Eating with Braces

As you may know, eating with braces can be quite difficult. From getting food stuck in your wires to breaking a bracket with each bite, there must be a solution! The Corbridge Orthodontics team is excited to share our solution with you all. Below is our Summer Braces Recipe guide, broken out by meals to help our patients with braces continue to eat the way they’d like to while staying on track to a perfect smile!

Summer Braces Recipe Guide

Starting from the most important meal of the day all the way to a midnight snack, gain some great meal inspiration from our Summer Braces Recipe Guide below.

Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Who wants to start their day off with difficulty eating? Not us! Here are some of our favorite, go-to breakfasts for braces:

• Yogurt & Granola
• Fruit Smoothies
• Soft Fruit Bowls (Bananas, Berries, Peaches, Pears - be sure to cut up all fruit instead of biting into them!)
• Oatmeal
• Eggs & Toast (We love scrambled!)
• French Toast (Pair with fruit to gain all of the healthy nutrients!)
• Pancakes (Pair with fruit to gain all of the healthy nutrients!)

Lunch

Whether you’re off to camp or work this Summer, these easy and packable lunch items will make your day easier by not breaking a bracket!

• Sandwiches (Use soft bread & tear the crust off)
• Tuna Salad
• Chicken Salad
• Egg Salad
• Leaf Salad (Without hard vegetables or croutons)
• Cold Soup

Dinner

End your day with a nutritious and delicious meal that you can be sure won’t get stuck in your braces wires or brackets.

• Rice & Vegetable Stir Fry
• Meatloaf
• Pasta (Over-cooked so that the texture is soft)
• Spaghetti and Meatballs
• Mashed Potatoes
• Salmon or Soft Cooked Meat & Soft Vegetables (Like steamed broccoli)
• Summer Quinoa Salad

Snacks

Of course, we couldn’t leave out snacks! We want to make sure our patients with braces have good options top-of-mind for when they get hungry in between meals.

• Apple Sauce
• Jello
• Pudding
• Soft Fruit Salad (Bananas, Berries, Peaches, Pears - be sure to cut up all fruit instead of biting into them!)
• Yogurt
• Fruit Smoothie

Foods to Avoid

In order to make sure that your braces dental treatment remains intact throughout all meals, try your best to avoid the following foods:

• Hard Snacks (Pretzels, Popcorn, Nuts, Chip, etc.)
• Gum
• Hard or Sticky Candy
• Biting into Hard Fruits (Apples)
• Corn on the Cob

Enjoy Your Summer with a Full Stomach

Eliminate your worries this Summer by adding these recommended meals into your meal rotation! Your braces & your smile will be sure to thank you. Before you hit the beach, contact our office if you have any questions or concerns or schedule an appointment today!

5 Holiday Activities to Do in Frisco, TX

At Corbridge Orthodontics, our mission is to help patients of all ages throughout Frisco, Prosper, and the surrounding areas achieve a beautiful, healthy smile through quality orthodontic treatment. But as your dedicated orthodontic practice, we want to go above and beyond simply giving you a new smile: we want to help you use it, too! With the holiday season in full swing, here are our recommendations on some great holiday activities in Frisco that are sure to put a smile on your face.

Best Things to Do for the Holidays in Frisco

Looking for a little holiday cheer without heading out too far? That's easy! Here are 5 wonderful holiday activities that will bring smiles to the whole family, all located right in our own backyard:

• "Elf" The Broadway Musical: Broadway is coming to Frisco! Be sure to catch the holiday-themed "Elf" musical through the Dallas Summer Musical Series. While you're at it, find other great shows to see over the holidays!
• Pet Night with Santa: Want to get the family pooch in on the holiday action? Stop by the Stonebriar Centre for pet night with Santa!
• See Magical Ice Sculptures: Step into a real wonderland at the Gaylord Texan Convention Center, where you'll find a magical landscape of scenes inspired by "Rudolf the Rednosed Reindeer" carved into more than 2 million pounds of ice.
• Holidays in the Park at Six Flags: Looking for an excuse to visit Six Flags? You've found one. Head to the famous amusement park during the holidays to find special interactive exhibits that celebrate the holiday cheer.
• Snowland: Visit the Great Wolf Lodge for Snowland, a playground of magical decorations, holiday activities, and even a life-size gingerbread house!

Contact Your Prosper, TX Orthodontist

We hope these activities bring plenty of holiday cheer to you and your family, and once you're done with all that smiling, we're here to help make yours even brighter. Contact us today to learn how orthodontic treatment can help you achieve the smile of your dreams and to schedule your initial consultation. We can't wait to hear from you, and we wish you a very happy holiday season!

As your trusted orthodontist in Frisco, Prosper, and Little Elm, Texas, we at Corbridge Orthodontics are glad to provide you with the utmost in orthodontic care throughout your entire orthodontic process. When you finish your Frisco, Texas braces or Invisalign treatment, it doesn’t mean that you can slack off with your retainer though! Your retainer requires constant cleaning; you’ll want to clean it at least once a day to make sure that there’s no food or bacteria on it. We’ll be glad to give you help about the cleaning process; since there are different kinds of retainers (removable and fixed), we’ll give you instructions on cleaning each type.

Cleaning Removable Retainers

For Hawley and plastic (aligner) retainers, you’ll be able to remove your retainer to clean them. We recommend following these steps:

• You’ll first want to rinse your retainer immediately after removal to get rid of any food before it hardens. Either cool or warm water is okay to use.

• Soak your retainer in water along with a cleaning solution and let it sit for five minutes. Baking soda is actually an effective cleaning solution to use as well.

• Using a soft-bristled toothbrush, scrub your retainer clean, making sure to get inside all of the nooks and crannies.

• After you’re finished, make sure to rinse it again thoroughly. You won’t want to put it back in your mouth when you still have any cleaning solution on it.

Cleaning Fixed Retainers

Because fixed retainers are bonded to your teeth, you won’t be able to utilize the same methods to clean them. Instead, we recommend flossing them to keep them clean using this technique:

• First, grab about a six-inch piece of floss along with a floss threader. Thread the floss between two of your teeth.

• Hold one end of the floss with one hand and the other with the floss threader.

• After you get the floss under your retainer wire, move it up and down between the teeth, making sure to get to the gum line.

• Slide the floss sideways toward the next area that you’re going to clean. Pull it down until it’s between your teeth.

• Continue this until you’ve flossed between each tooth that’s attached to your fixed retainer.

Contact Your Prosper, Little Elm and Frisco, Texas Orthodontist Today!

If you have any further questions about our retainers, we encourage you to contact us. If you’re interested in our Frisco, Texas orthodontics, including Invisalign and braces, please feel free to give us a call at (214) 705-6188. We hope to hear from you soon!

Spring is in full season, and we know many of our patients are very happy about that fact. Spring is always an enjoyable time of year, and as the temperatures start to warm up, we're always happy to see our patient athletes out on the field doing what we do best. But if you or your child is involved in playing a sport, wearing a mouthguard is absolutely critical for dental and orthodontic health. While it may not seem obvious, even non-contact sports pose a serious threat to braces and teeth, and a custom made mouthguard is the only way to protect your orthodontics from damage during play.

What Is a Custom Made Mouthguard?

A mouthguard is an oral appliance that protects teeth and orthodontic appliances like braces from damage during sports and other activities. The mouthguard holds the teeth in one place, helping to prevent them from biting together from a collision, and it also provides a layer of cushion and protection for both the teeth and braces. While many stores sell over-the-counter mouthguards, these aren't designed to fit your specific mouth and will rarely fit if you have braces. The only way to ensure protection is to have your own mouthguard custom made to fit your bite.

Why Wear a Mouthguard?

If you or your child is an athlete getting orthodontic treatment, a custom made mouthguard is the only way to safeguard your teeth and braces. Orthodontics is an investment in your best asset, and without a mouthguard, you're 60 times more likely to suffer an injury to your teeth or braces – something that could easily derail your treatment and necessitate costly repairs! A mouthguard is a simple, low-cost way to protect your teeth and braces, and getting one couldn't be easier.

Schedule an Appointment with Your Frisco, Little Elm, & Prosper, TX Orthodontist

Whether you're playing lacrosse, track and field, or even quidditch, a custom made mouthguard is essential to protecting your teeth during sports games and practices. If you'd like to get a mouthguard for yourself or your child, we'd be thrilled to help – and the process is easy. Just use our easy online form to schedule an appointment at our Frisco, TX office and we'll fit you for your very own custom mouthguard. If you have more questions about mouthguards or life with braces, feel free to give us a call at (214) 705-6188 or reach out to us at our contact page. We look forward to hearing from you, and we hope to see you back at this blog soon for more tips on orthodontics and keeping your smile healthy and beautiful!

At Corbridge Orthodontics, we’re proud to offer those in and around Prosper, Little Elm, and Frisco, TX the best when it comes to orthodontics, including our braces and Invisalign treatments. As your trusted orthodontist, we don’t only want to provide you with a straighter smile – we want to provide you with a healthier smile as well. In order to help you achieve a higher level of oral hygiene during your orthodontic treatment, we’ll be more than happy to give you a few simple tips.

Remember to Brush Often

While brushing twice a day (after breakfast and before bedtime) is recommended for most people, patients who are wearing braces should brush their teeth four times a day. The reason for this is because braces allow for many places in a patient’s mouth where food can get trapped. When food is trapped inside your mouth for a long period of time, it can eat away at your tooth enamel and cause cavities. When you’re wearing braces, it’s important to be strict with your brushing habits so that you don’t develop any cavities. We recommend brushing once after every meal and then again right before you go to bed.

Watch What You Eat

One of the most common causes for developing tooth decay is from eating harmful foods. While you’ll have to avoid hard foods and sticky foods when you wear braces because of the damage they can cause to your orthodontics, it’s also important to limit the sugary and acidic foods you eat. Acidic foods will eat away at your tooth enamel while sugary foods will cause bacteria in your mouth to produce more of these damaging acids. Some of the foods we recommend limiting include:

• Cookies
• Cake
• Candy
• Soda
• Energy Drinks
• Fruit Juices
• Pineapples
• Pickles

Our March Event

We’d also like to take this time to mention that during the month of March, we gave out tickets to see Beauty and the Beast. It was wonderful seeing so many of our patients there! We all had a great time watching the movie and we hope you’ll come by and join us for our next family-friendly event!

Contact Your Prosper, Little Elm, and Frisco, TX Orthodontist Today!

If you’re looking for orthodontics, such as braces or Invisalign, in or around Prosper, Little Elm, or Frisco, TX, we encourage you to give us a call at (214) 705-6188. Alternatively, you can fill out our online appointment request form. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or comments. We look forward to hearing from you and helping you attain a healthier smile!

Lend a helping hand this holiday season by donating canned food to Corbridge Orthodontics’ office. Here is your chance to help those less fortunate by gathering canned food and bringing it to our Frisco, Texas office. We are also providing people with more incentive to donate by offering a chance to receive Corbridge Coins. For every 5 items donated, you will receive 3 Corbridge Coins! This opportunity to contribute to our Annual Food Drive ends December 16th, so remember to donate before then.

Donate To A Great Cause

All the donations we receive at Corbridge Orthodontics will go to Frisco Family Services Food Pantry. The Frisco Family Services Food Pantry is the most utilized service of the agency, distributing over 47,000 pounds a month and serving more than 3,700 individuals. With your generous donation, the Frisco community can use their financial resources on other expenses during their time of need.

Most Needed Items

Non-perishable foods

• Boxed Meal Helpers (hamburger helper)

• Canned Tomatoes

• Dry Beans

• Tomato Sauce

• Condiments (ketchup, mayonnaise, jam, jelly, dressing, etc...)

• Canned Fruit and fruit cups

• Sugar

• Flour Cooking oil

• Canned beans

• Canned vegetables

• Snack items

• Breakfast bars

• Cereal

Personal Care Items

• Soap

• Conditioner

• Shampoo

• Toothpaste

For Babies

• Diapers size 3,4,5

• Pull ups

Other Most Needed Items

• Laundry Detergent (smaller containers; 64 load size or smaller)

• Household Cleaners

• Dish washing Liquid (smaller containers)

• Disinfectant spray

• Household disinfectant wipes

• Toilet bowl cleaner

Visit Your Local Prosper & Little Elm Orthodontic Office Today

Give back to your community today by visiting Corbridge Orthodontics and donating to our Annual Food Drive. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions about the food drive or just general questions about our orthodontic practice!

Providing Pumpkins To Dental Offices Around Frisco, Prosper, & Little Elm, TX

That’s right, Dr. Corbridge is back at it again with a new batch of pumpkins to send out to our local dental offices around Frisco, Prosper, & Little Elm, TX. If you happen to remember this from last year, we saw great success in sending out pumpkins with decorating kits to the local offices. From here, the offices all found interesting and creative ways to decorate their pumpkins, and show off the results to their patients. In 2015, we saw some pretty cool submissions- from traditional jack-o-lanterns, to painted pumpkins featuring Disney characters, there was a pretty awesome assortment in and around our communities last year. As such, Dr. Corbridge wanted to rally and see the same success this year!

Why Does Dr. Corbridge Do This?

The answer is far simpler than you might imagine. It’s because he wants to! Dr. Corbridge and staff are always trying to think up fun ways here and there to get engagement from the local dental community, and see what are some small little things we can do to help make our patients’ dental experience better. Whether you are going in for a dental cleaning with one of our neighboring dentists, or seeing Dr. Corbridge for your orthodontic Invisalign treatment, you should be coming into offices that celebrate fall, and all the fantastic things represented in this season. We may not have a pumpkin spiced latte machine, but we think this is a close second.

Following the decoration process, once all the pumpkins were spruced up by the dentists and their teams, our team from Corbridge Orthodontics would come back around and collect the pumpkins so that they could be displayed at the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas. Helping to provide a little bit of decoration for the families of this great charity is just a little something we try to do on a yearly basis, and we are proud of the accomplishments we’ve made working with them.

As for the dentists, they're in it for the competition. Each office is designated to decorate a pumpkin, but after we collect them, each pumpkin is rated and voted for. As for the top three winners who've decorated the best pumpkins, the entire staff of that office receives an awesome prize! The prizes this year are:

1. Grand Prize: $50 gift cards to Top Golf
2. Runner-up: $30 gift cards o a dine in movie theater
3. 3rd place: Dr. Corbridge caters lunch to the entire office

Come By Our Frisco Office Today!

Want to see OUR cool new pumpkin? Want to know how we plan to decorate this premier produce for our office and the Ronald McDonald house? Well you’ll just have to come by the office to find out! If it’s been awhile since your last orthodontic check up, or if you are considering undergoing your own orthodontic treatment for the first time, please contact us today and schedule an appointment! We’d love to see you come by visit us, so call today!

Even though most patients wearing braces experience a trouble-free treatment process, sometimes accidents can occur that can damage braces and cause injuries to the mouth, inside of the cheeks or lips. At Corbridge Orthodontics, we tell our patients to contact us right away if an accident occurs wherein their braces are damaged or broken. We will then do our best to work the patient into our schedule so they can come into our Frisco & Prosper orthodontics practice to have their appliances repaired.

If your lip becomes caught in your braces due to a sporting injury or just by accident, the first thing to do is to gently remove your lip from the braces. This can be temporarily uncomfortable but it is necessary so that healing can begin. Then we recommend placing a cold pack on the face over the affected area to reduce swelling. You can then place some wax over the part of your braces that is catching on your lips so it doesn’t happen again. Then contact our office for further directions. We may have you come in so we can see why this happened or we may give you some instructions and then see you at your next regularly scheduled appointment.

Importance of Wearing a Protective Mouthguard

Whenever you’re playing organized sports or taking part in any activity that puts you at risk for a facial or mouth injury, it’s important to wear a protective mouthguard that fits right over your braces. A mouthguard will protect your teeth and braces in case of a hard blow, a fall or a strike to the face.

Mouthguard made specifically for people wearing braces can be purchased at many sporting goods stores and online. Some brand names to watch for include ShockDoctor and UnderArmour. Your mouthguard should be looked at as a very important piece of sporting equipment you should carry with you so you can pop it in when you’re being active to protect your mouth, teeth and braces.

Contact Corbridge Orthodontics

If you have any questions about your braces or treatment or need some more tips for handling common emergencies, please contact us as we’re always happy to speak with you! We want all our patients to have an enjoyable, trouble-free orthodontic experience so they can get their straight, healthy and attractive smiles as quickly as possible!

Great Springtime Recipes for Anyone Wearing Braces

Wearing braces can be hard on children, especially when it comes time to enjoy holiday foods and treats. Luckily, spring is the perfect time to enjoy healthy foods that are also safe for kids with braces. Here are a couple recipes that our Frisco & Little Elm orthodontics team would like to share.

Springtime Fruit Salad

Fresh fruit salad makes a great dessert or snack. Just be sure the slice the apples and strawberries into small pieces before adding them to the mixture.

Ingredients:

• 1 pint of fresh blueberries
• ½ cup of sliced strawberries
• ½ cup of sliced apple (choose a soft variety)
• 1 cup sliced cantaloupe or other seasonal melon
• 1 cup red or green grapes (cut in half if large)
• 1 container of low sugar vanilla yogurt

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Stir gently to avoid mashing blueberries and strawberries. Serve immediately or chill for an hour before sharing. Can be refrigerated for up to a week.

Pasta Salad

Another delicious combination of soft foods, pasta salad is a favorite of kids and adults alike. Try combining different dressings and vegetable combinations for new flavors.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces of cooked whole wheat pasta; try spiral, bow tie, shell, or elbow shapes
• 1 cup fresh peas (or frozen peas that have been thawed)
• ½ cup chopped broccoli florets; cooked
• ½ cup chopped black olives
• ½ cup shredded carrot; raw or cooked till soft
• ½ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• 3 – 5 Tbsp of low-fat Italian dressing
• A sprinkling of grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Begin by preparing pasta according to directions on the package. While the pasta is cooking, prepare vegetables. Steaming will make vegetables softer. Drain and rinse pasta, then add pasta to vegetable mixture in a large bowl. Pour the measured portion of dressing onto pasta and vegetable mixture then toss to coat. Refrigerate for an hour to chill, or serve warm. Add parmesan cheese before serving.

Make Hygiene Part of Snacking

Anyone wearing braces should be sure to clean their teeth after eating, including after snacks. This will prevent food from getting lodged in the small spaces between wires and teeth. Dental hygiene is an important part of wearing braces, so plan ahead.

Your Source for Orthodontic Care

If you have questions about what foods are good for your young orthodontic patient, please contact Corbridge Orthodontics. You can schedule an appointment with Dr. Jared K. Corbridge by calling (214)705-6188 or by sending us an appointment request online.

Giving Out Cool New T-Shirts to the Patients at Corbridge Orthodontics

Hi everyone! Spring is in full bloom here in Frisco, and it’s time to trade in the coats and jackets of winter and look forward to a vibrant and fun spring fashion line designed by the staff here at Corbridge Orthodontics. That’s right, you didn’t misread that last sentence; our team at Corbridge Orthodontics wants to give your child a t-shirt that is just as bright and beautiful as their smile.

So How do you get them?

Great question! There are a few ways to obtain one of these fantastic t-shirts. First, to all our fantastic patients whom we‘ve the pleasure of working with each and every day, you can obtain a Corbridge Orthodontics t-shirt when you exchange your Corbridge Coins into the front receptionist area. Remember, you can obtain Corbridge Coins for good orthodontic behavior and certain special occasions. So always be on the lookout for ways to get some of our Corbridge currency! In the event you happen to grow out of your old shirt, be sure to let us know at your next appointment. We will replace your t-shirt, FREE OF CHARGE!

For those who are not currently a patient of Dr. Corbridge, you can obtain a t-shirt too! Simply come in for a complimentary consultation. Dr. Corbridge will look into your mouth and determine what, if any, orthodontic treatment is required. And that’s it! Once you have gone through the consultation process, Dr. Corbridge will get you your very own cool Corbridge Orthodontics t-shirt.

Lastly, in order to prevent any envy between siblings about who gets to receive a Corbridge Orthodontics t-shirt, we also offer our branded clothing to siblings as well. We completely understand the competitive nature of siblings, so we do what we can to make sure everyone can reap the benefits of our office’s apparel perks!

Since these t-shirts can be obtained by just about everyone, there is no reason why you shouldn’t be wearing a Corbridge Orthodontics t-shirt this spring. Simply come by the office and pick up your t-shirt at your next orthodontic appointment.

Contact Us To Make Sure we Have Your T-Shirt Size

There are few things worse than getting pumped up for a brand new shirt and having your hopes let down when the shirt isn’t in your size. In order to prevent this from happening, you are more than welcome to reach out to anyone on our staff here at Corbridge Orthodontics. We’ll check our inventory and determine if we have stock available in your size. To give us a call, simply pick up the phone and dial (214)705-6188. We look forward to hearing from you soon!