Invisalign® and Invisalign Teen®
There are so many adults and teens in our Mississauga and Brampton, ON office who would love to have their teeth straightened but that are unwilling to go through the long and unsightly process of traditional metal braces. Well, that’s where Invisalign® and Invisalign Teen® come to the rescue; the most advanced clear aligner systems in the world! There are several reasons why, if you’re considering getting braces, you should consider Invisalign too. Here are some of them: You can eat whatever food you’d like, without worrying about it getting caught in wires or breaking brackets. Most people won’t even know you’re wearing them! If you need to, you can remove your aligners at any time. The removable aligners let you brush and floss as you normally would, making for better overall oral health. Since they are made of a smooth BPA-free plastic, Invisalign aligners are simply more comfortable to wear than traditional braces. No metal means no more roughed up gums or irritated tongue! You’ll need to visit our Mississauga and Brampton, ON office less often — only once every six weeks or so. With Invisalign Teen, you’ll receive up to six replacements for lost or broken aligners. Before you get started with treatment, you’ll have a consultation with Dr. Eckler, Dr. Leung and Dr. Black to see if Invisalign or Invisalign Teen is right for you. If your case is a good fit, then you’ll have X-rays, pictures, and impressions of your teeth taken. That information will be used to make the 3D models of your teeth that let Dr. Eckler, Dr. Leung and Dr. Black see how they will move throughout the entire treatment and approximately how long it will take. After that, you’ll receive your aligners based on the treatment plan we recommend. You’ll get a new set of aligners every two weeks. Then all you need to do is wear your aligners 22 hours a day and you’ll be on your way to a straighter healthier smile. Don’t hesitate to a member of our Mississauga and Brampton, ON team for more information about Invisalign!
Tips for Handling and Avoiding Orthodontic Emergencies
The best way to avoid orthodontic emergencies is to know how to take care of your braces properly throughout your entire treatment. However, emergencies are … well, emergencies, and sometimes no matter how cautious you are or how well you take care of your braces, the wires loosen, the bands pop, or you experience orthodontic discomfort. Common orthodontic emergencies include broken braces, poking wires, lost or broken retainers, mouth sores, and mouth injuries sustained playing sports, which often happens when you don’t wear a mouthguard to protect your teeth and appliance. Food It’s important to avoid foods that can damage your braces. Most people wear braces for about two years. All chewy, sticky, crunchy, and hard foods should be avoided during that time. While this may seem like a long time to go without popcorn or bubble gum, hard foods can break the brackets of your braces and sticky foods can bend the wires. If you have a loose wire, don’t try to fix it yourself. Call Smile Solutions. In the meantime, if a wire is poking into your cheek or lip and causing irritation, put wax or a wet cotton ball over it to dull the sharp edge. Pain and Discomfort Some discomfort is a normal part of orthodontic treatment, especially in the hours after the braces are placed on your teeth or after a recent tightening or adjustment. However, if the pain doesn’t subside in three to five days, it’s a good idea to schedule an appointment at Smile Solutions. Until then, try dissolving a teaspoon of salt in an eight-ounce glass of water and gargling with the solution. Over-the-counter pain medication will relieve discomfort, too. Playing Sports Just because you wear braces doesn’t mean you can’t play sports. You just need to take some extra precautions. Sports-related injuries to the mouth and jaw are common. The best way to protect your mouth and your appliance is to wear a mouthguard. There are several different types of mouthguards available, so be sure to ask Dr. Eckler, Dr. Leung and Dr. Black what’s best for you. Brushing and Flossing In order to keep your braces in good condition and avoid orthodontic emergencies, it’s important to brush and floss thoroughly after every meal. It’s easy for small particles of food to get trapped in your braces, and if the food isn’t removed, it gets wedged between the teeth and gums and causes plaque. Need more tips on how to avoid orthodontic emergencies? Just ask any member of our Mississauga and Brampton, ON team.
Tooth Extraction and Braces
Perhaps you’ve heard from parents or older relatives what braces used to be like years ago—obvious, uncomfortable, hard to clean, and with inevitable tooth extractions to start off the whole lengthy process. Today, brackets are much smaller and wires are more pliable. You can even choose ceramic brackets or clear aligners for an almost invisible effect. New tools make cleaning your braces easier than ever. And new braces technology means that treatment is often shorter. But what about extractions? Are they still inevitable? For orthodontists like Dr. Eckler, Dr. Leung and Dr. Black, the objective is saving teeth. And modern practices and technology have made this goal more attainable than ever before. There are several ways that modern treatment procedures can help avoid extractions. Early Intervention We recommend that children visit our Mississauga and Brampton, ON office for an orthodontic evaluation by age seven. Because a child’s jaw is still forming at this age, early intervention can lead to orthodontic treatment that expands the jaw in order to make room for permanent teeth, or starts correcting bite problems before they become more serious. High-Tech Planning Today’s technology allows us to map out the progression of your treatment before we begin. Scanners, X-rays, and computer programs help us to design a treatment plan which will accurately predict how best to move your teeth and correct your bite, taking into account the size and development of your teeth and jaw. Surgical Options By the time you reach your late teen years, the jaw bones have stopped growing and it’s no longer possible to expand them without surgery. Oral surgery can treat serious jaw problems that impact your teeth and bite, usually as part of a combined treatment plan designed by your orthodontist and your oral surgeon. Because we always work to keep teeth intact—using these methods and others—you can be sure that, if we recommend extraction, it is absolutely necessary. What could make an extraction necessary? Severe overcrowding. Sometimes, there’s just not enough room in the jaw for all of your teeth. A tooth or teeth that prevent us from correcting a problem with your bite. Wisdom teeth. Usually, orthodontic work takes place before a patient’s wisdom teeth start to erupt. If yours do make an appearance before or during treatment, we can adapt our treatment plan accordingly. An extra tooth. It’s rare, but an extra, or supernumerary, tooth sometimes develops, and your jaw is not designed to accommodate extras! It’s important that you talk to Dr. Eckler, Dr. Leung and Dr. Black about every step of your treatment, including extractions. We want you to understand the treatment plan which will give you your best outcome. If we recommend extraction, it is because this decision is the best way to achieve a healthy bite and alignment, creating your beautiful smile—and protecting it—for a lifetime.