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When coming to our office to have braces put on, you may find yourself feeling a bit intimidated and nervous about the experience. We hope to help you feel more at ease by explaining exactly what the different parts of braces are, and what they do.

Parts of Braces

• Elastic Tie — This is a very small rubber band, and it holds the archwire in place.
• Archwire — This is the main part of the braces. It is a wire guide that tracks the teeth. The wire may be moved from time to time during treatment to continue straightening a patient's teeth.
• Loop in Archwire — This is not in all braces. If it is used, it is to close a gap left from a tooth extraction.
• Bracket — This piece of equipment holds the archwire in place. Formerly, many patients used colored rubber bands to keep the brackets in place, but now since most brackets are cemented on, this is no longer necessary.
• Headgear Tube — This is a hollow area near the back bands, which allows the headgear to fit into the braces. This is only used on patients who require headgear.
• Coil Spring — If needed, this would fit between a bracket and the main archwire. Its purpose is to open up the space between the teeth. This is not necessarily used on all patients.
• Tie Wire — This is another piece of equipment that is used to keep the archwire in place. It is a thin wire that wraps around the bracket.
• Band — This is a metal band that fits completely around a tooth. It is used to help adhere brackets to the tooth.
• Hook — This is the piece of equipment that is used to attach the elastics, also known as rubber bands, around the bracket.
• Elastic — These elastics are used to connect one point of the appliance to another. The purpose is to apply pressure, and encourage the teeth to move into the proper positioning.

By defining each appliance we hope you or your child will be less apprehensive about getting braces put on. At the end of your treatment, you will have a bright, straight smile to show off to all of your friends.

Keeping your teeth clean is more important than ever when you have braces! Food bits have more spots than usual to hide in your mouth, so you must be diligent in order to avoid bad breath, swollen gums, discolored teeth and cavities. If you remove plaque regularly during treatment, you'll experience better results and shorter treatment time. Keep plaque at bay with these top ten tips:

1. One tooth at a time. When you brush, take time with each individual tooth – at least 10 seconds each – and pay careful attention to the spots where your teeth touch your braces.
2. It’s all about the angles. Brush the tops of your teeth and braces with your brush angled down toward where they meet. Brush the bottoms of your teeth and braces with your brush angled up.
3. The tooth, the whole tooth, nothing but the tooth. While the front surface of your teeth may seem like the most logical to clean, it’s equally important to clean the inner surface of your teeth (tongue side) as well as the chewing surface. And be sure to clean along your gum line – a key spot for plaque buildup.
4. Step 1: eat, step 2: clean. While you’re in treatment, it’s important to brush after every meal. Bits of food can easily get caught between braces and teeth, and these food bits interact with bacteria in your mouth to cause decay. The longer food is in contact with your teeth, the greater opportunity for plaque to form. If you are eating somewhere that you can’t brush, thoroughly rinse your mouth with water.
5. Like a Boy Scout, always be prepared. The easiest way to be sure you can brush after every meal is to get in the habit of taking a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss with you wherever you go. Designate a special container just for your teeth-cleaning tools and keep it in your purse, backpack, or laptop case.
6. Remove the moving parts. If you have elastic bands or headgear, remove these parts before you brush or floss.
7. Fluoride is your friend. Fluoride helps prevent cavities. Be sure to brush with fluoride toothpaste, and rinse with fluoride mouthwash.
8. Pointy brushes reach tiny places. Interproximal brushes (sometimes called proxa brushes or interdental brushes) are cone-shaped and come in very handy for reaching spots around your braces that standard brushes can’t.
9. Find the floss for you. Regular floss works for some patients, but others find it easier to work with a floss threader, which helps you get the floss into tight places. Other patients like an all-in-one product called Superfloss, which comes with a stiff end for easy threading, a spongy section for cleaning wide spaces, and regular floss for narrow spaces.
10. Make time for the pros. It’s your job to take care of the everyday cleaning. But make sure to visit your dentist regularly while in treatment, to get the deep, thorough cleaning that only a professional can provide. If you need help finding the right Dentist for you, feel free to contact our office - we’d love to help!

We hope this helps, and remember to give our team a call if you ever have any questions!

See Chocorua's Beauty:
The 3,480-foot Mount Chocorua in Albany appears as you round a bend on Route 16. The picturesque mountain is steeped in legend, and happens to be one of the most heavily hiked mountains in the region. From the bare summit, you'll spot the Presidential Range and the majestic Mount Washington to the north, and the Sandwich Range to the west. The views are simply breathtaking all around.

Stand Beneath the Arch:
Tilton's Arch, also known as the Memorial Arch, sits atop a hillside in Northfield. The arch, a replica of a Roman Arch, was built in the late 1800's as a memorial to the ancestors of Charles E. Tilton — who, as the town's wealthiest citizen, also donated several other statues throughout town. The arch, which is made of Concord Granite, stands 50 feet tall, and 40 feet wide. Take in the surrounding views from the arch, and marvel at its size.

Ride the Rails:
From spring through fall, the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad takes visitors on excursions around Lake Winnipesaukee, leaving from Meredith Bay to Weirs Beach and onto Paugus Bay before making a return trip to Weirs and back to Meredith. The train offers one and two hour trips, carrying passengers on a 7-mile waterfront journey. In the fall, foliage trains offer visitors different routes, including a four-hour trip from Meredith to Livermore Falls and an all-day excursion to Lincoln. Jump on board for an exciting ride 'round the lake or all the way into the White Mountains.

Feed Your Sweet Tooth:
Kellerhaus is the oldest candy shop in New Hampshire. Stop by and choose from their vast collection of chocolates, traditional candy shoppe favorites, fudge, nuts and maple products. Located at Weirs Beach, Kellerhaus also makes ribbon candy by hand, one of the few places in the world to still make it that way. During the summer months, the shop is well-known for their ice cream sundae buffet. Pile on the toppings and enjoy this one-of-a-kind treat.

Newfound, Long Lost Lake:
Newfound Lake has a hidden beauty all its own. Located in the town of Bristol, the lake is the more peaceful of its cousin to the east. Newfound has some distinctive features too, including a lighthouse that can be viewed from the roadway, adjacent to Paradise Lodge on Route 3A. Take a ride over to Profile Falls in Bristol, enjoy a dip in the pool and a waterfall shower.

Go to Gunstock:
Where else can you go mountain biking, hiking, fishing, tubing, and ziplining all in one place? Gunstock Mountain Resort, located in Gilford, has it all. Watch the boarders at the skate park, take a scenic lift ride, rent a paddle boat, do a Segway tour, or enjoy New England's largest aerial obstacle course at their Mountain Adventure Park. Their many hiking trails will take you through the Belknap Range and lead you to stunning views of the surrounding Presidential and Sandwich Ranges, Lake Winnipesaukee and the Ossipee Mountain Range. You definitely can't squeeze it all into one day, so plan to spend some time on the mountain.

Drive IN:
The Weirs Beach Drive In, one of only 4 still existing in New Hampshire today, is a popular Weirs Beach attraction during the summer. It's been in operation since 1949 during the heyday of Drive-In Theaters.

Explore the caves:
Polar Caves in Rumney is a unique geological spot. Formed by massive boulders nearly 50,000 years ago when the third continental glacier moved southward over New Hampshire's White Mountains, the Polar Caves features naturally-made caves, passages and trails. The nature trails are (sometimes) man-made, as you'll walk through a pine forest to get to the caves. There is a covered bridge, a maple sugar shack and museum, and even a sluice and mines where you can pan for gold, gems or fossils on the premises.

A spot of fun:
Funspot, at Weirs Beach, is the largest arcade in the world. 'Nuff said. Ok, we'll elaborate a bit more. It has over 500 games for all ages, include skee-ball, pinball, bingo, and all of your favorite video games from the 80s. They are the site of an annual International Classic Video Game Tournament each year. It's the coolest "spot" on the list, if you're a kid, or simply remember being a kid!

Take a look at this years SPIRIT WEEK Themed Days and get ready to have some summer fun with the Kennell Ortho team!

This is a week you won't want to miss! 

• All patients who participate will receive 25 BONUS rewards points!!!
• Did we mention ice cream?! We will also be handing out ice cream to our patients during this week. From Monday July 11th-Friday July 15th
• Come in and don't miss the fun!!!

We would also like to mention we will be having a patient appreciation night!

(Movie ,Food, Prizes provided) All you have to do is visit our Facebook page and RVSP.

When: Friday August 26th

Where: Smitty's Cinema Tilton NH

Time: 5pm-8pm

We look forward to seeing you there!