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There are many reasons why people love autumn in Tampa. Crisp air. Jeweled leaf tones. Reuniting with school friends. Fall sports. Halloween and Thanksgiving.

But there’s one thing about autumn which never appears on anyone’s favorites list: it’s the start of cold and flu season. If you’ve fallen ill, we have some ideas for taking care of yourself—and your dental health—as you recover.

• Stay Hydrated

Proper hydration is vital for healthy skin, temperature, digestion, and other bodily functions. Sweating, fever, diarrhea, and vomiting—common symptoms of colds or flu—cause dehydration.

Dehydration also creates problems for your oral health. Hydration ensures healthy levels of saliva. Saliva helps prevent cavities by washing away bacteria and food particles and neutralizing oral acidity. Saliva bathes the teeth in minerals which keep tooth enamel strong. Hydration also supports healthy bone and connective tissue, which encourages faster orthodontic healing as your teeth move into their ideal positions.

Even if you don’t feel like eating when you’re ill, be sure to drink the liquids you need to stay hydrated. For your dental health, try to avoid overdoing sugary beverages and acidic drinks.

• Eat Healthy Foods

It’s always a good idea to eat nutritious foods, but it’s especially important when you’re not feeling well. Fatty and greasy foods are hard to digest. Processed, sugary, and fast foods filled with empty calories don’t provide the protein and nutrients which can encourage a speedier recovery. And studies suggest that sugar-filled foods can suppress your immune system, the network of cells and organs working together to prevent and fight infection.

A diet rich in proteins, vitamins, and minerals will help you recover when you feel up to regular meals again. Foods which contain nutrients like calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D are necessary for healthy teeth. Vitamins A and C are essential for gum health and bone density, which is especially important while you’re in orthodontic treatment.

• Minimize Exposure to Germs—For Yourself and Others!

To help prevent catching colds and flu, be mindful that viruses and bacteria can live for hours and even days on non-porous surfaces like phones, keyboards, and doorknobs. Washing your hands with soap and water before touching your mouth, nose, or eyes, before brushing and flossing, and before you cook and eat will help you eliminate most of the germs which cause colds and flu.

If you do catch something, be mindful of your interactions with others. You can help stop the spread of germs by limiting contact with other people, masking, and covering your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough.

Protect yourself and those around you by being careful with dental hygiene. Never share your toothbrush with others. Don’t let toothbrushes touch in a common container. Always let your toothbrush air-dry since germs prefer moist environments.

And, while it’s unlikely that you’ll re-catch a cold from your toothbrush, brushes are only at their best for three to four months. If yours is past its prime, post-illness is a perfect time to replace your old brush with a clean new one.

• Be Choosy with OTC Medicine

Many cough syrups and cough drops are filled with sugar. Consider sugar-free syrups, or, if you use cough or cold medications which include sugar, rinse or brush afterward.

Look for sugar-free cough drops, which won’t bathe your enamel in sugar as they dissolve. And never crunch down on cough drops. A chipped tooth, cracked enamel, a broken bracket, or a warped wire certainly won’t make you feel better!

• Keep Up with Your Brushing and Flossing

Even when you feel weak and tired, it’s important to brush and floss as usual—with one exception.

Vomiting brings up harsh stomach acids which weaken the mineral bonds keeping tooth enamel strong. Brushing right away can spread these acids around your mouth and your enamel. If you vomit, rinse your mouth with water and wait 30 minutes before brushing to allow your enamel to come back to full strength.

• Stay Home When You’re Sick

You’ll get better faster when you take care of yourself, which includes getting the rest you need to recover. And beyond doing something for your own health, you won’t be risking the health of the people around you.

If you have an appointment scheduled with Dr. Gregory Dyer, reschedule as necessary. Your orthodontic team at GSD Orthodontics will be happy to accommodate you to prevent the spread of colds and flu and to make your appointment a more comfortable one.

Don’t let cold and flu season ruin one of the most beautiful times of the year! Follow your doctor’s advice, take good care of yourself when you’re ill, and visit Dr. Gregory Dyer again once you’re feeling better to keep your treatment on track.

Haunted house party? You’ve had your costume ready for months. Foggy, moonlit night ahead? Your favorite weather. Ghouls and witches and vampires? Bring ‘em on.

But broken brackets? Warped wires? Abandoned aligners? If these unnerving possibilities send a shiver down your spine, this is the spot for you.

Because while the eerily unexpected is half the fun of Halloween in Tampa, unexpected orthodontic problems are no fun at all. That’s why we’ve carved out time for a few reminders to help you avoid some common orthodontic concerns.

Beware These Bites

When you wear braces, eating the wrong foods can have scary consequences. Chewy foods can pull a bracket right off your tooth. Hard and crunchy foods break wires and brackets. Sticky foods pull on your braces and can be hard to brush away. Eek!

Luckily, you don’t need a crystal ball to choose your Halloween treats. Ghost these candies immediately:

• Chewy caramels, licorice, taffy, and fruit chews
• Hard and hard-shelled candies, jawbreakers, and lollipops (especially with gum centers)
• Crunchy candied apples, caramel popcorn, popcorn balls, peanut brittle, and nuts
• Sticky gummies, candy corn, and jellybeans

But it’s not all trick-or-treating gloom and doom! Try these braces-friendly Halloween bites instead:

• Peanut butter cups
• Mint patties
• Soft chocolate bars without nuts or caramel
• Soft cupcakes and cookies
• Pudding cups
• Ice cream—without nuts, caramel, or other crunchy, chewy additions
• Sugar-free gum (if it’s okay with Dr. Gregory Dyer)

Aligner Alerts

When you wear clear aligners, following your orthodontist’s guidance will prevent avoidable aligner problems from coming back to haunt you:

• Always remove your aligners whenever you eat to protect them from warping, cracking, bending, and staining.
• If you go out, remember to bring your protective case. The night’s no fun if your aligners have *disappeared* at the end of the evening.
• Don’t let the time get away from you! Most aligners need to be worn 20-22 hours each day. And, while you won’t turn into a pumpkin if you party too long without your aligners, you could delay your orthodontic progress if you don’t get your scheduled hours in regularly.

Time Your Treats

We can’t wave a wand to vanish cavities, so prevention is key. When you enjoy holiday treats (or any desserts), it’s good idea to eat them in moderation and with a meal. This way, your teeth are exposed to sugars and acids over a limited period. And, as you eat, saliva production increases, which helps neutralize destructive acids and wash away food particles before they can harm your enamel.

Water Works Like Magic!

Water has many bewitching qualities, especially when you’re in orthodontic treatment.

• Healthy hydration supports healthy oral tissues and saliva production.
• Water contains no sugars or acids which can damage enamel.
• Drinking water is a great choice when you wear braces, because water helps wash food particles from brackets and wires when you can’t brush.
• Water is the only good beverage choice while you’re wearing your aligners. Sugary and acidic beverages which collect in your trays bathe your teeth in those sugars and acids. Some darker drinks can stain your aligners—and your teeth!

Vanishing Food Particles and Plaque

Halloween is meant to be extra. And when you’re in orthodontic treatment, brushing and flossing is extra important to make sticky, sugary food particles and plaque disappear.

• If you’re going out for the evening, bring a travel-size toothbrush, toothpaste, and a small mirror.
• If you wear braces, brush and floss after snacking.
• If you wear aligners, remove them before eating or drinking anything other than water. Brush and floss your teeth and clean your aligners before replacing them.
• If you won’t be able to brush right away, it’s a good idea to bring your own bottle of water and rinse after eating.

Proactive orthodontic care isn’t magic. Communication and effort are all it takes! Talk to your orthodontic team at GSD Orthodontics about the best way to celebrate Halloween without conjuring up orthodontic problems. And when you’re out sharing your holiday spirit, don’t forget to treat your friends to your boo-tiful, healthy smile!

Most parents know that routine dental care should begin during their child’s toddler years. And many assume they must wait until their child has all of his or her permanent teeth to visit Dr. Gregory Dyer for an initial orthodontic consultation.

The ideal age for an orthodontic evaluation is age seven. At that age, your child will have a mixture of adult and baby teeth for Dr. Gregory Dyer and our team at GSD Orthodontics to make a determination about whether any problems are present. Typically the first molars have come in by the time your child turns seven, giving us an opportunity to check for malocclusion, also known as “bad bite.” Also, by the time your child reaches the age of seven, the incisors have begun to come in, and problems such as crowding, deep bites, and open bites can be detected.

When Dr. Gregory Dyer and our team perform an evaluation on your child at an early age, you get one of two positive outcomes. Although treatment usually will not begin until one to five years after the initial evaluation, it’s still helpful in determining whether your child has any problems with the jaw and teeth early when they are still easy to treat. Earlier treatment can also cost less to correct a potential problem than delayed treatment.

Early evaluation, of course, may signal a need for early treatment. For some children, early treatment can prevent physical and emotional trauma. Aside from spurring years of harmful teasing, misaligned teeth are also prone to injury and are detrimental to good oral hygiene.

If your child is approaching age seven, or has already surpassed his or her seventh birthday, it is time to schedule an appointment for an initial examination at GSD Orthodontics.

Although adolescence is a common time to get braces, there’s no reason for adults of any age to have to deal with crooked teeth, overbite, underbite, or other dental issues. In fact, the American Association of Orthodontists notes that demand for orthodontic treatment in adults continues to grow, with adults representing 20% of new patients.

You’re never too old for braces or other orthodontic appliances, but it’s important to consider the following:

1. Braces don’t have to be as noticeable as the metal brackets of the past. Many adults opt for ceramic or plastic braces, which are bone-colored or clear, respectively. Another option is a lingual appliance, which attaches to the back side of your teeth. These so-called “invisible” braces are much less noticeable than traditional options.
2. By adulthood, bone growth has stopped. This means that certain structural changes can only be achieved by surgery. Although this typically affects people with significant crowding, bite, or jaw problems, Dr. Gregory Dyer can provide an individualized treatment plan that addresses your unique issues.
3. Treatment may take a bit longer. The length of orthodontic treatment tends to be slightly longer for adults than adolescents. Exact estimates vary by individual, but the average length of time for adult braces wearers is two years, according to the Harvard Medical School.
4. Outcomes are just as good for adults! Many adults worry that it’s too late to treat their orthodontic problems. However, treatment satisfaction tends to be very high, which is a testament to how effective braces can be in middle-aged and older adults.