Valentine’s Day is almost here. In case you don’t know, it’s Tuesday, February 14! That means lots of sweet goodies will be making an appearance this weekend and in the coming week. It’s also time, once again, for us at Horner Barrow Orthodontics, to remind all of our orthodontic patients in the Sioux Falls, SD area to use extra caution when choosing those tempting delights.

Sweet, sour, gooey and sticky candies and chocolates taste great, but they are also known to damage teeth and orthodontic appliances. Sour candies can be harmful to your teeth, and actually wear down the enamel that protects them. This can cause tooth staining, tooth decay, and cavities.

If you do indulge, Dr. Kevin Horner and Dr. Keri Barrow recommend choosing softer treats, such as soft chocolates, peanut butter cups, or melt-in-your-mouth foods. After enjoying them, be sure to carefully brush and floss between your teeth, and thoroughly clean around your brackets and wires, as well as at the gum line.

Just for Fun…a little Valentine’s Day History

Valentine’s Day is known around the world as a celebration of love in all its forms. Red roses, cute little cherubs, pink hearts, and lovely greeting cards seem to be everywhere. But many people might not know that our modern Valentine’s Day celebration got its start from a religious holiday.

St. Valentine’s Day was originally celebrated as a religious feast day in honor of early Christian martyrs. Three martyrs were honored; all of them named Valentine…a priest in Rome, the persecuted bishop of a town in central Italy, and a saint martyred in Africa. This saint’s day was celebrated throughout Christendom, although in 1969 it was removed from the Roman Catholic Calendar of Saints.

Valentine’s Day as a holiday for lovers is credited to Geoffrey Chaucer’s 1382 poem “Parlement of Foules.” He penned, “For this was on Saint Valentine’s Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate,” and with those words the modern romantic holiday was born. William Shakespeare and other writers also mentioned Valentine’s Day as a day for love.

Fast forward to the early 19th century, which is when our modern-day Valentine’s Day came about. In Victorian England, printers began producing small numbers of cards with romantic verses, ribbons, lace, and other frilly adornments. Anonymous Valentine’s Day cards were a popular way for young lovers to exchange romantic sentiments in an otherwise conservative or “proper” era. As the 19th century progressed, printers began to mass-produce Valentine’s Day cards. Every year in the United States, we exchange an estimated 190 million valentines. In this age of technology, online Valentine’s Day cards have become very popular, with millions of e-cards sent each year.

Other items closely associated with Valentine’s Day are chocolate and flowers. The tradition of giving chocolates has been around for decades. Almost 150 years ago, Richard Cadbury created the first box of Valentine’s Day chocolates. Today, consumers purchase over $1 billion in chocolates in the United States alone, with 35 million heart-shaped boxes sold each year. Loved ones also give flowers; often red roses, associated with Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. On Valentine’s Day alone, florists sell nearly 200 million stems of roses.

Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us at Horner Barrow Orthodontics!

At Horner Barrow Orthodontics, we are committed to delivering excellent quality orthodontic treatment to each and every one of our patients. To provide a friendly, caring, and pleasant atmosphere that will ensure our patients feel relaxed and confident about placing their orthodontic care in our hands.