Vote for Dr. Chung as NJ's Favorite Kids’ Orthodontist

Last Year, Dr. Christopher Chung was voted as a Top Orthodontist by New Jersey Family magazine and the time to cast your vote for NJ’s Favorite Kids’ Docs and Exceptional Pediatric Health Care Professionals has come again. Dr. Chung and our dedicated team at Smile Solutions work hard every day to ensure that our patients’ experience with orthodontic treatment is nothing less than exceptional and we would greatly appreciate your vote for NJ’s Favorite Kids’ Orthodontist.

CLICK HERE and cast your vote for Dr. Christopher Chung and Smile Solutions.

We greatly appreciate your vote of confidence, have a great day!

-Dr. Chung and team

WIN an iPad 2!

Show the world your totally terrific teeth! Put on your creativity cap and draw, color, paint, collage, or sculpt a piece of art describing your teeth and why you love them! When you’re finished, take a digital picture of your creation, or scan it in and save it in JPG format. CLICK HERE to submit the JPG file to us. Our Totally Terrific judges will review each beautiful piece of art and pick three winners who will receive an iPad 2! Contest ends June 30th, 2011.

Good luck everyone!!

-Dr. Christopher Chung and team

April is National Facial Protection Month!

With spring here, many children, teens and adults will once again pick up the ball, bring the bat out of seasonal retirement, and lace up their cleats to hit the fields for the return of spring sports! April is National Facial Protection Month, and during this time, Dr. Christopher Chung and our dedicated team urge our young athletes to play it safe when out on the field. If you play sports and are undergoing orthodontic treatment with Smile Solutions, it's important that you consult Dr. Chung for special precautions, such as wearing a mouth guard. A protective mouth guard is advised for playing spring sports such as baseball, soccer, lacrosse and others. Be sure, however, to avoid mouth guards that custom form to your teeth as these will resist any tooth movements we are trying to achieve.

In case of any accident involving the face, check your mouth and the appliances immediately. If teeth are loosened or the appliances damaged, please schedule an appointment with our office. And don’t forget to ask us — we offer mouth guards and your first one is complimentary.

Only by using a mouth guard and other forms of facial protection can kids with and without braces avoid serious sports injuries. Please give us a call if you have any questions about mouth guards or your treatment.

Flossing with Braces 101

Dr. Christopher Chung will tell you that 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 could possibly reduce your treatment time.

Here is a very concise video explaining the proper way to floss your teeth with braces. Give Smile Solutions a call if you have more questions about flossing. Enjoy!

A great braces-friendly spring recipe!

Winter is over, and the weather is finally starting to get warmer. Our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) made an appetizing (and braces-friendly!) spring dish that is sure to delight. Remember, a healthy diet provides essential nutrients and helps you achieve the best possible result from your orthodontic treatment.

Soy Simmered Chicken Wraps

Ingredients:
• 3 boneless chicken breast halves
• 2 large onions, chunked
• Small flour tortillas (pkg. of ten) wheat or white
• (optional: 10-16 oz. of cooked chopped broccoli)
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup water
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1/8 teaspoon ginger
• 2 Tablespoons peach or apricot jam
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch

Directions

In a slow cooker, or a large pan on the stove, layer the onions and the chicken breast. Allow at least three hours in the slow cooker on medium, or at least one hour on the stove—the longer the better, but you don’t have to do anything to it while it cooks. Spoon out the chicken onto a cutting board, and with a knife and fork, shred the chicken as finely as you’d like. In a small saucepan, stir all sauce ingredients together over medium heat until the mixture starts bubbling, then let it simmer for five minutes on low heat to thicken. In a serving bowl, stir sauce and onion into chicken; if you’d like, add cooked chopped broccoli. Makes about six to eight servings.

Enjoy this great spring dish and have a great week!

--Dr. Christopher Chung and the Smile Solutions team

The advantage of Invisalign Teen™ at Smile Solutions

At an age when image is so important, the thought of having metal brackets and wires constantly attached to teeth may intensify the already-delicate confidence of today's teens. But... not to worry! There is a clear alternative to traditional braces! The team at Smile Solutions thought we'd remind you that Invisalign Teen™ gives you a whole new way to wear braces for a "clearly" amazing smile!

So how does Invisalign Teen work, you ask? Much in the same fashion as Invisalign, but with a few added characteristics tailored specifically to teenagers’ lifestyles. For instance, Invisalign Teen is designed with “compliance indicators” that fade from dark to light during the two week period that particular tray is used and once it has faded teens know to change trays. Each aligner comes with up to six free individual replacement aligners in case the original aligner ends up lost or broken. Another big benefit for the patient!

The treatment period for Invisalign Teen varies from nine to 18 months. If your teen is considering orthodontic treatment, please contact us and we’ll answer any questions you may have about Invisalign Teen.

Foods to Avoid during your Orthodontic Treatment

There are a variety of foods Dr. Christopher Chung wants you to avoid while you're wearing braces. Some foods can occasionally damage braces, but certain foods can bend the wires or even break the brackets on your braces. If you’re wearing braces, you should avoid starch, sugar and gummy foods, as these foods can be difficult to remove during brushing. Foods that are high in sugar and starch tend to cause plaque, cavities and even tooth decay.

Avoid tough meats, hard breads and raw vegetables such as carrots and celery. Before long, you'll be able to bite a cucumber again. But you'll need to protect your orthodontic appliances when you eat for as long as you're wearing braces.

Foods you should avoid include:

• Chewy foods: bagels, hard rolls, licorice
• Crunchy foods: popcorn, ice, chips
• Sticky foods: caramels, gum
• Hard foods: nuts, candy
• Foods you have to bite into: corn on the cob, apples, carrots

Also, chewing on hard things (for example, pens, pencils or fingernails) can damage the braces. Damaged braces will cause treatment to take longer.

If you have any questions on which foods you should be avoiding and why, we invite you to give Smile Solutions a call or ask our staff during your next visit.