Keep Your Teeth Healthy On The Road

It's Spring Break season so this means vacation traveling. Even when you are not in the comfort of your own home don’t let your healthy teeth habits fall to the wayside. Having a clean mouth is important. Brushing and flossing removes a thin sticky film of bacteria that grows on your teeth. This sticky film, called plaque, is the main cause of tooth decay and gum disease.

The best way to keep your teeth healthy while on the road you must keep a kit with you to make sure everything you need is on hand while under Orthodontic treatment.

Here are some of the items that need to be in your kit:

Travel Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Mouthwash
Threader floss
Rubber bands
Mini Mirror

& in case of a dental emergency
Dental wax
Cold pack
Over the counter pain killers

Putting together a mini dental travel kit is the easiest way to support your healthy habits while on the road. Also, your kit will make sure you have your emergency items for your braces on hand. Get a small bag that can easily fit in your carrier and fill it with all the items you need. Also, make sure you keep a contact card with Dr. Bailey's information inside your kit just in case you have an emergency and need to contact our office.

Protect Your Face! #NationalFacialProtectionMonth

As temperatures rise during spring more people are enticed to partake in outdoor activities. Most of the time those activities are physical sporting activities, and with physical activity we have to make sure we taking the necessary precautions to protect our bodies from injury.

Each year during the month of April the Academy for Sports Dentistry, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Dental Association, the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, and the American Association of Orthodontists sponsor National Facial Protection Month.

National Facial Protection Month focuses on spreading awareness about the importance of protecting children and adults from oral and facial injuries. Many injuries that do occur during sporting activities could have been prevented had the proper protective gear had been worn. An estimated 12 million people between the ages of 5 and 22 years suffer a sport-related injury annually.  A recently published study by the University of Alabama at Birmingham analyzed data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), a database of injuries treated at hospital emergency departments, for the period 2001-2008. Researchers found the five most common causes of childhood injuries were, in order of frequency, basketball, football, bicycling, playgrounds and soccer.

For our patients we want to remind you that it is important for you to protect your mouth during treatment. For protection you must wear a mouth guard. A mouth guard can help prevent injury to the teeth, mouth and even jaw. Mouth guards are made of flexible material that is fitted to protect yourupper and lower teeth. You can buy a stock mouth guard or get a custom guard made. The right fit mouth guard will act as cushions protecting your mouth from hits and preventing serious injury.

The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons advise that you to take five, and take in these five simple safety tips:

• Mouth Guards are a Must. Mouth guards are significantly less expensive than the cost to repair an injury, and dentists and dental specialists can make customized mouth guards that hold teeth in place and allow for normal speech and breathing.  

• Helmets are always Helpful. Helmets absorb the energy of an impact and help prevent damage to the head.  

• Have 20/20 Vision with Protective Eyewear. Eyes are extremely vulnerable to damage, especially when playing sports.

• Face Shields Save Skin…and more. Hockey pucks, footballs and racquetballs can cause severe facial damage at any age.

• Cheer and Shout Out Your Support for Mandatory Protective Gear.  Athletes who participate in football, hockey and boxing are required to wear mouth guards. If mouth guards have been proven to significantly decrease the risk of oral injuries, why is it not mandatory in every sport for kids to wear them?

To learn more about National Facial Protection Month please visit AAOMS.org

EGG-cellent Easter Activities

You may have noticed bunnies and eggs popping up everywhere, along with dazzling spring colors.. well that’s because Easter Day is coming. Easter is this Sunday, April 5th and with the beautiful weather that spring has brought on it is a perfect time to get outside with your family and get involved in Easter themed activities.

Easter Day activities are fun for kids, but can bring joy to the family as a whole. And the great part about these activities is that you can pick up supplies at your local store for a round of DIY fun!

Here are 3 EGG-cellent Do It Yourself activities:

Dying Eggs
Traditionally eggs are off-white, but with beautiful colors blossoming from nature why not add a little life and color to our eggs on this holiday. The main things you need are eggs are food coloring. For detailed instructions on dying eggs click here. Here are a few egg design ideas.

Hunting Down Eggs
The day of Easter is the perfect time to invite family and friends over so kids can enjoy a fun-filled Easter egg hunt. What you’ll need is plastic eggs and mini treats. You’ll need to put the treats inside the plastic eggs, after you fill the eggs it is time to strategically hide the eggs in your yard. Let the kids run wild and find the hidden eggs. To make the hunt more fun you can pick a grand prize for the child who finds the most eggs!

Bunny Crafts
Since Easter is synonymous with bunnies, having your kids create bunny crafts can be fun! Here are some ideas for bunny crafts.

Bunny Mask

Click here for more fun ideas

Share your Easter day fun with us on Social Media:

Post pictures on our Facebook wall 
Tag us on Instagram @BaileyOrtho_AZ
Or Tweet us @BaileyOrthoAZ #BaileyOrthodontics

The Common Factor: Crowding

Crowd·ing (krou′dĭng)

A condition in which the teeth are crowded in the dental arch, assuming altered positions, as by overlapping and twisting.

Crowding of the teeth is one of the most common orthodontic problems. On average kids have 20 teeth and adults have 32 teeth in their mouths, but when you don’t have enough space you start to experience issues.

Dental crowding occurs when there is not enough space to fit teeth within the jaws. There are other factors that can contribute, but this problem typically stems from a discrepancy between the space in each jaw and the size of teeth.When crowding occurs teeth may be overlapping and displaced, which can cause a number of functional and cosmetic issues.


Depending on the severity of the crowding determines which treatment option is best for you. Some cases call for extractions or surgery, but the most common treatment for crowding is braces.

If you or your child is experiencing crowding schedule a consultation today and we can determine what treatment is best for you!

Tips for Bracket Success

March Madness officially takes off with the NCAA Tournament beginning this week. 

To intensify the fun of March Madness there are bracket challenges for fans. Brackets are used to see if fans can correctly predict the outcome of tournament games. Before the games begin you select all your winners, making watching the game more fun as you hope the team you select advances.

Today is the last day to submit your bracket to enter Dr. Bailey’s March Madness Challenge. Patients who submit their completed brackets will be entered to win prizes. 

Prizes include:

1^st place: Beats by Dre Headphones

2^nd place: Amazon Gift Card

3^rd Place: iTunes Gift Card

Each round points are awarded for correct selections, so the more games you predict correctly, the more points you receive. The further into the tournament the higher the points. So even if you do not predict the final two teams, you still have a chance to win! In the case of a tie, the Championship game score will determine the winner, so make sure you fill that out too.

Do you want to enter, but don’t know how make your picks? Here are 5 things you need to watch out for to have bracket success:

 Match-Ups: Look at who is playing who and have they been previously matched up, and if so what was the outcome.

Star Power: Does the team have a big name player? All name you’ve been hearing a lot. Players to watch can have big effects on the outcome of games especially if their talent matches their hype.

Location: Look for which team has home court advantage. Playing at home means you have the support of your fans and you’re comfortable playing in your own arena.

Gut Feeling: If you have a gut feeling about a team, just got with it!
        
Ask the Analyst: Watch sports talk shows, read articles or even the family basketball “expert” to get a good opinion.  

How to Enter:

Click the link below (or cut and paste the link into your browser's address bar). It will take you to the registration page where you will create a free account, if you don't already have one.

http://baileyorthodontics2015.mayhem.cbssports.com/e?ttag=BPM15_em_cbsinv

You will then be asked to enter the group password before you can join, the password is marchmadness.

Please call the office if you have any questions regarding Dr. Bailey's Bracket Challenge. 

5 Famous Brace Faces

Although sometimes it seems like celebrities live in another world, they are just like you.. they even face the same orthodontic problems you do.

We tend to put these famous stars on a pedestal because they are known and loved globally, but even some of your favorite stars have had to pay a visit to their local orthodontist. And it’s not just young stars who have worn braces. The number of adults wearing braces has grown in recent years. Don't believe it ? Just check out the famous faces below.

Niall Horan (One Direction)

Emma Watson 

Faith Hill 

Justin Bieber (Invisalign Teen)

Tom Cruise 

Even some stars have to seek orthodontic treatment to achieve the smiles they want. And at Bailey Orthodontics we make sure all of our patients receive star treatment to get the camera ready smiles they deserve.

Let's Celebrate Frozen Foods!

March is National Frozen Food Month!

During this month pioneers in food preservation and frozen food brands are recognized for their contributions to this revolutionary industry. Frozen foods include healthy produce, portioned meals and a variety of cuisines and dishes. Freezing is ultimately the best way to preserve foods. Frozen foods make the world of cooking much easier, keeping food safe and fresh.

Frozen Foods Facts (source: easyhomemeals.com)

• The bestselling frozen food is ice cream. 
• Freezing acts as a natural preservative so many of your favorite foods contain no preservatives. 
• Flash freezing (quickly freezing foods at extremely cold temperatures) was introduced in the 1900s by Clarence Birdeye.
• Frozen fruits and veggies that are properly packaged can be stored for up to a year!
• The freezer aisle in most grocery stores comprise of about 3,700 different foods.

Frozen foods can be used to make some of the best meals. From breakfast to dinner, from lunch to snacks, frozen foods help you create meals you and your family love. For easyhomemeals.com
frozen meal recipes

Remember, whether cooking for yourself or someone else who is under orthodontic treatment be sure to check out our foods to avoid list to make sure your meal won't harm your braces. Also, be sure to sure brush and floss after each meal.