Brace Friendly Eating Tips:

When you follow the rules that Bernard & Eimer Orthodontics made regarding what to eat and what not to eat, you are doing yourself a favor. Drs. Bernard & Eimer give you these guidelines for a reason. It is important to avoid certain foods that can damage your appliance, brackets and wires, which may prolong treatment.

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

Here is a list of do’s and don’ts:

Red Light Foods
(Do Not Eat These Foods)
• Nuts
• Popcorn
• Chewing Gum
• Hard Pretzels
• Pizza Curst
• Croutons
• Caramels
• Ice Cubes
• Starburst

Green Light Foods
(Foods That You Can Eat)
• Ice Cream
• Potato Chips
• Steamed Vegetables
• Pasta
• Potatoes
• Soft Pretzels
• Yogurt
• Pudding
• Jello
• Soup
• Cereal In Milk
• Cheese
• Eggs
• Milkshakes Or Smoothies

Get to know your braces!

Should you need to call Bernard & Eimer Orthodontics in case you sustain any damage to your braces, we can help you more effectively if you can tell us exactly which piece is in trouble! Here’s a handy diagram and corresponding list of all the parts that make up your braces.



Elastic Tie: Tiny rubber band that fits around the bracket to hold the archwire in place.

Archwire: The main wire that acts as a track to guide the teeth along. It's changed periodically throughout treatment, as teeth move to their new positions.

Loop in Archwire: Frequently used for closing space left by an extraction. Many archwires don't have a loop.

Bracket: Small attachment that holds the archwire in place. Most often, a bracket is cemented directly onto the tooth's surface, eliminating the need for a band.

Headgear Tube: Round, hollow attachment on the back bands. The inner bow of the headgear fits into it.

Coil Spring: Fits between brackets and over archwire to open space between teeth.

Tie Wire: Fine wire that is twisted around the bracket to hold the archwire in place.

Band: A thin ring of metal fitted around a tooth and cemented in place. The band provides a way to attach the brackets to the tooth.

Hook: Welded or removable arm to which elastics (rubber bands) are attached.

Elastic (Rubber Band): Small rubber band that is hooked between different points on the appliance to provide pressure to move the teeth.

Hope this helps! Give us a call if you have any questions!

--Drs. Bernard & Eimer and team

Love your new smile? Tell the world all about it!

Bernard & Eimer Orthodontics are orthodontic specialists or dentists with many years of University training in growth and development and tooth movement. Braces is all we do! We have a friendly, caring staff and a modern and comfortable facility in North Canton.

Whether you have visited Drs. Bernard or Eimer for a week, months or years, we’d love to hear your feedback about your experience with our doctors and staff! Now with the Internet, it’s even easier to write your thoughts and share them with the world. We'd want to encourage you to write a review of us on our Google local listing. It only takes a moment!

You may write a review here.

Thank you in advance and have a great holiday weekend everyone!

Complimentary Consultations at Bernard & Eimer Orthodontics

At Bernard & Eimer Orthodontics, we have a friendly, caring staff and a modern and comfortable facility in North Canton. One of our commitments is meeting with you to help you explore all or the options available to you or your child. We offer complimentary consultations for those interested in orthodontic treatment. This includes a complimentary x-ray and digital photos. All observation visits prior to treatment are also at NO CHARGE so you can bring your child at age 7 and not be charged until treatment is necessary.

During your consultation, you'll have time reserved with Drs. Bernard and Eimer, who will assess your particular needs as well as discuss treatment options available and answer any questions you may have. We place a high value on making sure you have complete information before beginning treatment.

If you have been thinking about obtaining the dazzling smile you’ve always wanted, we invite you to give us a call.

See you soon! Have a great weekend!

January featured patient reviews!

Check out what a few of our patients are saying about our office! At Bernard & Eimer Orthodontics, braces is all we do! We have a friendly, caring staff and a modern and comfortable facility in North Canton. We feature clear braces and removable aligners along with digital imaging and advanced computer graphics.

Your initial consultation is FREE!

"I don't know why anyone would go anywhere else for their orthodontic needs. A friend recommended your office when we were in need and I cannot thank her enough. You all are really the best!!"

"What I really liked is no matter how scared Tiffany was about what was going to happen, you all made her feel better and more relaxed. I want to thank you very much. Her teeth look wonderful."

"Your organization is a model for the entire business community. Like the 'Wahoos'. Good incentive for the kids."

"From the very first visit, your staff was extremely friendly and professional. I've never seen a better run organization. I like the way each person has a specific duty and how well they communicate with the parents and child. Also, as a working mother I appreciated the timeliness of their appointments and an up-front estimate of how long the visit would take. Thank you!"

Dr. Bernard & team, dispelling the myths about orthodontics

Drs. Bernard and Eimer know there are quite a few myths about orthodontists circulating around these days. Before you buy into those myths, they think you should get the facts! We came across a great site that helps set the record straight. Our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists have some excellent information on the myths and facts of orthodontics, check them out today!

Hope this helps. Contact us if you have any questions and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

School is in session! (And we helped it get started)

For the third year, our practice traveled to a local school to help an art teacher get her room ready for the incoming students. This year, we chose the classroom of Heather Boxler, the art teacher at Lake Middle School.

Three of our staff; Lyn Common, Judi Hegarty and Grace Margaritakis worked with Mrs. Boxler to get the classroom ready. We also gave her a $400 gift card to Pat Catan’s to purchase more art supplies for some of her projects this school year.

The young art teacher was excited to have the help from our practice; especially since she had her braces with us as a teenager some years ago! She hopes to do an “orthodontic art project” sometime during the year.

Drs. Bernard and Eimer will be involved by giving Mrs. Boxler some orthodontic objects from the practice and some of our clinical staff will donate some of their time to help with the project. We will keep you posted as we learn more about this wonderful art teach, Heather Boxler!

Join us on the Web!

In the past year our office has made several new and exciting technological advances. We have enhanced our ability to communicate with you, through several new sites; beginning with Ortho Sesame, which is new inter-active software that allows patients/parents to view their account. This also gives them the ability to either cancel or confirm their appointment or contact us through e-mail.

Dental offices are able to receive mutual patient information through Sesame Interactive, (there is a link for this on our website) or through e-mail. We have also joined several networking sites, which include: facebook, youtube and myspace. On these pages patients have the ability to click on a “directions icon” to print street to street directions directly from their home to our office. Our address is already listed.

These sites allow patients to learn more about our office and to post comments. Dr. Bernard writes interesting facts about orthodontics and writes articles for our blog. Our website, which is www.drsosbern.com, contains information about our doctors, staff and valuable information about treatment, along with emergency information. Please stop at the front desk and fill out a form with your e-mail address (you can submit several addresses), you can give this to one of the receptionists.

Yogurt can help to prevent gum disease!

Yogurt is the newest superhero in the battle against gum disease. Researchers have found that those with higher intakes of lactic acid foods like yogurt exhibited significantly fewer signs of periodontal (gum) disease. The study concluded that regularly eating yogurt will help to keep your gums and teeth healthy.

You should look for unsweetened yogurt if possible. If you cannot find it make sure you don’t buy any with sugar or high fructose syrup in the ingredients. That won’t help your gums at all.

You should eat about 60 grams of yogurt each day. Breakfast is one of the best times because it boosts your energy level while the lactic acid works to balance your mouth. However, any time of the day will have similar benefits.

Combine your yogurt consumption with daily flossing and brushing at least twice per day. Yogurt cannot take the place of good oral hygiene but together with it, it will certainly help to reduce periodontal disease. Remember to keep your regular dental cleanings and exams up to date. By eating yogurt daily you will help to keep your gums and teeth healthy.

Talking retainers with Bernard & Eimer Orthodontics

If you recently completed treatment at Bernard & Eimer Orthodontics, we’d like to congratulate you! Now that your braces have been removed, Drs. Bernard or Eimer will provide—or have provided you—with retainers. After braces are removed, teeth can shift out of position if they are not stabilized. Retainers, however, provide the stabilization needed. They are designed to hold teeth in their corrected, ideal positions until the bones and gums adapt to the treatment changes. Wearing retainers exactly as instructed by Drs. Bernard or Eimer is the best insurance that the treatment improvements last for a lifetime. Here are some things to remember when you receive your retainers:

* Wear your retainers full time, until Drs. Bernard or Eimer instruct otherwise. Wearing your retainers at night ensures that your pearly whites won’t relapse.

* Take your retainers out when eating...and always put retainers in their case! (Most appliances are lost in school lunch rooms or restaurants.)

* Clean retainers thoroughly once a day with a toothbrush and only a small amount of toothpaste. Use warm but not hot water.

* When retainers are not in your mouth they should ALWAYS be in a retainer case.

* Retainers are breakable, so treat them with care. If retainers are lost or broken, give us a call immediately.

* Remove retainers when swimming or during any sporting activity in which the retainers could fall out and get broken or lost (cheerleading, basketball, etc.) or when you should be wearing a mouth guard (football, soccer, etc.).

We hope this helps! You can always contact our team by calling (330) 494-4310 if you have any questions! Happy Monday!!

Austin Grooms and Harriet Whitzel, our Smile for a Lifetime scholarship recipients!

Austin Grooms and Harriet Whitzel were awarded the second two scholarships for free orthodontic treatment in our practice. Our 10 Board members rated these children the most needy in terms of malocclusion and financial hardship.

Austin is 11 and in the 6th grade at Alliance Middle School. He had letters of recommendation from his dentist, pediatrician, and mother’s co-worker. Harriet is a 14 year old 8th grader at Minerva Middle School. She was recommended by her dentist and school counselor.

Two more candidates will be chosen in the fall and applications for Smile for a Lifetime can be downloaded from our website, www.drsosbern.com or picked up at school guidance offices, YMCAs, and community centers.

Hygiene appreciation at Bernard & Eimer Orthodontics

We will be incorporating a contest for your dentist’s hygienist. We will be changing the blue card that you return to us for Wahoos after you have been to the dentist for a cleaning. The bottom of the card will have a tear off to put your hygienist in a contest thru our office to win a gift card to their favorite place!!

Happy Monday everybody!

Patient survey!

We had a great outreach from our moms that helped with our patient phone survey. We would like to give all of them a standing ovation for all the time and efforts put into this project. A wonderful job done by all of them!!

KELLY HARTER
LYNN VERNIER
PAULA TREFF
CATHLEEN TURNER
DENISE ICKES
STACY BAKER
TIFFANI BROCK
SUSAN DI PIETRO
YVETTE BLANDFORD
JILL BUSKEN
JILL CHENOWITH
SUSAN HAMMOND
LINDA JARKA

We are still putting together all the information from the surveys and will discuss it in a future article. We just wanted to share some of your great comments: “kid friendly, excellent service, completely satisfied, appreciates the friendly staff and well organized.”

Thank you for all of your kind words! Have a GREAT weekend everyone!

110th AAO Annual Session in Washington D.C.!

This year, the American Association of Orthodontists Annual Session was in our Nation's Capital. Dr. Michael Bernard, his wife Sally, and Rhonda attended. Rhonda went to many lectures, and did some site-seeing. Her favorite speaker Joan Garbo was wonderful. She has lots of positive energy and you come out of her seminars feeling renewed and ready to help people change their lives. Her quote “Never let anyone steal your Joy!”

We walked around the White House (which is cream in color by the way) and many monuments. My favorite was the World War II memorial. It’s a beautiful tribute to those who served. We went to Georgetown for shopping and lunch and stood in front of the house that JFK and Jacqueline lived in when he was running for President. On the last day we went to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Dr. Bernard was a monitor at several lectures, introducing the speaker. He also did his share of lectures. He said his favorite speaker was Jeff Behan on Social Networking and The Web. We had a great time, but it’s always good to come home!

Summer F.A.Q’S with Dr. Michael Bernard

Now that it’s summer, people with braces are more active with sports and outside activities. There are some questions that many of our patients ask about taking care of teeth and braces during this very active time.

1. How do I protect my braces and teeth when playing sports?
Ans.: You should always wear a mouthguard. With braces, we provide a mouthguard for all patients that covers the braces and protects the lips and checks and still allows the teeth to move.

2. What activities should I use a mouthguard for?
Ans.: All contact sports but also anything that could cause a fall or minor trauma such as rollerblading, rock and mountain climbing, mountain biking, and even regular biking (I broke a rib and punctured a lung riding alone on a paved road!).

3. What if my tooth gets knocked out of position?
Ans.: Call us immediately! (or your dentist). The tooth can be pushed back into the proper position if done right away. If you wait until tomorrow, it will have to be moved back with braces.

4. What if my tooth gets knocked out?
Ans.: Pick it up gently. (do not clean it off with anything). If dirty, gently rinse and put it into a glass of milk and call us or your dentist and we can put it back into the socket.

5. Should I take my retainer out to play sports?
Ans.: YES – and put your “custom” mouthguard in (made by us or your dentist) after braces are removed. Also remove your retainer while diving in a pool or swimming with waves or engaging in any activity that could cause it to be knocked out and lost.

Your teeth make your smile. Protect them and you can have a beautiful smile for a lifetime.

Our 2010 Scholarship winners!

We'd like to congratulate Lauren Elizabeth Miller from Jackson High School, Alexandra Butz from Central Catholic High School and Kelly Loveless from Jackson High School, our 2010 Scholarship winners!

This year we had 72 applicants for our 19th Annual Scholarship program. Dr. Bernard presented our two winners from Jackson High School at their awards night and Dr. Eimer presented our winner from Central Catholic School. These three young ladies were each awarded our $1,000 scholarship and had previously been awarded with one of our great smiles as you can see from their photos.

We hope you all have a fun, safe and relaxing Independence Day weekend!

Dr. Bernard's Q&A with Bizymoms.com

Dr. Michael Bernard was recently interviewed by Bizymoms.com and answered some of the common questions Bizymoms visitors have about braces and orthodontic treatment. Check out what Dr. Bernard had to say!

Q. Can one be too old for braces?

A. We see patients of all ages! I have examined children as young as 6 months old and we have treated 5 year old children with braces who had a severe functional problem. The oldest patient I have treated is 72, but we can treat anyone who has sound dental health. No patient is too old for tooth movement as long as their dental health is good enough to accept the minimum force necessary for movement.

Q. How much do braces cost?

A. Braces cost from $300 for simple passive arches to over $6000 for comprehensive adult treatment. Adult treatment is more difficult than child treatment, so the cost is from $500 to $1000 more. The average full treatment fee for a child is between $5000 and $6000 and the adult treatment is between $6200 and $6800.

Q. When will one begin to see changes in his/her teeth after the braces are put on?

A. Depending on the severity of the malocclusion, changes can be seen in one day to 3 days. The initial wires are very gentle and work over a long period of time, so adjustments only have to be made every 8 weeks.

Q. Will one need to have teeth extracted for braces?

A. Only about 10 to 20% of children will need to have permanent teeth extracted. These would be children who had front teeth that were very protruding or teeth that were extremely crowded. You can only move crooked teeth within the limits of the jaw bone. If moved to far off the bone, gum problems could result or the teeth would get crooked again when the retainers were not worn. Adults have to have teeth removed more often because they have no growth left and the bone is more rigid and difficult to move teeth in.

Q. How long will it take to complete the treatment?

A. Minor treatment can be accomplished in 6 months. Most full orthodontic treatment takes from 12 to 24 months to complete. This treatment requires about 12 to 18 visits to the orthodontist for adjustments and wire changes. We then follow all patients for 12 months with retainers to make sure the teeth remain in the proper alignment. This requires 2 to 3 visits and then the patients are not scheduled to return but are encouraged to call if they are having trouble with their retainer. We tell all patients that teeth can move all throughout life, so they should wear their retainers as long as possible even though we do not need to see them back in our office unless they have a problem.

Q. Can a person wear braces even though that person may have crowns and missing teeth?

A. A person can wear braces with crowns and missing teeth. These are usually adult patients and we can place brackets on porcelein, metal, or plastic crowns or fillings. We can sometimes use baby teeth in kids who have missing teeth and they will move with braces just like permanent teeth. We can also move other teeth into the missing tooth space to correct crowding or protruding teeth or move teeth into an ideal alignment for future dental implants.

Q. How can I prevent my child from being embarrassed by wearing braces?

A. Very few children are embarrassed by braces because all of their friends have them. In fact, most kids from 8 to 12 want braces! Some kids that are going into high school can be embarrassed by needing to wear braces but they are usually more embarrassed by having crooked teeth in a society that features an ideal smile and they are motivated to achieve that perfect bite and smile. Many of our adult patients say: "I only wish my parents would have made me wear braces when I was in middle school," and all those who had braces concur that it was one of the best things their parents did for them as a child.

Q. How to contact Dr. Bernard if we have further questions?

A. You may call our office or email him at mbernard1@neo.rr.com.

Where to?

Many of our patients plan on traveling this summer. Here is where some are going:

Savannah Strouse is going to West Palm Beach
Coty Rosier Lemon is going to North Carolina
Lauren Massolini is going to the Outer Banks
...so is Halle Gates-Duncan
Jenessa Woodrich is going to Rhode Island
Jaclyn Anderson is going to Mexico
Molly Anderson is also going to Mexico
Ryan Slivka is going to Myrtle Beach
Madison Schaff is going to Yellowstone
Stephen Mottice is going to Ocean City
Tess Hamilton is going to North Carolina
...so is Stacy Dorsey
Caitlin Hopkins is going to California ...so is Jenna Hopkins
Joshua Conant is going to Myrtle Beach
Quinn Blackledge is going to camp in Pennsylvania
Kelsey Simpson is going to Myrtle Beach
...so is Megan Moody
Courtney Justice is going on a mission trip
Chase Lash is going to Fort Myers
...so is John Barnett
Elisha Cavella is going to Dayton, FL
Emily Janowski is going to Tennessee
Brooke Hinchcliff is going camping with Branch
Alexa Baker and Christian Baker are headed to Virginia Beach
...and Trey and Jacob Belzer are headed to Colorado

Happy and safe travels everybody! From our entire team at Bernard & Eimer Orthodontics!

Drs. Bernard and Eimer want to know: What should we blog about?

With summer 2010 almost here, our staff at Bernard & Eimer Orthodontics strive to continue writing about important topics related to braces and your treatment with Canton orthodontist Dr. Michael Bernard.

To help us continue blogging through the course of the long summer, we need your help: What would you like us to focus on our blog over the summer? Perhaps there’s something you’ve wanted to ask Dr. Bernard for a while and just haven't found the opportunity? Give us your ideas by posting here or on our Facebook page!

We hope you have a great rest of the weekend and an even better upcoming week!

Drs. Bernard & Eimer want to know: What are your summer plans?

Drs. Bernard, Eimer and staff would like to know: what your plans are for summer? Do you have any interesting plans for an exciting summer vacation or a great new camp for your favorite sport? Does your family have a vacation or family reunion planned that is a tradition? Please feel free to share your summer plans and experiences with us here or on our Facebook page! We would like to wish all of the families in our practice a safe and fun summer!