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It is important to alter your eating habits when undergoing orthodontic treatment to prevent the risk of damage to one of your appliances. If it is your child undergoing treatment, be sure to provide braces-friendly dinners.

There are some great food options that are ideal for children with braces. It is important for meals to contain foods that are soft so that children do not cause damage to the brackets or arch-wires, increase pain, or prolong their orthodontic treatment. Remember that some foods, like cookies, can become hard after a certain period of time, increasing the risk of damage. orthodontic treatment

For more tips on protecting the integrity of your braces, give our Dental Office a call. In addition to traditional braces, we offer lingual braces and Invisalign.

All individuals considering braces should set up an initial consultation with their orthodontist prior to initiating treatment. Make sure you get the most out of your consultation with this overview of important questions to ask your orthodontist about braces.

Should You Consider Orthodontic Treatment?
One of the first questions to ask your orthodontist is whether or not braces are right for you. Your orthodontist will make this determination based on the results of your panoramic x-rays, visual inspection, and personal preferences. Braces may be right for you if you are suffering from certain malocclusions including crowded teeth, gaps, and spaces, overbite, underbite, open bite, or a misplaced midline.

What Types of Braces are Available for You?
There are many different types of braces available for both children and adults. However, not all of these types may be appropriate for you. Some of the most popular braces options include:

· Traditional metal braces. These utilize metal brackets, arch-wires, stabilizing bands, and elastic ties to gradually straighten your teeth.

· Ceramic braces. These clear braces are designed to blend in with the color of your natural teeth.

· Lingual braces. Braces can be placed on the back, or lingual side, of teeth instead of the facial surface. These lingual braces are custom-built for each tooth.

· Invisalign. Orthodontic treatment can be completed using a series of clear, removable aligners from Invisalign.

Which Foods Should You Avoid?
There are a number of foods you will want to avoid when wearing traditional, ceramic, or lingual braces. These include hard bread and cookies, whole fruits, hard and chewy candies, nuts, corn on the cob, ice cubes, popcorn, and raw carrots.

How Long is the Treatment Process?
The length of your treatment will be based on the level of malocclusion, the type of braces you choose, and your level of commitment to maintaining monthly adjustment appointments.

With many years of experience, the orthodontists at our Dental Office are your top resource for high-quality orthodontic care. Call us for more information on braces and retainers.

There are several preparatory steps you’ll need to undergo prior to the placement of traditional metal or ceramic braces. One such step is the application of separators.

Also known as spacers, separators are tiny elastic rings that are placed between your back molars to create space for the metal bands that keep your arch-wires and other orthodontic appliances firmly in place. It is important to avoid eating sticky foods and refrain from flossing around the spacers to prevent them from coming out. Learn from us what to do if you lose one of your separators.orthodontics

Get the smile you’ve always wanted by contacting our Dental Office. We provide services for residents in the area.

Orthodontic intervention can remedy a number of dental issues. Whether you require orthodontics to correct crooked teeth or other dental problems, an orthodontist can provide the appropriate treatment, allowing you to enjoy a healthy and beautiful smile.

Eating Difficulties
Malocclusions, or improperly aligned teeth, can have a significant impact on a person’s daily life. In the most severe cases, individuals may experience difficulty or discomfort while chewing. Braces and other types of orthodontic treatment can correct the patient’s dental alignment and resolve associated eating issues.

Speech Difficulties
Improperly aligned teeth may cause speech impediments, such as lisping. Not only can malocclusions interfere with a person’s ability to communicate with others, but they can also contribute to feelings of anxiety when talking. Orthodontists can adjust dental alignment and eliminate further speech difficulties.

Mouth Breathing
Mouth breathing is yet another symptom of teeth malocclusions, which can actually hinder the proper development of the facial structure in children. Mouth breathing can also contribute to the formation of gingivitis and the discomfort associated with dry mouth syndrome.

Misaligned Teeth
A great majority of orthodontic candidates choose treatment to remedy cosmetic dental issues that do not significantly impact their physical health. Individuals may seek the assistance of an orthodontist when a misaligned dental structure affects the aesthetic appearance of their teeth. In addition, crowded and overlapping teeth are often difficult to clean, making it easier for tooth decay to occur. Orthodontists offer a number of treatments that can permanently alleviate these troublesome symptoms and give patients a beautiful smile of which they can be proud.

If you have dental malocclusions that are interfering with your quality of life, consider contacting an orthodontist for assistance. Serving residents of the area, our Dental Office can help you in achieving the healthy teeth and gorgeous smile you’ve always wanted. Call us today to learn more about our orthodontic services or to schedule an appointment.

Do You Care About Your Smile? - Orthodontic Treatment Will Help

Do you care about your smile? That was a rhetorical question, of course, you do! Everyone cares about their appearance. Yet, for some reason, there is an idea floating around in many people’s heads that having medical procedures done for purely cosmetic reasons is somehow selfish and vain. But the truth is that everyone cares about the way they look, and not everyone is dealt the best hand in terms of appearance. This is especially true with teeth. For many, who were not given early orthodontic treatment when they needed it, they have had to grow up with a serious case of malocclusion, which is a medical term for misaligned teeth. This is much more than a minor dental issue only shallow people would care about but is usually a major problem for people’s well-being.clear braces - invisalign

If you’re someone who’s grown up with malocclusion, then you know it’s hard. Every time you feel happy, every time you want to smile, that good feeling is accompanied by the embarrassment that comes from knowing you’re exposing a major physical flaw that you don’t feel good about. That’s an unfortunate situation, but luckily one that modern orthodontics can remedy. More about family dentist Milton, On here
While most people receive orthodontic care when they’re young, which is when it’s easiest, many do not, so you aren’t alone. The reason it’s so much easier to treat kids is that they don’t care as much about their appearance, and so don’t mind wearing the traditional braces, which are the cheapest and easiest way to resolve malocclusion. But the good news is that there are now several adult solutions to the problem, which don’t involve wearing tiny metal train tracks on the fronts of your teeth, which is fantastic. It feels good to know that a problem you have can be solved, and that, best of all, most dental plans will pay for it. Add to that the fact that dental coverage is cheaper than it’s ever been, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, and you have a recipe for a brighter smile.

So what do orthodontists have to offer adults? The solutions that are geared toward adult care in orthodontics today are either some variation on the concept of braces or a newer alternative that parts ways with the braces approach. Remember, braces are basically metal brackets glued to the teeth, and wires connecting them, being used to pull them apart or closer together. It’s essentially a way of creating pressure on the teeth, to very slowly pull them apart, or push them together.

Some of the adult solutions don’t stray too far from the traditional idea of braces but simply use different materials. Clear braces, as well as ceramic, simply use brackets that are made of either clear plastic, of color-matched ceramics, to blend in better with your teeth. They still have a single wire running across each row of teeth, so they aren’t a completely invisible solution, but they are surprisingly less deleterious to personal appearance than fully metal braces do. Still, these may not be covert enough for many people.

Lingual braces are a great option, that is actually pretty close to being invisible. This is because, although they are fully metal, their brackets are attached to the backs of the teeth, rather than the fronts. This means that they “hide” behind the teeth themselves, and so are virtually unnoticeable. The one drawback to this type of braces is that they can’t be used on all cases of malocclusion.

However, there is one other option, that is the newest, and the most technologically advanced. Invisalign takes a totally novel approach to smile correction, and in fact is not a type of braces, at all. Invisalign uses a totally different technology from braces, which is called aligners. Aligners are transparent plastic casings that fit over your teeth, in just such a way that they are comfortable to wear, yet doing so applies pressure to your teeth to conform to a new, more aesthetically pleasing alignment. They are created this way using laser scans of your teeth, which will be taken by your orthodontist, and then they are machine-printed to fit perfectly over them. They also are removable, which is a major advantage for eating, since other types of braces tend to get food stuck in them. The only drawback to Invisalign is that you must visit your orthodontist more often, to have new aligners created.

Clearly, orthodontists are making their best effort to have as many options available to adults as possible. Nobody wants to live with crooked teeth, and with all of the treatments at your disposal, you don’t have to. Do yourself a favor, and schedule an appointment with your local orthodontic office, today.

Ways To Maintain Your Child’s Oral Health During The Holidays

We all know that the holidays can be a stressful time, and it is easy to overlook certain things. One of those things may be oral hygiene. It is easy to skip a day (or two) of brushing when you are running around like a crazy person, tending to holiday preparations. So here are some tips and tricks for navigating special occasions without putting your child’s oral health on the back burner.
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Pay Attention to Your Child’s Snacking Habits

The holidays are a time when there are lots of delicious sweets and treats around. While it is nice to indulge in some candy or cookies every once in a while, be sure that your child does not make this a habit. In fact, it is best if everyone in your household refrains from overindulging in sweets. This will send the message to your child that they aren’t being punished; everyone is taking care of his or her oral health. When your son or daughter does have a sweet treat, make sure that he or she brushes his or her teeth before the day ends. In addition, offer your child sugarless gum to help quell his or her sweet tooth while promoting salivary production and helping to clear particles of food from his or her mouth. If the gum contains xylitol, it can even help eliminate oral bacteria.

Give the Gift of Oral Health

The holidays are the perfect time to treat your child to a tooth-related gift. Sneak a new soft toothbrush into his or her Christmas stocking, or fill his or her Easter basket with some fresh dental floss. Sure, you can add some other goodies in there as well, but you should always take an opportunity to promote good brushing and flossing habits! For the New Year, get your child excited about visiting the dentist if he or she has never been before. Pediatric dentists recommend that children begin going to the dentist soon after their first teeth present. san Antonio children's dentist

Know How Different Foods Affect Your Child’s Teeth

You know that sweet and sugary foods can lead to cavities and tooth decay, but there are other foods that can either hurt or help your child’s mouth, too. For instance, starches, especially those that are cooked, get broken down into sugars, and this makes them prime suspects for causing tooth decay. On the other hand, calcium-rich foods, such as milk and cheese, can give a healthful boost to your child’s teeth by neutralizing the naturally occurring acids in the saliva.

Most importantly, enjoy the holidays and have your child see one of our dentists on a regular basis.