No Wooden Teeth, Please! Why Oral Health is So Important
Your teeth are precious. Once your permanent teeth come in, they need to last you a lifetime. Extensive tooth decay can lead to dental caries and the need for fillings, crowns, bridges, and dentures. While these fixes can go a long way toward maintaining your quality of life, they cannot compare to your natural teeth. Getting braces is no excuse to let up on your thorough oral health routine: You need to take good care of your teeth before, during, and after braces to benefit completely from the gains you get from newly straightened teeth. Why You Should Maintain Good Oral Health for Life Begin a complete oral health regimen as early as possible in life, and maintain this routine throughout your life. Keeping your (or your child’s baby) teeth clean establishes a routine. It preserves healthy baby teeth whose function is to save space for the permanent teeth when they are ready to come in. Care of your permanent teeth helps preserve the enamel and prevent decay. Take Special Care with Braces It is important to pay attention to oral health when you have braces. If you do not take special care of your teeth during the months or years that you have braces, you risk irreversible damage to your teeth. Care is more difficult with braces because food can easily get stuck. In addition to brushing twice daily and flossing each day, Dr. Eckler, Dr. Leung and Dr. Black and our staff suggest avoiding sticky foods.
Will my child benefit from early orthodontic treatment?
According to the Canadian Association of Orthodontists, orthodontic treatment for children should start at around age seven. Dr. Eckler, Dr. Leung and Dr. Black can evaluate your child’s orthodontic needs early on to see if orthodontic treatment is recommended for your son or daughter. Below, we answer common questions parents may have about the benefits of early childhood orthodontics. What does early orthodontic treatment mean? Early orthodontic treatment usually begins when a child is eight or nine years old. Typically known as Phase One, the goal here is to correct bite problems such as an underbite, as well as guide the jaw’s growth pattern. This phase also helps make room in the mouth for teeth to grow properly, with the aim of preventing teeth crowding and extractions later on. Does your child need early orthodontic treatment? The characteristics and behavior below can help determine whether your little one needs early treatment. What are the benefits of seeking orthodontic treatment early? Jaw bones do not harden until children reach their late teens. Because children’s bones are still pliable, corrective procedures such as braces are easier and often faster than they would be for adults. Early treatment at our Mississauga and Brampton office can enable your child to avoid lengthy procedures, extraction, and surgery in adulthood. Talk with Dr. Eckler, Dr. Leung and Dr. Black today to see if your child should receive early orthodontic treatment.
Spot Check
After all your hard work, and months of orthodontic treatment, the big day is finally here—your braces are coming off! What you want to see: beautiful, straight teeth perfectly aligned to create a comfortable, healthy bite. What you don’t want to see: a collection of whitish spots dotting the enamel around your gum line or outlining the spot where your brackets used to be. What are these spots? Can they be removed? And, most important, how do you avoid them? Decalcification Those white spots are caused by decalcification, or the removal of the minerals, especially calcium and phosphorus, that strengthen our enamel. How does this removal take place? When bacteria and plaque remain on the teeth, they produce acids that eat away at these minerals. The result is a weakened, discolored white spot in the enamel. Unfortunately, because many orthodontic patients don’t brush thoroughly around their braces, decalcification is an all-too-common problem. Treating Decalcification You might need cosmetic dentistry to eliminate or reduce white spots on the enamel. In some cases, they will fade over time, or teeth whitening can help. In more stubborn cases, tooth bonding or veneers can cover the affected enamel. Preventing Decalcification But, obviously, prevention is always better than treatment. Here are some of the ways to keep your enamel healthy and looking its best: Getting rid of the bacteria and plaque on your enamel and around your gum line will greatly reduce your chances of decalcification—and cavities. Brush after every meal, and talk to us about the best products and techniques for cleaning your teeth and appliances. And be sure to spend the extra time you’ll need for brushing around your braces. Even though it can be more difficult to floss with brackets and wires, it’s essential for removing plaque. We have suggestions for special flosses designed for braces wearers, and how best to use them. A water flosser can be helpful for reducing plaque if other flossing methods aren’t working. Fluoride actually helps remineralize our teeth, replacing the important minerals that have been lost to acid attacks. We might also suggest remineralizing toothpastes or a fluoride rinse. Acidic foods increase the acidity levels in your mouth, sugars give bacteria the fuel they need to produce acids, and sticky foods allow bacteria to remain on teeth and braces longer. We’ll give you suggestions on the best foods to keep your teeth healthy (and your braces intact) while you’re undergoing treatment. Your dental professional will be able to remove plaque and tartar that home brushing has missed. If we let you know that you need to spend more time on your cleaning routine, or that you need to be more thorough when you brush and floss, take our suggestions to heart. We are happy to show you the most effective way to clean around your braces. Dr. Eckler, Dr. Leung and Dr. Black can recommend the best dental products for your specific needs. We can suggest rinses and toothpastes that will help. We’ll let you know how much time you should spend brushing and how often. If you have any questions at all about keeping your teeth and braces their cleanest, we are here to help. Always feel free to talk to our Mississauga and Brampton team about concerns you might have about decalcification, discolouration, or any other potential problems. We are want to make sure that when your braces come off, you have every reason to smile!
How Long Will My Retainer Last?
You’ve worked hard for your attractive, healthy smile, and now you’re making sure it stays attractive and healthy by wearing your retainer. Since wearing a retainer is usually a matter of years, not months, it’s natural to wonder just how long you can count on that retainer to help you maintain your smile. That answer depends on the type of retainer you get at our Mississauga and Brampton offices. A Hawley retainer, a clear retainer, and a fixed wire retainer have different lifespans. Because they each have their own advantages, Dr. Eckler, Dr. Leung and Dr. Black will recommend the retainer that’s right for protecting your individual smile. So let’s look at the average lifespan for different retainers, and, equally important, some of the common mishaps that can shorten that working life. The Hawley Retainer This is the retainer most people picture when they think “retainer.” Made of wire securely attached to an acrylic base, the Hawley retainer keeps the teeth in place, and can even be adjusted, if needed, to improve alignment. They generally last anywhere from three to ten years. How can you make sure your Hawley retainer keeps working for you as long as possible? The Clear Retainer Clear retainers look like clear aligners, and, like clear aligners, are almost invisible. Made of vacuum-formed plastic, they’re designed for a close, comfortable fit, often around the entire arch of your teeth. Also like clear aligners, these retainers aren’t made to last forever. If they become loose, warped, or cracked, they should be replaced. With care, they can last from six months to several years. How to protect them? The Fixed Retainer A fixed retainer is a small piece of wire that is custom-fit and bonded to the back of specific teeth to prevent any movement from occurring. Because it’s bonded to the inside of the teeth, a fixed retainer is completely invisible when you speak or smile. It can last five years, ten years, and in some cases, even longer. Even though you won’t be exposing this retainer to external dangers like hungry pups or the wash-and-rinse cycle, there are still some situations to watch for: So, how long will that retainer last? Depending on the kind of retainer you have, if you don’t keep it in its case, or if you don’t watch your diet, or if you expose it to heat, the answer is—not nearly long enough. Dr. Eckler, Dr. Leung and Dr. Black will give you the very best tips to keep your retainer clean, safe, and working for as long as possible. Now, it’s up to you!