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Summer . . . no school, lots of sun, sleeping in, going on vacation.  It’s my favorite time of year, yours’ too?  As our office is always striving to educate our patients about their orthodontic treatment and how to have the best experience possible, I thought it would be a good idea to address summer vacations. . . should something happen to your braces or appliance, what do you do?

I want to stress that these pointers are for vacation – when you are hiking in Timbuktu or on the beach in Hawaii.  Whenever you are in town and experience any issues, please call us.

When on vacation, you should maintain your diligence regarding foods that can damage your braces.  Plaque never goes on vacation, so brushing your gums and teeth is still a twice a day event, at least.  The number one cause of trouble with braces is eating things that can damage your braces which may consequently make you uncomfortable.

Most broken brackets, usually lower brackets, are not much of a problem.  They wiggle around a little, but won’t hurt you or cause discomfort.  Any discomfort would be due to the change in forces on your teeth due to the missing bracket.  This can be repaired when you return home.

Poking wires:  With braces , if the pokey is in the very back, at the ends of the archwires, place wax or a small piece of chewing gum on the annoying wire.   This will keep you comfortable until your return.  If the small ligature wire around a bracket is sticking out and poking you, then take a spoon or pencil eraser and tuck the end out of the way.

If you run into an issue with your appliance and the ring around one of the teeth comes loose (usually not both sides at once), try to keep it in place and chew on the other side.  If this is not possible, then you can try to remove it.   Once started, you are committed.  Gently, try to bend the wire back and forth until it breaks, usually at the band/solder joint on the attached side.

When it breaks off, you are done.  While trying this, the band may come off instead, solving the problem as well.  Call us to let us know that you have a broken/removed applinace and we will schedule you as soon as we can to get you a new one.

Most other issues can be handled with a nail clipper or small pair of wire cutters.  When in doubt, cut it out.

Most of all, have a great vacation, enjoy the sights and your family and friends.

Many families are getting ready for new sports and activities this season, and some may not realize the potential dangers. More than 80 percent of sports-related emergency room visits involve children ages 5 to 14, according to the Centers for Disease Control, and many can be prevented by wearing the proper protective gear. It is important for parents to be aware of the potential for injury, and to take appropriate preventative measures.According to the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO), a top reason why many preventable injuries to the face and mouth occur is due to parents’ lack of knowledge about which sports and skill levels will benefit from protective gear.

When is it necessary to wear a mouth guard?

Mouth guards should be worn while participating in any sport or activity where the mouth might come into contact with a hard object or the ground. This includes football, wrestling, basketball, baseball, volleyball, lacrosse, ice and field hockey, softball and soccer. Mouth guards can help prevent injuries to the jaws, mouth, teeth, and possibly even the neck and central nervous system.

Can you wear a mouth guard over braces?

While wearing braces, your orthodontist can recommend a type of mouth guard designed to accommodate braces or other orthodontic appliances. It should cover over the braces to prevent irritation inside the mouth, as well as cushion between the top and bottom teeth to protect the teeth, jaws and skull. Parents and coaches should be aware that removable bracket covers that some orthodontists give to their patients to prevent irritation are not equivalent to a mouth guard, and should not be used instead of one. It’s also important to take out removable orthodontic appliances during sports and certain activities as instructed by your orthodontist.

Early Treatment

In accordance with the American Association of Orthodontists, we recommend that children have their first orthodontic evaluation by age 7. Children can better achieve optimal orthodontic results with an early evaluation and diagnosis. Our orthodontists can spot subtle problems with jaw growth and emerging teeth while some baby teeth are still present. Your child’s teeth may appear to be straight, but there could be a problem only an orthodontist can detect.

An initial evaluation can give you invaluable information about your child’s orthodontic health. Early detection is the key to preventing more serious problems from developing and may make treatment at a later stage shorter or less complicated. The checkup may reveal that your child’s bite is fine, or uncover a potential problem that will need to be monitored until the time is right for treatment. In other cases, an orthodontist might find a problem that can benefit from early treatment.

Benefits of early treatment include:
◾The ability to influence jaw growth to increase facial symmetry
◾Reducing the need to extract permanent teeth to achieve optimal orthodontic results
◾Lowering the risk of trauma to protruded front teeth
◾Correction of harmful oral habits
◾Improvement to the width of the smile
◾The ability to guide permanent teeth into a more favorable position by creating room for erupting teeth
◾Improvement in the way the lips meet
◾Reducing the time needed for orthodontic treatment in the future

Why age 7 is the Optimal Orthodontic Screening Age

The first adult molars generally erupt by the age of 7 which establishes the back bite. During this time, an orthodontist can evaluate front-to-back and side-to-side tooth relationships. The presence of erupting teeth can indicate possible overbite, open bite, crowding or the appearance of excessive gums. Timely screening increases the chance for an incredible smile and can prevent future dental health concerns. Contact us today for your FREE CONSULTATION!

Children Older Than 7
If your child is past the age of 7, it is important to have an orthodontic checkup as soon as possible. By treating the problems in children who are still growing, we achieve results that may not be possible when the face and jawbones have fully developed.

Why Malocclusions need Treatment
The misalignment of teeth or incorrect relationship between the upper and lower arches is clinically called malocclusion. In addition to teeth that are crooked or crowded, malocclusions can result in a variety of problems. Therefore orthodontics can create a prettier smile and, often times, a healthier you.

Potential problems from untreated malocclusions include:
◾Difficulty in brushing or flossing hard to reach surface areas, which can lead to tooth decay and/or gum disease
◾Difficulty in tearing and chewing food
◾Protruding teeth are more susceptible to chipping
◾Cross-bites can result in unfavorable growth and uneven tooth wear
◾Open-bites can lead to tongue-thrusting and speech impediments

Keeping your teeth clean is more important than ever when you have braces. Food bits have more spots than usual to hide in your mouth, so you must be diligent in order to avoid bad breath, swollen gums, discolored teeth and cavities. If you remove plaque regularly during treatment, you'll experience better results and shorter treatment time. Keep plaque at bay with these top ten tips:
1.One tooth at a time. When you brush, take time with each individual tooth – at least 10 seconds each – and pay careful attention to the spots where your teeth touch your braces.
2.It’s all about the angles. Brush the tops of your teeth and braces with your brush angled down toward where they meet. Brush the bottoms of your teeth and braces with your brush angled up.
3.Brush around braces carefullyThe tooth, the whole tooth, nothing but the tooth. While the front surface of your teeth may seem like the most logical to clean, it’s equally important to clean the inner surface of your teeth (tongue side) as well as the chewing surface. And be sure to clean along your gum line – a key spot for plaque buildup.
4.Step 1: eat, step 2: clean. While you’re in treatment, it’s important to brush after every meal. Bits of food can easily get caught between braces and teeth, and these food bits interact with bacteria in your mouth to cause decay. The longer food is in contact with your teeth, the greater opportunity for plaque to form. If you are eating somewhere that you can’t brush, thoroughly rinse your mouth with water.
5.Like a Boy Scout, always be prepared. The easiest way to be sure you can brush after every meal is to get in the habit of taking a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss with you wherever you go. Designate a special container just for your teeth-cleaning tools and keep it in your purse, backpack, or laptop case.
6.Remove the moving parts. If you have elastic bands or headgear, remove these parts before you brush or floss.
7.Fluoride is your friend. Fluoride helps prevent cavities. Be sure to brush with fluoride toothpaste, and rinse with fluoride mouthwash.
8.Pointy brushes reach tiny places. Interproximal brushes (sometimes called proxa brushes or interdental brushes) are cone-shaped and come in very handy for reaching spots around your braces that standard brushes can’t.
9.Find the floss for you. Regular floss works for some patients, but others find it easier to work with a floss threader, which helps you get the floss into tight places. Other patients like an all-in-one product called Superfloss, which comes with a stiff end for easy threading, a spongy section for cleaning wide spaces, and regular floss for narrow spaces.
10.Make time for the pros. It’s your job to take care of the everyday cleaning. But make sure to visit your dentist regularly while in treatment, to get the deep, thorough cleaning that only a professional can provide.