Orthodontists Brace For Halloween

By Nancy K. Crevier

Orthodontists and dentists across America are cringing as Halloween draws nigh, bringing with it toothaches and broken appliances as patients throw caution to the wind and overindulge in Halloween candy. Hard candy, in particular, is the bane of a tooth doctor’s existence.

“The jaw has 250 pounds of chewing force,” explained orthodontist Dr Curtis Beck, whose practice is on Mt Pleasant Road. “When you bite on one Jolly Rancher, it’s the equivalent of a 250-pound person standing on your little appliance attached to your tooth. The outcome,” he said, “is predictable…”

That is one reason that Dr Beck and other orthodontists in town are busy providing advice, recipes, and Halloween treats that will decrease the number of post-Halloween visits to repair broken braces and other sweets-related tooth disasters.

Bacteria in the mouth goes wild for sugar introduced to the environment, creating endotoxin, which causes periodontal disease, plaque, which allows bacteria to cling to the tooth surface and stay in the mouth, and acid, which slowly eats away at the surface of the tooth causing decay, said Dr Beck. “And with appliances,” he added, “there are more places for bacteria and plaque to hide — so extra diligence in brushing and flossing is needed.”

Dr Beck invites trick-or-treaters to stop by his 143 Mt Pleasant office this Halloween season to receive a free orange and black toothbrush.

At Dr Joshua Baum’s orthodontic office at 23 Church Hill Road, the staff has been working on gathering pink and blue “tooth fairy dust” since last November 1 to distribute to children from their tent in front of Edmond Town Hall on Main Street, Saturday, October 31, from 3 pm to dark. The Tooth Fairy will be there to hand out her fairy dust, along with approximately 7,000 toothbrushes.

If trick-or-treating turns out to be too bountiful, Dr Baum’s office will buy back extra candy. From November 2 through November 6, Dr Baum will pay $2 for every pound of candy brought to his office, up to ten pounds per client. The candy will be sent to troops overseas by Monroe Woman’s Club, said Dr Baum’s spokesperson, Karen Murphy.

Look for the Tooth Fairy and Dr Smile E. Fox from Dental Associates, 11 Church Hill Road, near the corner of Main Street by the flagpole, said Dr Aaron Gilman. He and Dr Patrick McGary will be there as well, handing out noncandy goodie bags to the thousands of trick-or-treaters expected on Saturday.

Dental Associates has provided some sweet advice the past several weeks to clients visiting the office, to get everyone through the Halloween season.

“Stay away from hard, sticky, or chewy foods,” suggests the literature, listing treats like taffy, caramel, popcorn, jelly beans, Jolly Ranchers, ice, raisins, hard corn chips, bubble gum, hard nuts, hard pretzels, Now & Laters, hard pizza crust, corn on the cob, and beef jerky as some of the most likely culprits in orthodontic problems.

On Tuesday, November 3, Dental Associates will sponsor its seventh annual candy buyback program. Return unwrapped candy to the office that day during office hours and receive $2 per pound, for up to ten pounds of treats. The candy will be donated to various local agencies in Danbury, Newtown, Trumbull, and New Milford, as well as to Operation Gratitude, which sends care packages to troops overseas.

“Enjoy the candy,” said Dr Beck, “but don’t forget to brush.”

From Dental Associates comes this recipe for a braces-friendly Halloween party treat:

 

Black and Orange Bon Bons

1 quart vanilla ice cream

½ cup powdered orange drink

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, in chunks

With a small ice cream scoop or melon baler, scoop balls of vanilla ice cream onto a cold cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. Place in the freezer to reset the ice cream balls to firm.

Put the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave at medium until liquid, about 1½ minutes. Stir every 30 seconds until melted. Be careful not to burn it.

Spread the orange drink powder onto a large plate. Roll the ice cream balls in powder and return them to the cookie sheet. Drizzle melted chocolate over ice cream balls. Return to freezer until time to serve.

Dr Baum’s office offers this Halloween punch filled with braces-safe ingredients:

 

Slimy Lime Fruit Punch

Powdered lemonade mix to make 2 quarts

1 peeled and sliced orange

1 sliced lime (approximately 1/8 -inch slices) 

1 pint raspberries

2 tubes red decorating gel

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon meringue powder

2 liters seltzer

10 drops green food coloring

4 drops yellow food coloring

Squeeze red gel down the inside of 12 small, clear glasses. Let dry for ten minutes.

In an extra large bowl, combine lemonade mix, sugar, and meringue powder. Slowly pour in seltzer, whisking until combined. Stir in green and yellow food coloring. Add slice fruit and berries for color.

Pour punch into glasses and serve.