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Kids Corner

Your braces map, what you can eat, stories from kids who have been through it, and the colors for your next visit.

Your braces journey

Every smile takes the same road. Yours has its own dates.

Seven stops. Tap each one to see what happens there and the road lights up behind it. The same seven stops are on your Smile Road card, the one you get stamped at every visit.

Tap a stop to read about it.

Stop 1 of 7

Hello!

Next stop

Getting ready

Ask for your Smile Road card

It is a real card, and it lives in your wallet, not on this page. You get it at your first visit. At every stop the office stamps the circle and writes the date, so you can see how far you have come.

The second row is the streak. Every visit where nothing is broken, bent or lost gets a stamp. Ask the office what a full row earns, and ask for your card at the front desk.

Play it

The Smile Road Game

The same road as a board. Roll, move, and try to get your braces off first. Good habits are ladders. Popcorn is a chute. Play against a parent, a sibling, or Dr. Khan while you wait.

Player 1 Player 2

Your turn

Square 1: Hello! Roll to start your journey.

A stop on the roadLadder upChute downBraces off!

The treatment path

Braces for a growing child is a path with stages, not one visit.

A child's mouth changes as the child grows. Orthodontic treatment follows that growth, which is why it can come in phases, with quiet years in between. Here is the whole path at once, so nothing on it is a surprise later.

About 7first look

8 to 10early years

10 to 12the in-between

12 to 15permanent teeth

16 and upgrown

What is happening

Enough adult teeth are in to see how the bite and jaws are developing.

Baby teeth and adult teeth share the mouth. Jaws are still growing fast.

The last baby teeth go. Adult teeth come in. Growth spurts begin.

Nearly all adult teeth are in. Jaw growth is finishing.

Growth is done. Teeth will still drift for life unless they are held.

Dr. Khan may

CheckA look, pictures and a plan. Most children need nothing yet.

Phase oneOnly when there is a reason: guide jaw growth, make room, correct a crossbite or a habit. Limited and targeted.

WatchShort check-ins while the adult teeth come in. Nothing on, nothing to do at home.

Phase twoFull braces or aligners once the adult teeth are in. This is the phase that lines up every tooth.

RetainersHold the result. For life.

If there is no reason for phase one

CheckSame first look.

WatchCheck-ins as the adult teeth come in. Many children take this road.

One phaseBraces or aligners once the adult teeth are in.

RetainersFor life.

1 + 2

If Dr. Khan recommends phase one, plan on phase two.

Phase one does a specific job while the jaw is growing. It does not straighten every tooth, because most of those teeth are not in yet. Phase two does that, years later, once they are. Two phases is the plan from the first day, not a change of plan.

Why not do it all at once?

Because the mouth is not finished. Some problems are easiest to fix while the jaw is still growing, and some teeth cannot be moved until they have arrived. The path follows the child, not the calendar.

What the quiet years are for

Between phases there is usually nothing to wear and nothing to do at home. Dr. Khan checks in now and then so phase two starts at the right moment, not too early and not too late.

Phase one

While the jaw is growing

A limited appliance or partial braces, with one job to do. Dr. Khan explains what it is meant to accomplish and what it is not.

Guide the growth of the jaws
Make room for adult teeth
Correct a crossbite or a habit

Phase two

Once the adult teeth are in

Full braces or aligners. This is the phase most people picture when they hear the word braces. The seven-stop map above is this phase.

Lines up every tooth
Finishes the bite
Ends with braces-off day

Retainers

For the rest of their life

Teeth drift for a lifetime. The retainer is what keeps the result, which is why it is part of the plan and not an afterthought.

Worn as the office instructs
Check-ins get further apart
Lost or cracked: ask about Retainers for Life

When something breaks

A loose bracket or a poking wire is common and fixable. Call the office the same day rather than waiting for the next visit; a bracket that stays loose for weeks slows the plan down. Wax on the spot that rubs will get you through until then.

What a repair costs

The office will tell you what a repair costs before anything is done, and the first visit is the time to ask. Braces that are treated with care, and the food list above, keep this from coming up at all.

What can I eat when I have braces?

The key rule is: nothing hard, sticky or chewy!

When you are wearing braces and other Orthodontic appliances, it is important to avoid certain foods that can damage the appliances, brackets and wires, which may cause delays in treatment.

Never eat!

Nuts
Popcorn
Chewing gum
Hard pretzels
Pizza crust
Croutons
Gummy bears
Caramels
Jelly beans
Licorice
Sour Patch
Chocolate chips
Ice cubes
Skittles
Starburst
Smarties
M&Ms
Tootsie Rolls
Pens and pencils

Use caution

Must be cut or broken up and chewed carefully with back teeth.

Nacho chips
Bagels
Ribs
Chicken wings
Raw vegetables
Hard fruit (apples)
Fruits with pits (peaches)
Corn on the cob
Crusty bread
Crunchy granola bars

Foods high in sugar (pop, candy): don't eat often, and brush soon after.

Go for it!

Ice cream (no nuts)
Potato chips
Steamed vegetables
Pasta
Potatoes
French fries
Soft pretzels
Yogurt
Pudding
Jello
Soup
Sandwiches, subs
Cereal in milk
Cheese
Eggs
Milkshakes
Peanut butter cups

The first few days

Teeth feel tender after braces go on and after some adjustments. Soft and cool helps.

MilkshakesYogurtPuddingSoupEggsPastaPotatoesJelloIce creamCereal in milk

Braces stories

Kids who have been where you are.

Short, true-to-life stories for the car ride home. The kids in them are made up, built from what families tell us at the chair.

The first week

Mila, 11

"The day they went on, my teeth felt huge. Like my mouth had furniture in it. Mom made smoothies for three days and I got really good at saying words with S in them. By Saturday I forgot they were there, until I smiled in the mirror and remembered I picked purple."

The color club

Theo, 9

"Every visit you get to pick new colors. I did orange and black for Halloween, then blue and gold for my team. My friend Sam does one color every time, which is boring, but she says it is classic. Shannon at the desk remembers what everyone picked. She has a good memory."

Braces off day

Priya, 13

"It feels weird and smooth, like your teeth are too slippery. Dr. Khan showed me the picture from the first day next to the new one. I did not think I looked that different until I saw them side by side. Then we went for popcorn. Obviously."

Pick your colors

Choose two for your next visit and show us on your phone.

Color one Color two

Tap a color to set color one, tap another for color two. Tap the same color twice for one color all the way across.

Hello!First visit
Dr. Khan meets you, looks at your teeth, takes pictures and a scan. You and your grown-up hear the plan and ask every question you have.
- Nothing hurts at this stop.
- You go home with your journey card.
Next stop: getting ready, or braces on if you are ready now.
Getting readyGetting ready
Some smiles need a little room made first. That might be spacers between a few back teeth, or another small step. Not everyone stops here.
- Spacers feel like a bit of food stuck between your teeth. That is normal.
- This stop is usually short.
Next stop: braces on!
Braces on!Braces on
The brackets go on one by one, then the wire, then your first colors. It does not hurt, but it is a long sit, so bring something to listen to.
- Teeth feel tender for a few days. Soft foods and cool things help.
- Wax goes on any spot that rubs.
- Pick your colors before you sit down so it is quick.
Next stop: adjustment visits, the long middle of the road.
AdjustmentsAdjustments
This is most of your journey. Every few weeks you come in, Dr. Khan checks the plan, changes the wire or the bands, and you pick new colors. Each visit is short.
- Teeth can feel tender for a day or two after.
- This is the stop where the color club happens.
- Brushing and flossing well here makes braces-off day look its best.
Next stop: the finishing stretch.
FinishingFinishing
The teeth are nearly where they belong. Now come the small, careful moves that make everything fit together. Visits may feel like not much is happening. A lot is.
- Dr. Khan checks every tooth and how your bite closes.
- This is the stop where people get impatient. Hang in there.
Next stop: braces off!
Braces off!Braces off
The big day. The brackets come off, the glue is polished away, and your teeth feel smooth and slippery. Photos. Big smiles. Then your retainer gets made.
- Bring your grown-up for the photo.
- Plan what you are going to eat first.
Last stop: retainers, which is not really a stop. It is how you keep the smile.
RetainersRetainers
The retainer holds everything where Dr. Khan put it. Wear it the way the office tells you, keep it in its case, and keep it away from dogs and lunch trays.
- Lost it or cracked it? That is a phone call, not a disaster. Ask about the Retainers for Life program.
- Check-ins get further and further apart.
You made it. Keep wearing that retainer.

The first lookA look, pictures and a plan. Most children need nothing yet, and knowing that is the point of the visit.
Phase oneA limited appliance with one job while the jaw is still growing. Phase two comes later, once the adult teeth are in, and is part of the plan from today.
The watching yearsNothing to wear and nothing to do at home. Short check-ins so phase two starts at the right moment.
Phase twoFull braces or aligners. The seven-stop map on the kid view is this phase.
RetainersThe result is in. The retainer keeps it there, for life.

Hello!
Getting ready
Braces on!
Adjustments
Finishing
Braces off!
Retainers

You brushed around every bracket. Up you go!
Elastics worn every single day. Ladder!
Kept your appointment and got new colors. Climb!
Poking wire? Wax on, no drama. Up!

Popcorn at the movies. A bracket broke. Back you slide.
Chewed a pencil and bent the wire. Down the chute.
Skipped a visit. The plan slipped. Slide back.
Retainer wrapped in a napkin went out with the lunch tray. Back to find it.

Stop {n} of 7
Stop {n}: {title}
You made it
{name} rolled a {n} and landed on {sq}.
Ladder!
Chute.
{name} climbed to {to}.
{name} slid to {to}.
Stop {k}: {label}
Braces off!
{name} made it to Retainers. Wear it, keep it in the case, and you win for life.
Square {sq}.
Square 1: Hello!
Roll to start your journey.
Player 1
Player 2

Sunset orange
Gold
Lemon
Sky
Ocean
Grape
Hot pink
Lime
Forest
Cherry
Navy
Silver
Black
Teal
Lavender
Clear

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