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The choice between the two can seem overwhelming at first. You want what’s best for yours or your child’s teeth, but the two seem so similar and you're not sure which will work best. Ultimately, there is no simple answer. But no worries, Dr. Marina Milstein and our team are here to supply you with the facts. 

Braces are the traditional way of straightening teeth, involving glued on brackets held together by a wire. The brackets can either be metal or ceramic, per the patient's request. There is also the option to add a little personality to your braces by choosing which colors go on each bracket. 

Invisalign is a fairly modern approach to straightening one's smile. The process begins with a 3-D oral scan taken in the office, which gets sent to Invisalign Headquarters. After that Dr. Milstein works meticulously  on creating a perfect digital treatment plan. From there, a series of 3-D printed aligners are constructed and delivered to the patient. Many patients find that Invisalign is more comfortable and more subtle in appearance than braces. 

Both braces and Invisalign have the same goal of perfecting a smile. The main difference between the two is that braces are not removable during treatment, while Invisalign can be removed from the mouth per the patient’s needs. There are pros and cons to both of these aspects. 

Since braces cannot be removed, treatment tends to follow Dr. Milstein’s plan very precisely, ultimately finishing treatment in a timely manner. However, since the braces are permanently glued in the mouth during the course of treatment, maintaining oral hygiene requires a bit more effort from the patient. 

With Invisalign, the aligners can be removed and the patient has freedom to easily clean out tight spaces, along with cleaning the actual aligners themselves. This now presents the possibility of the aligners not being worn enough by the patient, resulting in extended treatment time. The aligners should only be removed to eat, drink anything besides water, brush, and floss. 

While both braces and Invisalign require a certain level of discipline and responsibility from the patient, the tasks vary among the two. With braces, the patient is expected to brush twice a day, floss using specialized braces floss, and follow any extra instruction given by the orthodontist, such as inserting rubber bands. With Invisalign, the patient is expected to also brush and floss, wear their aligners 20-22 hours per day, not lose their aligners, and always brush their teeth before inserting the aligners back in. 

For specialized patient cases, Dr. Milstein might recommend braces over Invisalign. This and much more can be discussed at a complimentary consultation appointment at MMO. Dr. Marina Milstein and our team wish you luck making this important decision, and are here to answer your questions every step of the way.

Having braces can be frustrating when you have to be cautious about eating certain foods or having to avoid them altogether. Making sure your braces don’t bend or break is vital when you’re trying to straighten your teeth quickly and properly. Dr. Marina Milstein and our team have come up with a list of foods to avoid, and which foods you can enjoy while you have braces.

No matter how careful you are, excessive chewing of hard-to-eat foods will eventually cause problems for you and your braces. Knowing what you can and cannot eat at a meal may be helpful when you first get your braces on.

Some foods are too hard for braces, because they can break wires or create damage that will have to be fixed by Dr. Marina Milstein. Avoiding the following snacks will prevent this from occurring:

• Hard candies
• Gum
• Nuts
• Popcorn
• Some hard raw vegetables or fruits (carrots, apples)
• Ice
• Chips

There are plenty of safe options for breakfast. They include eggs, yogurt, pancakes, oatmeal, soft toast, bananas, and even bacon.

For lunch, avoid hard or abrasive foods, undercooked vegetables, or apples. Safer options include a delicious stew, soft-breaded deli sandwich, or a mixed salad. Always be careful when biting into foods, and try to cut solid meal items into small chewable portions whenever possible.

A healthy braces-friendly dinner can come in many forms. Soft, steamed vegetables paired with a lean protein make a great option. The addition of rice or quinoa can complete the meal. Just remember to brush and floss after, because these small grains are likely to get stuck between braces and teeth.

During your treatment, Dr. Marina Milstein will tighten your braces at each checkup. Braces tightening can sometimes leave your teeth feeling sore afterward. During this time, we recommend picking soft food options until the pain goes away, such as:

• Pudding
• Mashed potatoes
• Soup
• Ice cream
• Cottage cheese
• Peas
• Pasta
• Yogurt
• Muffins

It’s also essential to pay close attention to your oral health routine. When food is stuck between braces, you’re more likely to experience plaque and decay buildup. If you want to keep your teeth from appearing discolored when your braces come off, keep up with brushing and flossing after every meal!

If you notice your braces are damaged after you’ve eaten a meal, contact our Granite Bay office to schedule an appointment right away. Our team is here to help with any issues that come up while you are in braces, and to answer any questions you may have about which foods you can and cannot eat.

It’s true that orthodontic braces can give you a beautiful smile. But did you know there are other benefits of having braces than just getting perfectly straight teeth? Dr. Marina Milstein and our team want you to understand the other positives that can come out of having braces and relate to your oral health.

When teeth are crooked or crowded, it’s hard to brush and floss effectively. When there isn’t enough space in your mouth, bacteria and plaque can build up between these teeth. This can lead to serious issues like tooth decay and gum disease. When braces correct the spacing between teeth, and get rid of the tight spaces, patients are able to brush and floss more effectively and not miss essential areas of the mouth.

Surprisingly, braces can also address speech problems. They can shift problem teeth that may be causing embarrassing speech impediments. When an overbite or underbite gets adjusted, patients can pronounce certain words more clearly.

Spaces between teeth may also cause whistling, which braces can fix by closing off the gaps. Word slurring can also be improved with the help of braces by realignment of the jaw or teeth, which opens room for your tongue to move with greater ease.

Braces can also be helpful in supporting the bones and tissues in your mouth. Braces move periodontal ligaments by stretching the connective tissues and nerves. The bones naturally rebuild once they’re settled in their new spot.

Without support from poorly aligned teeth, gum tissue can erode. Braces help prevent erosion of the gums, and will alleviate pressure from the jawbone by fixing a bad bite over time.

If teeth are misplaced, they may not break down food effectively before it enters your stomach. Teeth aid with digestion when you can thoroughly chew your food. If your teeth are badly placed, braces can straighten them for optimal alignment. Once you can chew properly with the help of braces, your food will be more easily and fully digested.

If you have questions regarding braces and how they can help you, contact our Granite Bay office and set up a consultation appointment. Braces can help with many oral health problems, and may save you a lot of money and time in the future.

If you’re not sure whether braces would be worth your time or money, consider the benefits above, and how they add to the value of this treatment. You’ll be getting more than just a beautiful smile!

Once you get your braces off, you want to make sure your smile remains straight! This is where retainers come in.

Once your braces come off, you’ll be fitted for a retainer provided by Dr. Marina Milstein to keep those teeth in place. A retainer is a custom-fit device that sits in the mouth and reinforces the new position of your teeth. Wearing it may be annoying at first, but it’s an essential part of the process of keeping your teeth in place over the long term.

For the first few months after your braces are gone, Dr. Marina Milstein will tell you to wear your custom retainers all the time, except when you’re eating, drinking, or brushing. You have the option of having a clear plastic retainer made if you’re concerned about your appearance.

Eventually, we will recommend that you only have to wear the retainer during each night for a full year. After that, you may take a couple nights off from wearing them each week. In order to preserve the position of your teeth for as long as possible, we don’t recommend that you ever fully stop wearing your retainers.

If you’re concerned about forgetting to wear your retainer, and worried that your teeth may shift, a lingual retainer could be a good option for you. This gets placed on the back of your teeth and is not readily visible.

These retainers are permanent, but they could cause issues for you down the road if you don’t maintain good oral hygiene. Plaque and tartar can build up around these lingual bars, which is why we don’t usually recommend this as a primary choice.

Wearing your retainer is extremely vital after your braces come off. Without your retainer to keep them in place, the teeth you’ve taken so long to fix may begin to shift again. Getting braces is quite an investment, which is why you should keep wearing your retainer long after the braces have come off.

If you have questions or concerns regarding your retainers, contact our Granite Bay office and we can address any problems you may have.