About Braces
Your braces will be attached quickly and easily to your teeth, but a full day is necessary for the bands to completely affix. It is a good idea to wait several hours after getting braces before eating solid food. You may find it easier to eat soft foods for the first couple of days while you are becoming accustomed to eating with your new braces.
Comfort Concerns
Your braces may feel a little awkward at first and your teeth may be tender or sensitive to pressure. This is completely normal and will go away soon. It may feel as though your braces are “sticking out,” but this sensation will also soon pass. Small pieces of orthodontic wax may be used if the brackets irritate your cheeks. Our office always has extra wax in case you run out so call us if you need more.
Many patients will experience some discomfort at first, but the soreness will go away within the first few days or even hours of getting braces. It is impossible to predict exactly when the tenderness will end. Some patients choose to take over the counter pain relievers the first day of treatment to lessen the discomfort. To ensure the best result, take the medications before your appointment.
Eating Right
Braces are attached to your teeth with a strong adhesive, but may become loose as a result of eating certain foods. It is also possible that wires could become bent or broken without proper care. Since it is best to achieve orthodontic treatment goals with as few disruptions as possible, a well-balanced diet is important to ensure a healthy environment for your teeth.
Patients should avoid foods that are sticky, hard or chewy. They should also avoid any food and drinks that are known to cause cavities. Patients should brush, floss and rinse their mouth regularly between meals.
The foods below are known to cause breakage of orthodontic appliances and are examples of what NOT to eat:
- gum
- beef jerky
- nuts
- hard or sticky candy
- corn chips
- crisp taco shells
- whole apples
- celery
- caramel
Brushing with Braces
The end product of braces is well worth the time and discipline. Yet if proper brushing techniques are not executed, you can be left with discoloring on your teeth. Please ask out staff if you are unclear of proper brushing with braces techniques.
Flossing with Braces
Flossing with braces takes a few minutes to master, but the effort is well worth it. The first step to flossing is getting the floss under the wire that connects the braces together. Once the floss is under the arch wire it can be wrapped around the tooth on one side.
The floss is then pushed up toward the gum line and then pulled down toward the wire. This should be repeated four to five times to ensure all plaque is removed. Be careful not to put too much pressure on the wire as you pull down. Then wrap the floss around the neighboring tooth. Once both teeth are done, the floss is pulled out and the process repeated for the next two teeth. Please ask our staff for further details.
FAQ
(Click a question for more information)
Orthodontics is the area of dentistry concerned with the supervision, guidance and correction of the dentofacial structures. Orthodontic treatment uses braces, retainers and other appliances to correct any dentofacial abnormalities. Regular dental check-ups and orthodontic treatment are proven to be effective tools in helping establish and maintain good oral health for people of all ages.
An orthodontist is a specially trained dentist who has attended an advanced education program for a continual training period of 2 to 3 years. All members of the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) have received the appropriate training.
It is usually difficult to know if treatment is necessary because there are many problems that can occur even though the front teeth look straight. Asking your general dentist is always a good starting point. Since our initial exam is complimentary, call us to today to schedule a consultation and ask orthodontic treatment questions. We will be happy to explain your recommended treatment.
Although it may be difficult for you to determine if treatment is necessary, the following may help in prompting you to seek our orthodontic advice.
Take a look at your (or your child’s) teeth. If you see any signs of crooked teeth, gaps between the teeth or overlapping teeth, orthodontic treatment may be necessary. Bite all the way down, but keep your lips open so you can see the teeth. Do the front top teeth line up with the bottom? Do the top teeth protrude out away from the bottom teeth? Do the top front teeth cover more than 50% of the bottom teeth? Are the top teeth behind the bottom teeth? All these are indicators for potential orthodontic treatment. Look at your jaw alignment. Does the jaw shift off center during biting down? If you see any misalignment or shifting of the jaw, it suggests a skeletal or jaw bone problem, which requires early orthodontic intervention. These are only some of the obvious symptoms of orthodontic problems.
The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that your child be evaluated by age seven. Hence all baby teeth need not be gone before initiating orthodontic treatment. In fact, early detection of some orthodontic problems is important in order to take early preventive/interceptive action and avoid more difficult treatment later. Early orthodontic treatment also potentially prevents extraction of teeth which is needed in some cases if the teeth get very crowded. Again, since our initial consultation is complimentary, it helps to get a consult as soon as possible.
No, age is not a factor. So long as the gums and bone which support your teeth are healthy one can get orthodontic or braces treatment at any age. About 30% of our orthodontic patients are adults and that number is still growing! Our oldest patient treated was 72 years old. Call us today with your braces questions!
Orthodontic treatment mechanics have advanced technologically over the last few years. Introduction of new high tech wires, smaller braces, innovative accessories and stress of preventive/interceptive treatments make today’s orthodontic treatment fairly comfortable. We do not use any anesthetic injections for any of the procedures. As a rule, braces can cause a little discomfort initially until one gets used to them. Teeth can get a little sore a day after every adjustment appointment but they are not painful. This annoyance can be relieved easily with over-the-counter pain relievers, if needed. Most of our patients do not need to take any pain relievers.
Yes. When teeth are missing, adjacent teeth will drift into the empty space. This will cause a functional, esthetic or periodontal problem. Orthodontic treatment will correct and prevent these problems from happening and will also provide proper alignment for your dentist to replace the missing teeth. Call us today with your braces questions!
You should be able to play just about any sport. However, it is recommended that you wear a mouth guard while participating in certain sports.
Phase I or Early Interceptive Treatment usually starts while the child has most of their baby teeth with few of their permanent teeth. The goal of Phase I treatment is to intercept a moderate or severe orthodontic problems early in order to reduce or eliminate them. These problems include jaw bone problems, cross bites and developing crowding. This phase does not use full braces as braces are never put on baby teeth. Generally, we use expanders, removable appliances, herbst appliance (instead of headgear) and retainers during this phase. These treatment approaches takes advantage of the active growth to change the jaw bone structure to either make extra room or address jaw bone discrepancies. This helps reduce the need for extractions or jaw surgery and delivers better long term results and treatment options. Most Phase I patients require a Phase II treatment in order to achieve an ideal bite.
Phase II treatment involves use of full braces with a goal to finish the occlusion or bite ideally. It usually occurs when all permanent teeth are present. Many a times there is gap of sometime between Phase I and start of Phase II treatment. This phase most commonly occurs around the age of 12 or 13 years.
This is another name for orthodontic treatment in the permanent dentition at any age. It is more commonly used when a Phase I treatment was not performed.
Absolutely not! But in many cases early intervention helps a lot. We will offer Phase I treatment only if it makes a difference in future otherwise we keep the patients for a complimentary recall consultation every six months.
In our office, Phase I treatment usually lasts 12-14 months. Phase II or full braces treatment may last from 18 to 36 months. In both situations, we generally see the patients every 6 to 8 weeks for their adjustment appointment.
Treatment time and its success depends on multiple factors such as, age of the patient, the severity of the problem, the patient’s cooperation and the speed of natural response of teeth movement.
Extraction therapy is a technique where some teeth are removed to make room for the other teeth in your child’s mouth. This is in contrast to non-extraction therapy where one expands patients’ jaw and/or shaves some teeth to reduce their width to make everything fit. We will make a thorough evaluation at the consultation and discuss the options to determine which procedure best suits the patient.
Metal braces are the most popular with kids and teenagers. They love using different colors of ligature ties. These braces are much smaller than ever before.
Translucent clear ceramic braces are the most popular with adults. You have to be very close to someone to be able to see them. Yet, because they are a ceramic material, they are more fragile and have some limitations. We will discuss these choices of braces and any other braces questions at the consultation appointment.
The Invisalign system is becoming a very popular method of orthodontic treatment for adults who are candidates. They consist of a series of clear orthodontic appliances called aligners that allow you to straighten your teeth without having to wear traditional braces. Each set of custom-made aligners is worn for about two weeks and moves the teeth in small steps to the desired final position. However all orthodontic patients are not candidates for this treatment option. For more information about Invisalign, please give our office a call to make an appointment for a complimentary exam to see if you are a candidate for this exciting new system.
We strive to make orthodontic treatment affordable and offer a variety of flexible payment plans.
Our office offers a “No Down Payment” option (subject to credit approval) that allows patients to make affordable monthly payments over the course of treatment. We do not charge interest.
Please call our office today to set up a complimentary consultation and learn more about our payment plans and any other orthodontic treatment questions.
Louisiana Orthodontics Specialists
5000 Forsythe Bypass, Suite 116
Monroe, LA 71201
(318) 388-2220