Braces
Flossing Braces
Keeping braces clean is so important to moving teeth that it bears repeating. Keeping braces clean is so important to moving teeth.
Why is it important you ask? To completely correct a badly positioned tooth, the tooth must slide the brace along the wire in the brace only a few millimeters.
That is NOT very far! Two years to move something the thickness of a pencil!
Invisible Braces for Teens
Invisalign allows teens to straighten their teeth without having to show any metal. These are particularly good for spaced teeth.
This week, a patient from Gresham asked me what would be best for closing his spaced front teeth.
I told him that the Invisalign trays would cover up the spaces as soon as he put them in and make them look much smaller.
Advantages of Invisalign treatment:
- nearly invisible
When to Start Braces
Many parents comment on the number of kids in second or third grade who have some braces.
Treating with two phases of orthodontic care can usually be avoided. Good evidence exists that most orthodontic treatment is best provided at one time as a pre-teen.
However, there ARE times when early orthodontic treatment is useful.
Orthodontic problems that are best treated early:
- lower front teeth that bite outside of upper teeth (a cross bite)
Saving Space
Baby teeth are useful for many things:
- chewing on things (not always a good thing)
- eating
- talking
- smiling
- guiding permanent teeth into proper position
- saving space for permanent teeth
It is a rare day in my pediatric dentistry practice when I do not have to think about the space available for permanent teeth to grow in properly. Sometimes I have to extract teeth to make room then hold the space open with a metal space maintainer.
Retainers
Retainers are what we use to retain, or hold in place, teeth after they have been straightened with braces. In years past, orthodontists believed that wearing retainers for two or three years was enough to keep them straight for life.
This is only correct on about one third of patients. Another third will have minor movement of their teeth without retainer wear, and the last third will have significantly crooked teeth that require more braces to straighten them.
Invisalign for Teens
More teens can be treated with Invisalign now. Techniques for treating patients with more complicated orthodontic problems were recently discussed in a lecture near Portland.
Invisalign trays move teeth step by step by wearing a series of slightly different aligner trays that push teeth into new positions.
When Invisalign was first developed, it was directed only at adults. Now teens can be treated and even be treated for significantly crooked teeth, even for teens whose teeth must be extracted.
Shark Teeth
A surprising number of children develop a double row of teeth, especially on the lower front teeth. A six year old girl from Gresham saw me last week in my Portland office with just this condition.
Her mother was concerned that the permanent lower incisors would stay inside the lower primary (baby) incisors and look abnormal. She called them “shark teeth”.
Although this usually happens with lower incisors, it can also occur with upper incisors or primary molars.
Invisible Braces
While lunching in the Oregon City Shopping Center, I read an article about using thin sheets of plastic (aligners) that are custom formed to patient teeth to correct a deep bite.
Now Invisalign has been making these types of orthodontic appliances for years but they require much more cost because they use many more of the plastic aligners.
This article described how to use one aligner with some rubber bands to do the same job at a fraction of the cost.
Space Maintainers
A space maintainer is something that holds the space of a lost baby tooth until the permanent tooth can erupt, maybe when they are twelve or older.
Space maintainers are usually made with stainless steel bands and wire. A space maintainer will be be removed when the new permanent tooth starts breaking through the gums.
If your child likes to eat sticky or hard foods such as corn nuts, ice, jolly ranchers or gummy bears, they will have to be very careful.
Cleaning Braces
Braces are wonderful. Braces provide beautiful smiles. Most patients are eager to get their braces on.
After a month of showing them off to their friends, however, they realize how hard they are to keep clean.
The braces stick out from the teeth and the wire that passes between the brace on each tooth traps food and plaque. How can anyone possibly clean them well?
- Dental Health Lessons For Young Children
- Kids and Teens Can Benefit From Orthodontic Treatments
- The Best Toothpaste
- Choosing the Best Dental Products for Kids
- What You Need to Know About Instant Orthodontics
- Pediatric Shark Teeth – What Are They
- Your Guide to Common Dental Terminology
- How to Teach Your Child to Look Forward to Visiting a Kids Dentist
- What You Need to Know About Dental Insurance
- Dental Hygiene Tips for Kids
- Getting Kids to Brush Properly
- Dietary Supplements for Dental Health
- Tips For Parents Who Have Kids In Braces
- Things to Know about Invisalign Braces
- Baby Juice Bottles
