Teeth-friendly Fruits & Vegetables No. 1: Apples

Many parents believe that the only way their children can maintain clean and healthy teeth is by brushing and flossing alone. Yet, the truth is that many different types of fruits and vegetables offer additional benefits.

Why Apples?

Unpeeled apples are one of the best teeth-friendly fruits that adults and children can eat.

Texture Benefits

Their crunchy, fibrous nature makes them a natural toothbrush that can remove other food particles, root-level plaque buildup and some yellow stains while stimulating the gums. Although their sugar content means that they can't replace a toothbrush, toothpaste, flossing and mouthwash, eating them as a snack can help keep the mouth healthy between morning and nighttime at-home cleanings.

Chewing Benefits

Whenever a person chews food, the salivary glands in the mouth immediately start to increase the flow of saliva. This fluid is important because it rinses away any stray food particles that can cause cavities. Saliva also contains a lot of vitamins and minerals that help rebuild tooth enamel.

What about Peeled Apples?

Peeled ones help to some extent, but to a far lesser degree than unpeeled ones. Without the fibrous peel and unprocessed crunchy texture, small particles act just like particles from non-beneficial foods. Their sugar content, when their made into sauce, juice and other processed foodstuffs, can also be a lot higher. As a result, the particles stick to teeth and braces far easier than larger, less sticky-sweet pieces. As peeled ones require less chewing, they also do not provide as many saliva-related teeth cleaning and repair benefits.

For more information about the benefits of these and other teeth-friendly fruits, contact the experienced orthodontist Stafford team of Beecroft Orthodontics at 540-659-6300 today!

Beyond the orthodontist Stafford can offer, Beecroft also has experienced teams waiting to answer questions in Fredericksburg at 540-898-2200 and in King George 540-775-2022.

Beecroft Orthodontics - 10472 Georgetown Dr, Fredericksburg, VA22553 Phone: 540 898 2200

Teeth-friendly Fruits & Vegetables No. 1: Apples

Orthodontic Fact #4: "A brace is one type of dental appliance that an orthodontist can use depending on the patient’s needs.

Visit a Knowledgeable Orthodontist

Each patient visiting an orthodontist’s office has specialized needs that require customized dental appliances to correct deformities of the mouth or jaw. This orthodontic fact means that one patient may need to wear traditional braces made of metal wires and brackets while another one needs:

• Clear plastic aligners • Headgear • Retainers • Lingual braces

Whatever a patient requires, it is best to visit a knowledgeable orthodontist for a complete evaluation that includes three-dimensional imaging. With top-of-the-line diagnostic equipment, an orthodontist is able to determine the best type of dental appliances for a child, teenager or adult to wear to improve their dental bite and appearance.

Orthodontic Treatment is Available for Different Age Groups

In the past, patients had to wear orthodontic devices for many years, but today new visualization techniques with computer software has reduced the time needed to correct malocclusions. Patients with small problems such as a few gaps between their teeth might only need to wear aligners for a year. Alternatively, a patient with many crooked teeth may need to wear a combination of lingual braces and headgear for several years to get a fantastic smile and sturdy bite. It is important to remember that no matter what a person’s age, wearing braces can improve both physical and emotional health.

Contact Us for a Complimentary Consultation

An Invisalign for teen Stafford, Va., orthodontist is available at Beecroft Orthodontics. Finding an orthodontic facility near to home, work and school is essential to have checkups while wearing any type of braces. If a busy mom said I wanted to find a pediatric dentist near me for my child’s quick dental appointments after school, then having a nearby orthodontist is also important. For a complimentary consultation from Dr. Matt Beecroft, contact us with a telephone call or online form at our website to schedule an appointment.

Beecroft Orthodontics, 10472 Georgetown Dr. Fredericksburg, Virginia

Phone: 540-898-2200

Orthodontic Fact #4: "A brace is one type of dental appliance that an orthodontist can use depending on the patient’s needs.

Orthodontic Fact #3: Greeks fashioned a catgut to correct teeth deformities

If you and your kids lived in Ancient Greece's dark ages around 1000 BC, this is what life would be like: war, chariot races, helmets decorated with boar tusks, slavery, mud houses with holes for windows, arranged marriages at age fifteen, and a diet of bread, cheese, and fish (or figs, rabbits and peacock eggs if you were wealthy!) If you got ill, or if anything about your child needed to be fixed, there were no doctors around to help you. Instead, you would have to sacrifice your best livestock or freshest fruits or vegetables to the gods and spend the night in his or her temple. This was long before sophisticated doctors, surgeons, and orthodontists!

Ancient Orthodontic Tools

Although there were not any trained orthodontists 1000 BC, that did not stop brave people from trying to correct their teeth deformities. Instead of the smooth, petite, perfectly shaped metal braces that orthodontists have today, the Greeks stuffed their mouths with metal catgut strips. To try to picture what this looked like, imagine a surgeon’s sutures that are made of bronze or iron, and that they are as thick as bass guitar strings. To protect the person’s tongue and gums from the harsh iron, the catgut strips were lined with animal parts, specifically goat or sheep intestines! If your child ever complains about having to wear braces, be sure to let him know that it could be worse! He could be walking around school with sheep in his mouth! Adults and kids alike back then would have been astounded by modern inventions like Invisalign aligners!

Modern Medicine

Luckily for you the staff at Beecroft Orthodontics of Invisalign King George, Invisalign Teen Stafford, and the office in Fredericksburg, Virginia, have no intention of putting any part of an animal's digestive tract in your son or daughter's mouth! With Invisalign aligners, moms get the straightened teeth they want and kids do not have to hide their smile while it is getting fixed.

Beecroft Orthodontics, 10472 Georgetown Dr. Fredericksburg, Virginia

Phone: 540-898-2200

Orthodontic Fact #3: "In 1000 BC, the ancient Greeks fashioned a catgut or metal strips with goat or sheep intestines to correct teeth deformities. Be thankful that you are living in the 20th century."