Our Blog

Braces are an exciting part of your journey to a healthier smile, but we understand it can sometimes make it frustrating to brush your teeth while making sure to hit all the necessary spots. As your dedicated provider of orthodontic treatment, such as clear, lingual, and metal braces, East China’s Brieden Orthodontics is here to offer some tips to help you out. Read on to learn more, and feel free to contact one of our office locations if you have any questions!

Jaw surgery at your New Baltimore orthodontist office At Brieden Orthodontics, we pride ourselves on providing the best orthodontic care in the New Baltimore area. With over 35 years of experience, Dr. Brieden is a local authority on all things orthodontic-related. Beyond braces, Brieden Orthodontics can provide relief for other oral concerns, such as corrective jaw surgery.

Many parents wonder when is the best age for their children to start orthodontic treatment. At Brieden Orthodontics, we have the answers you need to know! As a family-friendly office, we work with families that are seeking treatment for their children, even if it means starting young. But is it truly necessary for a child to start orthodontic treatment at a young age? Learn how we determine why a child may need braces, and how it benefits your child’s health.

You’ve surely seen and heard about the incredible results people can achieve by getting braces, you might even know that for the best outcome some people need a palatal expander before their braces, but what about after? Brieden Orthodontics has helped countless patients unlock a new smile with braces in New Baltimore, and today we’re discussing the importance of retention, the final stage of orthodontic treatment that locks in results.

Everybody’s experience with braces is different because treatment is always tailored to fit the patient’s needs. Sometimes braces are used in combination with other appliances, in phases, or alone, and sometimes braces require elastic bands that connect the upper and lower jaw. At Brieden Orthodontics, we approach each patient’s treatment with the perfect combination of tried-and-true, and state-of-the-art methods at our New Baltimore office, to produce beautiful results that will last a lifetime. Here’s the scoop on why some braces come with elastic bands.

At Brieden Orthodontics, we work hard to ensure our patients have great dental health, are educated on oral health topics, and practice a quality oral hygiene routine. This is especially important for our pregnant patients or patients who want to become pregnant. Our family orthodontist in New Baltimore wants to stress how important the pre-conception through pregnancy time frame is for a developing baby, especially in regard to preventing cleft lip and palate.

Brieden Orthodontics aims to make every orthodontic journey smooth and pain-free. Our orthodontist in New Baltimore, MI understands that orthodontics may not be the most exciting thing to go through and at times it may be a little uncomfortable. However, we are here to help you through this time period, make the most of your care, and create a beautiful, bright smile once you’ve completed the journey. This includes wearing a palatal expander prior to the active orthodontics stage for some patients.

At Brieden Orthodontics, we want to protect your teeth and braces from any harmful impacts, that’s why we feel strongly about mouthguards. Our family orthodontist in New Baltimore cannot stress this enough - always wear a mouthguard when playing sports. Most people believe a mouthguard is only needed in sports like football, boxing, and hockey because they are high impact. Unfortunately, this is simply not true. You should wear a mouthguard when playing most sports like soccer, basketball, softball, baseball, and skateboarding. As your Chesterfield orthodontist, we want to prevent dental problems like chipped teeth, jaw dislocation, broken braces, and concussions.

There are a lot of options to choose from when it comes to braces. Depending on what you’re looking for and what lifestyle you live, Invisalign could be a great option for you! However, you may be wondering how Invisalign works, and what are the steps to be aware of before and after you start your treatment. At Brieden Orthodontics, we offer customized treatments to everyone who walks through our doors. If you are interested in receiving Invisalign, here are the steps of how the treatment works.

At Brieden Orthodontics, we believe everyone deserves to have a beautiful, straight, functional smile that they are proud of. To do so, our New Baltimore family orthodontist provides treatments like braces and Invisalign clear aligners to patients of all ages. If you have been thinking about orthodontics for yourself or your child, now is the time to schedule your first consultation. We believe summer is the best time to undergo orthodontics in New Baltimore and we will tell you why!

Brushing your teeth with braces takes a bit more effort than brushing your teeth without braces. Your new metal hardware and wires offer easy places for food and bacteria to hide, so it’s extra important to practice good oral hygiene throughout your orthodontic treatment. At Brieden Orthodontics, we understand that brushing with braces is a transition and we are here to help you through it! Use our tips and you’ll be a brace brushing expert in no time!

Dr. Christopher Brieden and all the staff at Brieden Orthodontics are committed to providing high quality care for the entire family, serving the New Baltimore and St. Clair, MI areas. As your orthodontic expert, we specialize in patients of all ages—from early treatment, to adolescent treatment, to adult treatment.

Fluoride is a mineral that is naturally present to some degree in both fresh and salt water sources. Its major dental benefit is that it is readily incorporated into the teeth's mineral structure, thereby making them stronger and more decay-resistant.

While you are wearing braces, please avoid eating hard foods, sticky foods and foods high in sugar. Hard foods can break or damage the wires and brackets, and sticky foods can get caught between the wires and brackets.

Thank you for your continued trust in our practice. As with the transmission of a communicable disease like a cold or the flu, you may be exposed to COVID-19 also known as “Coronavirus”, at any time or in any place.

The holiday season is the best time for sweets and treats. Unfortunately, these can be a little harsh on our teeth, especially for patients with braces or clear aligners. At Brieden Orthodontics in New Baltimore and St. Clair, MI, we want to make sure your orthodontic treatment plan works and straightens your teeth appropriately. To do so, we want to ensure you are practicing good orthodontic care, especially during the holidays. The last thing you want to do is come into the orthodontist’s office on your holiday.

At Brieden Orthodontics, our goal is to help patients achieve straight and healthy smiles. We accomplish this by offering a wide variety of efficient orthodontics that include braces and Invisalign. Our team is dedicated to compassionate orthodontic care that extends not only during the orthodontic process, but after it as well. In fact, just because your braces are removed or Invisalign treatment has been completed, it doesn’t mean that there’s no more work left that needs to be done.

Orthodontists are well-known for creating the smile that you take pride in today. Less commonly known, however, is that early orthodontic treatment is not only recommended, but it can be critical to your child’s oral development.

At Brieden Orthodontics, we believe everyone deserves a healthy, beautiful smile, and we're proud to help patients of all ages in the New Baltimore & East China area achieve one through high-quality orthodontic treatment. Our practice places a focus on convenient, customized treatment to fit into any lifestyle. If you've been considering a new smile but are nervous about having highly visible metal braces, lingual braces may be the perfect option for discrete orthodontic care.