Month: April 2022

Whether you straighten your teeth with traditional braces or clear aligners, such as Invisalign, you’ve probably been told the importance of wearing your retainers. However, are they really necessary? That question can be answered best by explaining what happens when you don’t wear a retainer.

What Happens When You Stop Wearing Retainers?

The teeth will shift and move into new positions as you stop wearing your retainers consistently. As a result, previously crowded teeth will become once again crowded and crooked. The gaps between teeth that were previously closed will begin to open again.

As a kid, if you stop wearing your retainers, you’ll also upset your parents. Getting braces is an expensive investment in your smile. When your teeth relapse and become crooked or gapped, the money you spend seems quite futile.

Orthodontic treatment also requires significant time investment from you. For some, it requires years to straighten their teeth using Invisalign or braces. By not wearing retainers, you have wasted time as well.

Why Do You Need Retainers?

As soon as patients get their braces off or finish Invisalign, they need to make plans for wearing retainers. Despite the new position of your teeth, roots have memory, and they will not stay there if you don’t take proactive steps to maintain them.

The movement of your chompers leaves gaps in surrounding tissue and bone. During the healing and reattachment process, your retainers will hold your teeth in place. This is why it’s crucial to wear your retainers continuously for the first three to six months after your procedure.

You’ll need to wear your retainers every night for the rest of your life if you intend to keep your teeth straight. Fortunately, you won’t have to wear them as often after some time.

Schedule your appointment with a dentist today and get the treatment on time!

Braces are trendy in youth and teenagers to get perfect teeth and smile. Nowadays, they are for both medical and cosmetic purposes. But the question arises: do braces cause restrictions in our daily life? No braces don’t affect our daily activities.

Avoid hard food and sugary drinks

When braces are implanted during the first few weeks, doctors suggest avoiding a few foods and drinks. Hard food can cause harm to the brackets or wires and lead to tooth injury. Doctors suggest avoiding sticky, rigid, or crunchy food in the early weeks and avoiding sugary and acidic drinks that cause plague and harm teeth, and lead to tooth decay.

Wear mouth protection

While wearing braces, you can remain engaged in exercise and participate in sports. Consult your doctor if you need to wear a mouth guard or lip shield. Depending on the sport, wearing one of these protection devices may be a brilliant idea – so the braces don’t damage the inside of your mouth.

Avoid Using Mouth as a Tool

Many people use teeth as tools to cut or open things. Having braces, you should never use your teeth to open bottles, tear apart bags, bend cables, hold anything, or do anything other than eat with them. Teeth are used for chewing, cutting, and grinding edible items. Using teeth for inedible food or items cause injury, weakness, and dental trauma.

Avoid Chewing Stuff in the mouth

Most of us sometimes have this terrible habit of chewing nails and pencils or anything due to boredom or anxiety. This habit can cause harm not only to your teeth but can cause damage to braces also.

Taking care of teeth with braces requires regularly brushing twice a day and flossing once a week. And visit your dentist on a regular basis.

Schedule your appointment with a dentist today and get the treatment on time!

Archwires are an essential part of dental braces for appropriate movement and alignment of the teeth, and they are changed frequently during the treatment stages.

What is Braces wire?
Braces wires are referred to as archwires. Arch Wires are a metal component of dental braces used as tools by orthodontists for various dental issues of all ages, children younger, and adults. Archwires are thin metal attached and wrapped to the molar at the back of teeth. This is responsible for fixing teeth alignments and movement of teeth while braces are on. Their primary function is to force teeth to improve in the proper position.

Stages of Treatment
Braces are secured to the teeth with wire and bands. The orthodontists brace wire adjust them regularly with brace wires to keep them aligned. Braces are to be worn for three months and can go up to a few years, based on the duration of treatment required. The treatment takes place in three stages:

1. Alignment: During the first stage of initial alignment, the orthodontist tries to fix the teeth into the desired positions, during which brace wires are changed to adjusted frequently. After a few months, the teeth are lined up in neat, straight rows. This stage isn’t intended to rectify any other issues as treatment in the process. The teeth may still stick forward or misalign when you bite or chew.
2. Bites and Space Closure: After teeth have been aligned, braces will begin to close the gaps and fix the bites between your teeth. Because more force is required, the wire will start to thicken to keep teeth upright and straight, preventing them from shifting backward or into any other unfavorable positions.
3. Detailing with Retainers: Maintaining the position of the teeth and bite after braces is also essential, so a retainer is used to help with this.

After braces are removed, taking care of teeth is important to keep the smile intact.

Making it through the first week with braces is the most difficult aspect. Your mouth is acclimating to the weird, new metal components, and you may experience some discomfort at first. You’ll have a gorgeous straight smile once you get through the first week.

Here are five recommendations for surviving the first week of wearing braces to help you feel more at ease:

• When wearing braces, be mindful of what you consume: Only consume softer meals for the first few days to allow your mouth and teeth to acclimate. Pasta, seedless bread, soft vegetables, pudding, soup, yogurt, and other similar foods should be consumed. Hard meals and sugary gum should be avoided at all costs. 
• Use dental wax to help with mouth sores: While brackets are supposed to be easy on your mouth, they can irritate the soft tissue of your mouth while you’re getting acclimated to them. Your skin will toughen over time, and you will stop getting uncomfortable places. 
• Use saltwater for rinsing your mouth: If your mouth is irritated, we recommend rinsing it 5-6 times a day for 30 seconds every time. In a cup of hot water, add half a teaspoon of table salt. The saltwater will alleviate pain and speed up the healing process for wounds.
• Maintain appropriate oral hygiene at all times: After each meal, brush your teeth with a soft toothbrush making sure to get any food lodged in your brackets. Remember to wash your teeth twice a day and floss regularly as part of your regular oral hygiene practice.

Everyone adjusts to the discomfort of braces in their way, but if you follow these guidelines, your road to straight teeth will be a lot more enjoyable. Make an appointment with your dentist at the earliest for more information.

Schedule your appointment with a dentist today and get the treatment on time!

Always be mindful that braces are sensitive to damage, so you’ll need to avoid certain foods for as long as you have braces. 

The following are some of the frequently asked questions when it comes to what to eat and what to skip with braces on.

Can I eat almonds with braces?
Nuts are a type of food group that should not be eaten with braces on. Almonds are not only hard but they can also easily become stuck around the braces making it a real challenge for you to chew. If you still wish to eat almonds, then you can grind it and mix it in your milk and drink.

Can I eat apples with braces?
When you get braces, you have to give up some foods, including whole apples. Fortunately, you can still eat apples with braces. You simply need to eat them the right way. You can enjoy apples by cooking them, slicing them, removing peels, etc.

Can I eat bananas with braces?
Bananas are a healthy choice if you’re looking to suppress your hunger after having braces on. Make sure you choose bananas that are slightly brown, as they’re softer and will put less pressure on your teeth. The softer the banana, the easier it is going to be for you to chew.

Can I eat burgers with braces?
Yes, you can eat burgers with braces. But you will want to wait a few days before attempting eating a burger due to your teeth and gums being sore. During the orthodontic treatment, you have had a lot done to your mouth and you don’t want to irritate it any more. Make sure you avoid eating bread with seeds as the seeds tend to get stuck within the wires of the braces.

Can I eat cereal with braces?
It is always better to avoid hard crunchy cereals while wearing braces. However, you can continue eating oatmeal, rice cereal, cream-of-wheat, and other similarly soft cereals. Hard, crunchy cereals that you eat with milk are not safe to eat with braces on. Biting down on these hard cereals can put too much pressure on your braces causing them to bend, break, or come loose.

Can I eat chicken with braces?
While meat from a bone can cause damage to your braces, deboned meats such as chicken breast can be consumed with braces on. The only thing you need to keep in mind is to make very small pieces with the help of your hands and then take it inside your mouth. 

Can I eat chips with braces?
Yes, you can have chips with braces on but make sure you select the right chips for you. Baked chips and puffs are great chips options with braces. Always remember to eat one chip at a time so that you don’t accidentally damage your braces.

Can I eat chocolate with braces?
You can have chocolate with braces. However, this must be done in moderation, due to the high sugar content of chocolate. Whenever you crave chocolates, try to reach for dark chocolate, and avoid having milk chocolate varieties.

Can I eat Doritos with braces?
While having braces, you should avoid eating anything that is harsh or crunchy in the mouth or on the teeth. Chips such as Doritos are foods that can not only damage your braces, but also cause your braces to break.

Can I eat gum with braces?
It is always better to avoid having chewing gum with braces. Gum, whether sugarless or not, can negatively affect your braces. Gum is sticky and can easily get stuck in the braces that can cause even flexible wires to bend and adversely impact the effectiveness of your braces to straighten teeth.

Can I eat ice cream with braces?
Yes, you can have ice cream with your braces on. If the braces are freshly put, you might experience increased sensitivity to cold foods. Avoid biting into a frozen popsicle or crunching on the soft-serve cone. Instead, opt for ice cream you can consume with a spoon without letting it sit on the surface of your teeth. Once the sensitivity is gone, you will need to watch out for hard and crunchy toppings as they can damage the braces and teeth beneath them.

Can I eat lollipops with braces?
Lollipops are hard candy. Hard candy is not recommended during orthodontic treatments, and you should not have hard candy on a stick either. Sucking on the lollipop won’t damage the braces and is thus not off-limits, but biting on one definitely is.

Can I eat M&Ms with braces?
If you have your braces on and cannot resist chocolate, then you are in luck. M&Ms have a semi-hard shell with soft interiors, making it neither too chewy nor too hard. So yes, you can have M&ms with your braces on without worrying about any damage to your braces.

Can I eat Oreos with braces?
Oreos are hard cookies, and hard foods are off the chart. So if you are an Oreo fan, you might have to stay away for a while. You can always opt for soft cookies but make sure they do not have any nuts. Missing oreo too much? Dunk it in milk and have it as your soft cookie.

Can I eat pizza with braces?
You can have pizza with your braces on, but you might have to choose between some types. Go for a pizza with a soft crust and choose toppings that are easy to chew and small. Tough or thin pizza crust can be hard on braces and damage them. Also, clean your mouth thoroughly to get rid of pizza debris afterward. 

Can I eat popcorn with braces?
Popcorn is not recommended when you have your braces on. Why? Because the hulls get stuck under the braces and are often very difficult to remove. These hulls can also get wedged below the gums or between the teeth and are known to cause inflammation.

Can I eat Pringles with braces?
Hard and crunchy food is a no-no. So as a general rule, chips do not come recommended with braces. Pringles cut the slack to some extent because you do not have to chew hard, and pringles break into many pieces at the first bite. But, make sure you eat just one at a time so as not to put too much pressure on the braces.

Can I eat rice with braces?
Cooked rice is soft and can be consumed with braces on. However, keep in mind that rice is sticky too. So once you are done with your meal, make sure to rinse your mouth clean to get rid of leftovers stuck in your teeth. It will keep you safe from dental infections.

Can I eat a sandwich with braces?
Sandwiches are one of the most popular food options when it comes to children. The abundance of the possibilities of different combinations makes it a go-to meal. You can have a sandwich with your braces on. Choose soft bread and condiments that won’t stain. Also, eat slowly and take small bites to avoid any damage.

Can I eat watermelon with braces?
Yes, of course, you can eat watermelon with braces. It is one of the refreshing summertime snacks, which is also soft and easy to chew. Watermelon won’t cause any harm to your braces. But be careful to remove the seeds before consuming it.

Schedule your appointment with a dentist today and get the treatment on time!