, talk to us about why a mouth guard is so important.
• While you enjoy your winter break, don’t forget to keep up with your dental routine. And because ‘tis the season for holiday treats, be especially careful to clean your teeth and braces after sweet desserts and snacks. Don’t forget to floss!
• What do cold breezes and hot chocolate have in common? They can both trigger tooth sensitivity! While some sensitivity is normal after an adjustment, if you find you are experiencing tooth sensitivity more often or more strongly than you usually do, give us a call. It might be something as simple as brushing habits, or you might need to see your dentist.

If you have any questions about your braces, in this season or any other, just ask when you visit our Merced, CA office. Your beautiful, healthy, and confident smile can make this the most wonderful time of the year!

It’s the season of giving and the start of a new year. What better time to gift yourself with the orthodontic treatment you’ve always wanted?

Orthodontic treatment isn’t just for children and teenagers. In fact, adults make up a significant—and growing—number of new patients looking forward to beautifully aligned teeth and a healthy bite.

And because today’s orthodontic treatments are more comfortable, take less time, and are less visible than ever before, they are a great fit for your busy adult life. You also have many more options from which to choose, including:

• Traditional Braces

Traditional braces are a proven method of aligning your teeth and bite, can be more economical than other options, and are often most effective in treating complicated orthodontic issues.

If traditional braces are best for your needs, you’ll be happy to hear that today’s braces are better than ever. Brackets are smaller. Innovative wire technology makes the orthodontic process even more efficient. And with self-ligating brackets, there’s no need for those colorful little bands around each bracket to hold those wires.

• Ceramic Braces

If you’re looking for something more inconspicuous, consider ceramic brackets. These ceramic or porcelain brackets are color-matched to your teeth, and, especially used with clear bands and lighter wires, create a less visible profile.

• Lingual Braces

This is your most discreet option, because these braces are located on the inside of the teeth. Lingual braces are custom designed, so they can be more expensive, and treatment can take a bit longer, but they are perfect for those who want invisible braces for personal or professional reasons.

• Clear Aligners

Clear aligners can treat many orthodontic conditions, including some complicated malocclusions. Your orthodontist can let you know if these removable, comfortable, and subtle aligners will work for you.

Adult orthodontics can give you the confident smile you’ve always wanted, which is reason enough to seek orthodontic treatment at our Merced, CA office. And perfectly aligned teeth and a healthy bite have dental benefits as well as mental benefits!

• Reduce the Risk of Cavities and Gum Disease

Crooked and overlapping teeth are harder to keep clean. Getting in between the teeth to remove all the food particles and plaque can be difficult even with the most careful brushing and flossing. Built up plaque increases your risk of cavities, irritates delicate gum tissue, and causes gum disease.

• Prevent Tooth and Jaw Injuries

If your jaws have never fit together properly, you’ve probably experienced at least some of the consequences of a malocclusion, or bad bite. Worn and cracked teeth, damaged fillings and crowns, jaw pain, headaches, difficulty breathing—all of these problems can be caused by a misaligned bite.

If you’ve always wanted orthodontic treatment, talk to Dr. Clifton Lauritzen to discover the possibilities. A more confident appearance, reduced risk of cavities and gum disease, a comfortable, pain-free bite—there’s no better gift to give yourself than a lifetime of healthy smiles!

This is one of the most common questions that is asked at Lauritzen Orthodontics and, unfortunately, it does not have a simple answer. Just as every patient we see is unique, so is their treatment plan. Some patients have very simple problems which require less appliances and time, while other cases are much more complicated and may require multiple appliances and phases.

The treatment fee usually reflects the amount of orthodontic work required to complete the treatment plan. The only way to find out how much braces will cost is to schedule a consultation with Dr. Clifton Lauritzen. During your consultation, we will perform a complete oral examination, listen to your concerns, and explain how we will address your needs.

Our findings will include the cost of orthodontics and how long the treatment will take to complete. Give us a call today at our convenient location in Merced, CA for a consultation and discover how quickly we can make you smile!

One problem with trying to answer the question as to who benefits from Invisalign is that the simple answer is “almost everyone.” The see-through, almost invisible aligners for straightening teeth are specifically molded to fit each individual’s mouth. Unlike conventional braces, they can be removed when eating and when cleaning the teeth. Because they use less force in straightening teeth than metal braces, the risk of harm to teeth is lessened.

Benefits to adults

Traditional braces are associated with children and teenagers. Many adults want to have their teeth straightened but cannot decide which is worse: having crooked teeth or wearing metal braces. They also worry about having to change their diet by not being able to eat the foods they normally enjoy.

If you are an adult considering braces, our team at Lauritzen Orthodontics will tell you Invisalign aligners will give you the best of all worlds. Your teeth will be straightened with virtually invisible braces. You can remove your aligners when you eat so you can enjoy any food you normally would consume. You do not have to worry about embarrassing yourself by getting food stuck in your braces. You simply clean your teeth normally after eating and replace your aligners. If there is a special occasion during which you do not want to have any braces at all, you can remove the aligners for a few hours without causing any damage.

Benefits to teenagers

Dr. Clifton Lauritzen and our team know that teenagers are often involved in contact sports or gymnastics. Others find that having metal in their mouth interferes with their ability to play a musical instrument. Traditional metal braces contain wires and brackets that can cause damage to the mouth and gums; this is not a risk with Invisalign aligners.

For sports that require players to wear mouthguards, the expense of specially constructed mouthguards to fit over braces is avoided. The aligners can be removed during sports activity, and a normal mouthguard is worn. Teenagers who play musical instruments simply remove the aligners when practicing or playing in the band or orchestra.

Teenagers often feel they are too busy to spend time and trouble flossing teeth between the wires and brackets of traditional braces. Since the Invisalign aligners are removable, brushing and flossing are simpler and more likely to be performed.

For more information about Invisalign or Invisalign Teen, or to schedule an initial consultation with Dr. Clifton Lauritzen, please give us a call at our convenient Merced, CA office!