Giving thanks this holiday season

With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season here, Dr. David Ostreicher and our entire staff at Dr. David Ostreicher, Orthodontist Braces and Invisalign, wanted to stop for a moment and extend our best wishes to you, our patients, referring doctors and families, this holiday season.
As always, if you know anyone we can help, just let us know. We promise to give them the same quality orthodontic care that we have given you.
We hope that this holiday season brings fond memories. Thank you for being part of our family.

Beware of those Christmas goodies!

At Dr. David Ostreicher, Orthodontist Braces and Invisalign, we know maintaining a healthy diet over the holiday season can prove a difficult task. After all, who can resist the tasty treats of Christmas? With grandma and everybody else offering you candy, chocolate logs or Christmas pudding, you just can’t say “I’ll pass” each time. But trouble lurks: every time you chow down on that chocolate or candy, the bacteria in your mouth have a feast on the sugar—at your expense. The sugar turns into acid, and the acid eats away at the enamel on your teeth and between your braces. Then, you start getting cavities.

Instead, try pumpkin pie, marvelous molasses cookies, wonderful waffles or other braces-friendly recipes, courtesy of the American Association of Orthodontics, or AAO, and “The Braces Cookbook” by Pamela Waterman.

If you must indulge in chocolaty goodness this Christmas or holiday season, remember to brush your teeth after eating sugary treats. Hope this helps! Give us a call if you have any questions!

Happy Holidays!

Share your winter break plans with us!

Dr. David Ostreicher and our team at Dr. David Ostreicher, Orthodontist Braces and Invisalign want to know: what do your winter plans look like? Do you have any plans for an exciting family vacation? Are you hanging out around town? Catching up on sleep? Spending time with friends? Let us know!

Please feel free to share your exciting winter plans and experiences with us here or on our Facebook page! We would like to wish all of our patients and their families a safe and fun holiday season!

Do we have your current contact info?

Happy holidays from all of us at Dr. David Ostreicher, Orthodontist Braces and Invisalign! As you probably know, you can always connect with Dr. David Ostreicher and our team on our Facebook page, but we also encourage you to call us and let us know if you have any new phone numbers or if your contact information has changed!

Please contact our office with any updates to phone numbers and addresses, so that we may be able to reach you. Thank you!
- The team at Dr. David Ostreicher, Orthodontist Braces and Invisalign

Happy Thanksgiving, from Dr. David Ostreicher, Orthodontist Braces and Invisalign

With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season knocking at our door, our entire team at Dr. David Ostreicher, Orthodontist Braces and Invisalign wanted to stop for a moment and extend our best wishes to you, our patients, referring doctors and families, for a wonderful Thanksgiving.
As always, if you know anyone we can help, just let us know. We promise to give them the same quality orthodontic care that we have given you.
We hope that this Thanksgiving and holiday season brings fond memories. Thank you for being part of our family.

Join the conversation.

Whether you just began your orthodontic treatment at Dr. David Ostreicher, Orthodontist Braces and Invisalign and have a follow-up question for Dr. David Ostreicher or team, or if you’d simply like to drop us a quick line, we’d love to hear from you! We love connecting with our patients online, whether it’s by sharing news on our blog or communicating ideas on our interactive Facebook page.

Please visit Dr. Ostreicher and our team on the following networks:

Facebook: Dr. Ostreicher's Page
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/DrDavidOstreicher


See you online!

What are your November plans?

Believe it or not, we’re almost in full holiday mode! But before you go celebrating, Dr. David Ostreicher and our team at Dr. David Ostreicher, Orthodontist Braces and Invisalign want to know: What are your plans for November? Do you have plans for Thanksgiving? Are you planning a winter vacation? If so, we’d love to hear all about it!

You may share your stories with us below, or by posting on our Facebook page!

–The team at Dr. David Ostreicher, Orthodontist Braces and Invisalign

Cold season is here, from Dr. David Ostreicher, Orthodontist Braces and Invisalign

Cold and flu season is here - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that a common cold usually includes sneezing, runny nose, sore throat and coughing. Symptoms can last for up to two weeks.

To promote a healthy and clean environment, Dr. David Ostreicher and our entire staff give a great deal of attention to sanitation and sterilization in our Levittown office at all times, as well as following all requirements for sterilizing instruments and work surfaces. For the protection of other patients and our staff at Dr. David Ostreicher, Orthodontist Braces and Invisalign, we always ask that patients reschedule their appointments if they have any type of cold or illness that can infect others.

And remember to constantly wash your hands and avoid contact with those who are ill! Stay Healthy!

Halloween TIPS from the American Association of Orthodontists

It’s almost that spooky time of year again and Levittown orthodontist, Dr. David Ostreicher, and our team thought we’d share some Halloween tips from our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists.

Trick-or-treating safety guidelines:

• Young children should always be accompanied by an adult
• Carry a flashlight
• Wear a light-colored or reflective costume
• Choose face paint over masks for young ghosts and goblins
• Have an adult inspect all treats before the children dig in

To protect your braces, steer clear of the following Halloween treats, or recipes with these ingredients:

• All hard candies
• All chewy candies
• Caramel
• Nuts
• Licorice
• Taffy
• Jelly beans
• Hard pretzels
• Bubblegum
• Popcorn (including unpopped kernels)
• Ice

Of course, Halloween does not have to be completely treat-less. Braces-friendly Halloween treats can help you enjoy the “spook-ta-cular” holiday. For example, plain chocolate candy is okay, provided you remember to brush and floss afterwards. Bobbing for apples as well as caramel apples are not recommended. However, you can enjoy thinly sliced apples, dipped in yogurt or creamy chocolate sauce.

Dr. David Ostreicher suggests looking for foods that are soft, such as soft chocolate that can melt in one’s mouth or peanut butter cups. Overall, candies that aren’t sticky, chewy, hard or crunchy are generally acceptable.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN from the entire team at Dr. David Ostreicher!

5 tips to avoid plaque, from Dr. David Ostreicher

At Dr. David Ostreicher, we know nobody likes getting plaque on their teeth. Here are five other ways you can avoid that dreaded enemy of the teeth during orthodontic treatment, courtesy of WebMD.

Let’s start with brushing regularly.. Brushing your teeth twice a day with a fluoride-containing toothpaste is vital to a healthy mouth. Make sure you softly brush all the surfaces of your teeth.

Next on the list is flossing daily: a simple daily flossing between teeth clears away plaque before it can cause damage and can also clean plaque at the gum line. Plaque is known to reach the spaces between teeth.

Also, evading a trip to the dentist is probably not a great idea. Let’s say you brush and floss daily. You’re still at risk for plaque. With time, the plaque hardens and turns into tartar. Consider visiting your general dentist at least twice a year or as recommended by your dentist, and you have a lower chance of getting cavities or losing your teeth while wearing braces.

You’ll also want to stop avoiding those fruits and veggies. Believe it or not, there are foods out there that play a key role in keeping plaque off our teeth. They include apples, carrots, cucumbers and other raw fruits and vegetables. You can still eat these types of fruits and veggies if you have braces, but be sure to cut them up into bite sized pieces to avoid breaking off brackets.

Finally, before you pick up that candy bar, remember to not give in to your sweet tooth. Consuming sugary drinks or eating candy or other junk food allows sugar to stick to our teeth.
The bacteria, then, becomes plaque, which turns into acid and damages our teeth. Avoiding these five bad habits keeps your plaque in check and your mouth as healthy as can be during your orthodontic treatment with Dr. David Ostreicher. If you have any questions, give us a call or ask us on Facebook!

It's National Orthodontic Health Month!

Happy October! For those who don't know, National Orthodontic Health Month. This month-long event is organized by our pals at the American Association of Orthodontists, or AAO.

Dr. David Ostreicher and our team realize this is a great opportunity for us and to raise awareness about the importance of oral hygiene. National Orthodontic Health Month also aims to recognize the dedicated work of orthodontists like Dr. Ostreicher and other dental professionals in the Levittown, Nassau County, and Suffolk County area.

The AAO recommends patients avoid the following Halloween treats, or recipes with these ingredients:

• Caramel
• Nuts
• Popcorn (including un-popped kernels)
• Taffy
• Jelly beans
• Hard pretzels
• Licorice
• Bubblegum
• Taco chips
• Ice

If you have any questions, please feel free to give our Levittown office a call, ask us on Facebook, or ask Dr. Ostreicher during your visit this month!

A great braces-friendly fall recipe!

Fall is here, and sometimes we here at the office of Dr. David Ostreicher just feel like a hot delicious meal is in order. Our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) made an appetizing (and braces-friendly!) fall dish that is sure to delight. Dr. Ostreicher would like to remind you that a healthy diet provides essential nutrients and helps you achieve the best possible result from your orthodontic treatment.

Pasta Pomodorini

Ingredients:

• ¾ pound spaghetti or spaghetti
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• ¼ cup sliced garlic
• ½ teaspoon finely minced Calabrian chilies, or 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 pint small cherry tomatoes, stems removed, crushed between your thumb and forefinger
• Sea salt, preferably gray salt
• ½ cup fresh basil leaves, each torn into 2 or 3 pieces
• Wedge of Parmesan cheese

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta. While the pasta cooks, heat the 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over moderate heat. Add the garlic and cook until the slivers are golden brown and crisp, then add the chilies and cook for about 30 seconds. Raise the heat to high and add the tomatoes. Simmer briskly to soften the tomatoes and thicken the juices, about 3 minutes. Season with salt. When the pasta is al dente, scoop out about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta. Return the pasta to the warm pot off the heat. Add the sauce and the basil and mix well. Add some of the reserved cooking water if the pasta seems dry. Transfer to a warmed serving bowl and grate Parmesan over the top to taste. Drizzle with a little more olive oil. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Enjoy this great fall dish and have a great week!

-From Dr. Ostreicher and staff

What was your favorite part of Summer 2011?

The end of Summer and then subsequently the beginning of Fall are just around the corner. Soon the temperatures will cool down, the leaves will start to change, and we’re sure that you’ll be thinking about Halloween costumes and Thanksgiving plans.

But wait! First, we want to know: What were your favorite parts of the Summer of 2011? Did you go on a wonderful family trip? Did you pick up a new hobby? Did you try to spend as much time outside and in the sun as possible?

Share your favorite memories, stories, or photos with us by leaving a comment below or on our Facebook page.

-Dr. David Ostreicher and team

Age 7 is the Magic Number for an Orthodontic Check-up

Many parents assume they must wait until their child has all of his or her permanent teeth to see Dr. David Ostreicher for a complimentary consultation, only to discover treatment would have been much easier if started earlier. Did you know the American Association of Orthodontists recommends that every child have an orthodontic check-up no later than age seven?

That’s right—seven.

Ok, so what’s so great about age seven, you ask? Enough permanent teeth have arrived for Dr. Ostreicher to make a determination about whether any problems are present. The first molars have come in, providing an opportunity to check for malocclusion, or “bad bite.” Also, the incisors have begun to come in, and problems such as crowding, deep bites and open bites can be detected.

Orthodontic evaluation at an early age provides one of two positive outcomes: For some, early identification or problems will lead to easier or shorter orthodontic treatment in the future. For others, a healthy prognosis will provide immediate peace of mind.

Early evaluation, of course, may signal a need for early treatment. For some children, early treatment can prevent physical and emotional trauma. Aside from spurring on years of harmful teasing, misaligned teeth are also prone to injury and are detrimental to good oral hygiene. So, if your child is nearing his or her seventh birthday, give us a call or visit our website to schedule an appointment.

20 things that can ruin your smile

At the orthodontic office of Dr. David Ostreicher, we know your smile is important. And we know you want to keep it sparkling and looking its very best. Recently, we came across an article that suggests at least 20 things can ruin that perfect smile you have.

These include:

- Sports drinks
- Tobacco
- Coffee
- Wine
- Soft drinks
- Citrus and acidic foods

Dr. Ostreicher and our team encourage you to read the rest of the article and ask us here on our blog or during your next visit to our convenient Levittown office. For more tips or for general questions about your ongoing dental treatment, we invite you to ask Dr. Ostreicher during your next visit! We also invite you to ask us on Facebook!

Braces-friendly recipes from the American Association of Orthodontists

You just got braces at the orthodontic office or Dr. David Ostreicher and Dr. Ostreicher has informed you that during your orthodontic treatment you will want to avoid eating anything sticky, hard, crunchy, or chewy. What does this leave for you to eat? Lettuce? Nothing?

Luckily, our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists, or AAO, created a variety of “braces-friendly” recipes that will allow you to enjoy your favorite treats without interfering with your orthodontic care!

Recipes include main dishes, side dishes and even yummy desserts! After all, a healthy diet provides essential nutrients and helps the patient achieve the best possible results from orthodontic treatment.

If you have any questions about the recipes listed or about the foods you should be avoiding during your orthodontic treatment, please give us a call or ask us on Facebook!

Enjoy!

Breaking Bad Habits

At the orthodontic office of Dr. David Ostreicher, we know good dental health requires only a few minutes a day. We thought we’d provide some practical advice on how to improve your or your child’s smile between your adjustment visits with Dr. Ostreicher.

Start by brushing your teeth twice a day. Proper brushing techniques are an essential part of maintaining good oral health during your orthodontic treatment, as well as preventing gum disease. More care and time are needed to adequately brush your teeth when you are wearing braces. Brushing daily helps remove decay-causing plaque from tooth surfaces. Please consult Dr. Ostreicher if you would like us to review brushing techniques with you or your child. The use of a mechanical toothbrush such as a Sonicare or Oral B can aid in removing plaque around braces. Flossing daily will also prevent plaque to build up between the teeth and prevent stains between your teeth. Research has shown the bacteria of gum disease has been linked to coronary artery disease, stroke, diabetes and memory loss. Lastly, we encourage you to throw away old toothbrushes and replace them every 2 or 3 months, or after an illness.

We hope this helps! If you have any further questions about any of these tips, please contact our office or ask your general dentist during your next scheduled visit! Or, ask us on Facebook!

Getting social with the office of Dr. Ostreicher!

At the office of David S. Ostreicher DDS MS MPH, we embrace technology through the innovative treatments we offer, our high-tech web site or our Facebook fan page. As you can probably tell, we love connecting with our patients online, by sharing news on our blog or communicating ideas on Facebook. For social media to work, we understand that conversation is vital, and that’s why we invite you to join in and tell us what’s on your mind. Although social networks are hugely popular these days, we know they’re unpredictable and ever-changing.

While Dr. Ostreicher and our staff takes time to research how to best use social media, we thought we’d ask you, our loyal patients:

How would you like us to use our social networks? What would you like us to share on our blog or Facebook?

Please share your thoughts by posting a comment below or on our Facebook page!

Who Benefits From Braces?

Braces aren’t just for pre-adolescents and teenagers anymore! Dr. David Ostreicher will tell you that anyone, at any age, can benefit from orthodontic treatment, whether it’s correcting a problem not treated in your younger years, or catching a problem early.

To ensure the best overall treatment, the American Association of Orthodontists, or AAO, recommends that children receive an orthodontic consultation as early as age seven. If a problem is evident, taking action early can spare a lot of treatment and expense down the road.

If you never received orthodontic treatment when you were young, don’t worry! You’re never too old for a beautiful smile. Set up an appointment for a complimentary consultation and find out how orthodontics will transform your smile, as well as your life!

What Do You LOVE About Summer?

Summer is finally here, and the team at the office of David S. Ostreicher, DDS, MS, MPH thought we’d ask: What’s your favorite part about summer? Is it the warm weather? The free time you get? Spending quality time with friends and family? Grilling barbecue in the backyard?

Dr. Ostreicher and team would like to know what makes your summer truly special. Let us know by posting a comment below, on our Facebook page, or by giving us a call!