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Having braces can present some new challenges when it comes to oral hygiene. It is essential that you put some extra attention into preventing tooth decay while wearing your braces. When your braces are finally removed, you want a beautiful, white smile, not decayed or stained teeth. Here are a few tips to help you keep your teeth healthy while wearing your braces:

Learn Proper Brushing Techniques

Place your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle against the gums in order to clean the whole tooth, and brush gently in the area between the wiring and the teeth. Use a softer toothbrush with fluoride toothpaste for best results. Using an oral rinse every day will help, too. Rinsing with mouthwash is important regardless, but especially important when you have braces, as you need to disinfect the entire mouth, including those spots under the braces where your brush can’t always reach.

Brush after Every Meal

Since braces block food from naturally escaping your teeth after eating, it’s important that you take the time to brush and floss after every meal. The less time food has to sit on your teeth, the less likely it is to cause decay. This may seem like an inconvenience, but when you get your braces off, you will be very glad you brushed after every meal.

Eat Braces-Safe Foods

When you have braces, there are certain foods that you must avoid. For starters, sticky foods such as caramel or gum can get stuck in your braces and are difficult to remove during brushing. Avoid hard foods, too, such as nuts and candy. Those goodies can bend wires or even break a bracket. And while you may love apples, carrots, or corn on the cob, they’re too firm or hard to bite into and can damage your braces. Crunchy treats can also harm your orthodontic appliances. It’s best to stay away from chips and popcorn, which can damage your braces. So just what can you eat? We recommend soft foods that are low in enamel-busting acids, such as bananas, mangoes, milk, water, poultry, and pasta.

Get Regular Checkups

It’s important to keep your routine appointments with your dentist and dental hygienist for a thorough cleaning twice a year or as directed. The exact frequency of these visits will be up to your dentist, as some types of braces are more demanding of a regular cleaning than others.

As long as you practice good oral hygiene and follow these basic tips, you should have no problem keeping your teeth healthy while you wear braces.

Invisalign® clear aligners are one of our most popular treatments for straightening teeth, and for good reason. In addition to their effectiveness in resolving a wide range of orthodontic issues, they are also clear, comfortable, and removable!

It is no wonder that Invisalign is one of the requested aesthetic treatments in our office. More than 2.5 million patients worldwide have been treated with Invisalign, and that number grows daily.

Why choose Invisalign for your treatment?

Since Invisalign aligners are discreet, they are hardly noticeable when you speak and smile, and because they are removable, you can eat and drink whatever you want. Just remember to brush and floss before putting your aligners back in. Treatment with Invisalign a great alternative to metal braces, and the results are just as amazing!

Invisalign Treatment Details

Invisalign’s virtually invisible aligners are made of a thermoplastic material uniquely developed for the Invisalign® treatment plan. They look similar to teeth-whitening trays. Over the course of treatment, you will be supplied with a series of aligners. When the aligners are placed on your teeth, they cause them to shift gradually from their current positions. After about two to four weeks, you will switch to the next set of aligners, which continue the teeth-straightening process. For the best results and a timely outcome, you need to wear your aligners for 20 to 22 hours per day.

Visits to our office are a necessary part of any orthodontic treatment plan. We will schedule regular appointments to see you, usually about once every four to six weeks, to make sure your treatment is progressing according to plan.

The length of your Invisalign treatment depends on the severity of your case and can only be determined during your consultation at our office; however, the average case takes about 12 - 18 months to complete for adults.

We are proud to offer Invisalign as a safe, effective way for our patients to achieve the smiles they’ve always wanted. Find out what Invisalign® can do for you by contacting our office and scheduling a complimentary initial consultation.

We want you to have the best possible orthodontic experience … one that will leave you smiling in more ways than one! However, having braces means you’ll have to alter your lifestyle a little: You’ll need to be careful about what you eat, make sure you brush and floss regularly, and protect your braces if you play sports. If you care for your braces properly, your treatment should be smooth sailing!

The best way to ensure your comfort during orthodontic treatment is to eat a braces-friendly diet. Certain foods are better suited for the purpose, as opposed to hard and sticky foods that can cause damage. So what types of foods should you eat if you have braces?

The best are low in sugar and do not require excessive chewing. For breakfast, try eggs, yogurt, wheat toast, or oatmeal. Lunch may steer toward a banana rather than an apple, a salad without nuts, and string cheese instead of chips. A healthy dinner might include most types of vegetables, as long as they are cooked to an appropriate softness. Pair that with a lean protein such as fish or chicken, and follow up with dessert. Just be sure to brush afterward!

Post-Tightening Foods

If you’ve just had your braces tightened, you’re probably feeling a bit of discomfort. That’s completely normal and should disappear in a day or so, but in the meantime, you’ll want to stick to easy-to-chew foods:

• Pudding
• Mashed potatoes
• Soup
• Ice cream
• Cottage cheese
• Peas
• Pancakes
• Pasta

Foods to Avoid

Anyone who wears braces—whether fixed or removable—should avoid excessive snacking and aim to eat a healthy and balanced diet. It’s also important to avoid foods that could cause damage to your braces, including:

• Hard candies
• Gum
• Nuts
• Popcorn

Hard, crunchy, or chewy foods can bend wires, or even rip a bracket right off your tooth! Any kind of damage will result in a longer treatment time and additional office visits. You won’t have braces forever, so save the sticky snacking for after they’re removed.

If you think twice before smiling, it may be that you need orthodontic treatment. Your smile expresses confidence and comfort about the appearance of your teeth and gives others a great first impression. However, if your teeth protrude, have noticeable gaps, or are crowded and crooked, you may feel anxiety about showing the world anything more than a tight-lipped smile.

According to the American Association of Orthodontists, one out of five orthodontic patients is an adult. Not only can the correction of dental misalignment improve self-esteem, it can also fix bite problems that can lead to poor dental health.

Special Considerations: Braces for Adults

If you didn’t get braces as a teen, don’t worry; the option of adult braces is still open. While the process of repositioning teeth is similar for all ages, special considerations are required when dealing with an adult mouth. While teens rarely have serious gum disease, adults often do. Periodontal problems, which may include gum recession, bone loss, and missing teeth due to decay or trauma, must be resolved before orthodontic treatment begins.  These conditions may make orthodontic treatment slightly more complex and extended in length.

Another important consideration for adults seeking orthodontic care is aesthetics. In the past, many professional adults have avoided orthodontic treatment because of big, bulky, metal braces. Thankfully, today’s orthodontic treatments are far less noticeable. From mini brackets and ceramic brackets to Invisalign® clear aligners, today’s orthodontic appliances are small, sleek and, in some cases, nearly invisible.

It is never too late for a beautiful smile! We invite you to schedule a complimentary initial evaluation to review how orthodontic treatment may benefit your smile.