Our goal is to provide excellent treatment in a caring atmosphere which will exceed your expectations.
Oral Hygiene | New Banding Patients | Minor Emergencies | Elastic Instructions
Oral Hygiene
The most important piece of advice we can give our orthodontic patients is to keep your teeth sparkling clean. This involves brushing after every meal (that’s about six times a day!) and flossing at least once a day. You will notice how easily food collects around the brackets and wires. Sparkling clean teeth will decrease chances of the tooth enamel decalcifying, and permanently marking your teeth. Good oral hygiene is essential to achieving a good orthodontic result!
We are committed to help you achieve the best result orthodontics can offer, and the best results are a beautiful clean smile!
At your banding appointment, we will give you an Oral-B Professional Care Electric Toothbrush. This brush offers the best technology in power toothbrushes on the market today! Our patients are enjoying the advantages of improved oral hygiene, shorter treatment times and less tissue discomfort since incorporating this brush in our practice.
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Survival Instructions for New Banding Patients
- It’s best not to schedule your initial banding appointment just before an important event; you will want a few days to become accustomed to your new braces.
- Getting braces does not hurt, but the initial movement of teeth may result in some soreness. Drs. Brown and Van Elslande recommend taking Ibuprofen (Advil) for the first two or three days. Everyone’s discomfort tolerance is different. Some patients may be more sensitive than others.
- Eating with braces for the first time will be a little different! You will notice that food collects in areas you didn’t even know you had! If your teeth are sore, begin by eating softer foods which require less chewing. Yogurt, oatmeal, soup, pasta and mashed potatoes are a few suggestions. Don’t worry; soon you will be able to eat most foods!
- Don’t forget to avoid eating sticky, hard and sugary foods throughout your treatment. These foods can cause broken brackets and wires, and increase the chances of tooth decay. Make sure to call our office if you do break a bracket or a wire, and we will schedule a repair appointment for you.
- It is not uncommon for mouth sores to appear after the initial placement of the braces; your cheeks need some time to become accustomed to the braces. Sores can be relieved by covering the bracket with orthodontic wax (from your patient kit). Rinsing with Peroxyl or warm salt water will help heal mouth sores quickly.
- Most of all, remember to incorporate a regular schedule of brushing and flossing into your daily routine. Keep your teeth sparkling clean!
- If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to give us a call. We are here for you!
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Minor Emergencies
We hope these suggestions will help you handle minor emergencies. Please call our office for assistance, at any time.
- Pokey wire – A wire poking can cause a sore lip or cheek, and a canker sore may result. Use the eraser end of a pencil to push the wire away from the gum tissue. Orthodontic wax (from your patient kit) is also helpful to cover shorter ends. For a long wire, cut the excess with a nail clipper which has been washed well and sterilized with Isopropyl Alcohol; catch the loose end with a folded tissue, as it will shoot when it is cut. Rinsing with one-half teaspoon of salt dissolved in a glass of warm water three to four times a day, will help to heal most mouth sores quickly.
Call us for an appointment if the problem persists.
- Sore Teeth – After the initial placement of your braces or after an adjustment appointment, some tooth soreness is to be expected; this is the result of tooth movement. An anti-inflammatory pain reliever such as Advil usually relieves the pain. This may be necessary for three to five days. Eating softer food during this time is a good idea, especially just after you get your braces.
- Loose Bands or Brackets – If a bracket detaches from the tooth, or a band on your back tooth is moving up and down, you will need to schedule an appointment so we can repair it. Call our office to arrange a suitable time. Please save the bracket or band, and bring it to your repair appointment. This will save a lot of time, as the bands are custom made for you. If the loose bracket is the last one at the back of your mouth and the wire is poking, you can follow the instructions for poky wire, explained above.
- Lost Separator – A separator is a colored elastic which is placed between your back teeth, to create space before cementing a band around your molar. If a separator comes out, the teeth may move together and will make banding the tooth very uncomfortable. Please call our office, and we will decide if it should be replaced. It is also important, that the top of the separator at the chewing surface of the tooth always be visible. If it slips down below your gums, try to lift it up gently, so the top of the separator is over your tooth as shown above. If you are unsuccessful, please call our office as soon as possible.
- Lost or Broken Retainer – If you lose or break your retainer, you will most likely require an impression appointment to facilitate repair or replacement. Call our office, as soon as possible. You do not want to be without your retainer for too long, and risk having your teeth move.
- Broken Tooth - In case of a dental emergency such as a broken or chipped tooth, contact your family dentist or call our office as soon as possible. If a tooth is knocked out, do not attempt to place it back in its socket; this could cause further damage. Place a displaced tooth in milk and call your family dentist, or go immediately to the emergency dental clinic at the hospital. You have the best chance of saving the tooth if it replaced within thirty minutes.
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Elastic Instructions
Elastics are worn to achieve a good upper and lower jaw relationship. Excellent compliance with elastics is crucial to a good final treatment result!
- Wear your elastics twenty-four hours a day, unless instructed otherwise.
- Be sure to wear your elastics the way you were shown. These instructions are specific to your bite.
- Change your elastics at least twice a day. Make sure to always carry extras with you, in case they break.
- You can remove your elastics when you eat, if you remember to replace them as soon as you have brushed your teeth.
- Your teeth will feel a little sore at first; this soreness will go away with consistent wear.
- Excellent results are achieved with regular wear; otherwise, progress will be slow!
- Forgetting to wear elastics can cause a setback in progress and result in wearing your braces and elastics longer!
You can do this! The more you wear your elastics the sooner you will be finished with them!
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