orthodontist

OUR TEETH ARE meant to fit together in a specific way. That’s how we chew our food effectively and pronounce our words clearly. When someone’s upper and lower teeth don’t fit together well, that’s a malocclusion or “bad bite.” Malocclusions can cause jaw problems, contribute to speech impediments, make teeth more likely to break, and even make digestion less efficient.

Bad Bite Causes and Types

Malocclusions can happen due to genetics, but they are often the result of bad oral habits in childhood, like thumbsucking, lip sucking, tongue thrusting, nail biting, teeth clenching, and mouth breathing. Orthodontic treatment can correct malocclusions, such as:

1. Excessive overbite: the upper teeth overlap or overjet the lower teeth by too much for a healthy bite.
2. Deep bite: such a severe overbite that the upper front teeth completely overlap the lower front teeth, which may even drive into the gums behind the upper teeth, risking injury to the gum tissue.
3. Open bite: sometimes the result of a tongue thrust habit or aggressive thumbsucking in the preschool years and beyond. The upper front teeth flare out, leaving a gap between them and their lower counterparts when biting down.
4. Crossbite: when the jaw is closed, some upper teeth are on the outside and some lower teeth are on the outside.
5. Underbite: when the jaw is closed, the lower teeth jut out in front of the upper teeth.

Top image used under CC0 Public Domain license. Image cropped and modified from original.

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

BRACES OFF DAY will be here before you know it, and we’re just as excited to get there as you are, but keep in mind that it won’t be the end of your orthodontic treatment. It takes time for teeth to get used to their proper alignment, and the way we make sure they stay put is with retainers.

Keeping Retainers Clean

Retainers accumulate bacteria, plaque, and tartar while you wear them, just like teeth do, and that means they need regular cleaning, also just like teeth do. No one wants to wear a retainer that smells bad, tastes bad, is discolored, and is covered in gunk!

The cleaning process will vary a little depending on what type of retainer you have. If you have a removable retainer, rinse it in cool water and brush it at least once a day. If you have a bonded retainer, we know it can make flossing a little tricky, but it’s worth it. Tartar really likes to accumulate around a bonded retainer. Floss threaders or a water flosser can make this much easier.

Give Your Retainer the Occasional Deep Clean

Daily cleanings are important, but retainers need a more thorough cleaning every once in a while to stay in good condition. The hygienist can take care of that for a bonded retainer at your regular dental appointments, but you can clean a removable retainer at home, and it’s cheap and easy.

Either purchase special retainer-cleaning tablets or simply soak the retainer in a mixture of cool water and baking soda. Water and vinegar also work, or some hydrogen peroxide. Leave the retainer to soak for a few minutes, then rinse it and let it dry. However, make sure you never use hot water (which can warp the retainer) or harsh chemicals like bleach.

Storing a Retainer Between Uses

There’s a good chance you’ll only need to wear your retainer overnight, so what’s the best way to store it during the day? Keep in mind that harmful bacteria thrives in enclosed environments that are dark and damp, so it’s best to store a retainer somewhere dry and open to the air. (This applies to toothbrushes too.) There are some types of retainers that need to be soaked while not being worn, so check with us on the specific needs of your retainer.

Do Retainers Really Matter This Much?

Absolutely! We touched on this before, but the reason we need retainers after braces is that the supporting structures around our teeth aren’t immediately used to their new position when the braces come off. The jaw bone and periodontal ligament need time to finish adjusting. Patients who don’t bother to wear their retainers might end up needing braces again before long. Nobody wants that to happen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m3tOMGdR-Y

Bring Us Your Retainer Questions

Whether you’re still in braces and want to be prepared or you’re already in the retention phase of treatment; whether your retainers are made of wire and acrylic or clear plastic, we want you to have all the information you need. The more you know, the easier it will be to maintain a great result for your smile!

Congratulations to every patient moving from braces to retainers!

CAN YOU BELIEVE HALLOWEEN is coming up so soon? It’s always a fun time of year, with the spooky movies, the decorations, the costumes, and the tasty treats. We’re not here to drop toothbrushes in anyone’s candy buckets, but we do want to offer some tips on making Halloween as healthy for our patients’ teeth — and as safe for their braces — as possible.

The Worst Halloween Candy for Teeth and Braces

Hard, sour, and sticky candies are definitely in the bad category, even for those without braces. It takes time for hard candy to dissolve, which means an extended sugar bath for the teeth, and they can easily pop a bracket loose. Sticky candy adheres to our teeth and gums, which brings all that sugar directly to the harmful bacteria. Sour candy is acidic as well as sugary, making it doubly harmful.

Better Treats for Dental and Orthodontic Health

So what’s the good news after all that? Chocolate! It contains compounds like flavonoids and polyphenols, which limit oral bacteria, slow tooth decay, and fight bad breath. However, the more sugar there is in it, the more it cancels out the good effects, which is why dentists prefer dark chocolate. No nuts, though! Those can snag a bracket.

The best candy for teeth is anything sweetened with xylitol instead of sugar. This sugar-free sweetener is not only inedible to harmful bacteria, it even hurts them! The only problem is that there aren’t many xylitol candy options besides sugar-free gum in most candy bowls, and gum is on the banned foods list too. Hopefully we’ll see xylitol in more braces-friendly types of candy before long!

Other candies that are safe to eat with braces and not terrible for your teeth include mint patties, peanut butter cups, and nut-free chocolate bars. These are soft and not too sticky, so you can safely bite into them without risking a bracket.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-Bj__lu2GU

Minimizing Sugar’s Effects on Your Teeth

If you have a sweet tooth that won’t be denied, there are other ways to fight back against the effect sugar has on teeth, such as:

• Keep the candy consumption to mealtimes. Snacking on it between meals gives oral bacteria an all-day sugar buffet, but only eating it at mealtimes gives your saliva a chance to wash away traces of sugar and neutralize your oral pH.
• Follow the candy with a drink of water. That will rinse off some of the sugar.
• Don’t slack on brushing and flossing! These daily habits are essential to keep sugar from doing lasting harm to tooth enamel.

Make Use of Your Dental Health Professionals

Another resource you have for keeping your teeth healthy even with all the candy Halloween brings is the dentist. Make sure you’re sticking to your usual twice-yearly appointments so the dentist can make sure you don’t have any post-Halloween cavities! And if a bracket does come loose, don’t hesitate to give us a call so we can keep your treatment on schedule.

Wishing all our patients a healthy, happy Halloween!

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

Thank you for taking the time to visit our blog. Please check back often for weekly updates on fun and exciting events happening at our office, important and interesting information about orthodontics and the latest news about our practice.
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