Getting braces is a huge milestone. You dream of the day when the braces will come off and you will have a beautiful, straight smile. However, there are five steps you need to take at home to ensure you have a healthy smile at the end of your treatment. Skipping these could lead to ugly white spots and cavities. Here's how to care for braces.

When you think of big milestones in your child’s life, you may think of the day your baby got his first tooth, or years later when he lost a tooth and would carefully place it under the pillow for the Tooth Fairy.

But there is another milestone many parents don’t realize. The American Association of Orthodontists recommends children visit an orthodontist by age 7 to see whether early orthodontic treatment could correct or prevent problems.