Instructions for Healthy Braces

At HPDO, creating a healthy and beautiful smile is our mission for all our patients. To do so, we must also educate our patients as to what it takes for them to maintain healthy teeth, especially when it comes to having braces. Before starting the orthodontic process, our patients must have excellent oral hygiene and maintain it throughout the entire braces process. This will ensure a great final result.

Once braces or orthodontic appliances are bonded onto teeth, it is much more difficult to brush and keep teeth clean. This puts patients at a high-risk category for tooth decay (cavities) while in braces. Since braces are a one-to-two-year process we take oral hygiene very seriously. For this reason, we review specific instructions on how to care for the braces or appliances. We recommend certain diet restrictions which we call our “Braces Watchers Diet” that are recommendations of which foods to eat and which to avoid while in braces. Some of them commonly cause cavities such as candies and sodas, some can break brackets and bands. If there ever was a time to avoid drinking sodas, having braces would be it! Sodas can cause white spots on teeth (pre-cavities) to form faster. These permanent stains will be visible after the braces are removed. Believe us, we don’t want that and neither do you!

Other things to avoid in your diet while in braces are hard and sticky/chewy foods that can break off a bracket from your tooth. Broken brackets lead to an increased overall time in braces since the tooth without one is free to move in any direction. They also can cause discomfort due to poking wires and gum or cheek sores.

While the orthodontic treatment continues, we monitor and grade our patients’ oral hygiene. We continuously teach our patients how to improve their brushing and flossing. We may also recommend seeing your dentist for cleanings every 3 months rather than the normal 6 months. It’s important to note that our orthodontic visits do NOT take the place of routine dental checkups.

The bottom line with braces is that the more you take care of them and your  eeth, the better the result will be and sooner they come off. On the contrary, patients who have poor oral hygiene and break multiple brackets tend to have longer treatments and are more likely to have cavities or unsightly permanent white spots after braces are removed.

Having braces is certainly a privilege, which is even more of a reason why we want to achieve the best possible result for you. We look forward to seeing you soon at HPDO to start your journey to a healthy, beautiful, and confident smile.

Dr. Lindhorst, Dr. Darsey, Dr. Theriot, Dr. Foss and the Heights Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics Team

What Causes Teeth to Move

Some would say you should add shifting and crowding teeth to the short list of certainties in life. However, movement of teeth is not unavoidable. So, let’s discuss why teeth move and prove or expel some myths you may have.

What we hear the most often from our patients (and even some dental professionals) is that the wisdom teeth caused the front teeth to shift and crowd. You’ve probably heard this yourself, right? Although wisdom teeth can cause problems with your molars, they aren’t the culprits for your crowded front teeth. We see crowded teeth with or without wisdom teeth present.

As orthodontists, our specialty is aligning crowded teeth into a beautiful smile. Believe me, we look at lots and lots of teeth of all ages every day! Crowding after braces happens for several reasons and ‘Why?’ is the most common question we get. Surprisingly, teeth are designed to slightly move when you bite down due to periodontal ligaments that hold teeth into place being sponges that soften forces applied to teeth. This gives you feedback on the food you eat and acts as tiny shock absorbers to protect your teeth. Therefore, anytime you are not wearing a retainer (which is daytime for most of us) your teeth actually move and shift slightly by design. The good news is that if you are wearing a retainer at night, it will realign your teeth back into their correct positions. This is also why your retainer might feel tight every time you put it on. The downside is that if you do not wear a retainer or night guard each night, your teeth will continue to gradually shift.

Several things make your teeth shift. Pressures from chewing and clinching will gradually shift and deepen your bite. Adding to that, swallowing exerts an inward pressure on your premolars and molars (back teeth) which eventually leads to constriction and a narrower dental arch. Ultimately, a smaller dental arch causes teeth to become crowded because they have less room to fit. For people with sleep apnea, these pressures on teeth are even more magnified.

Teeth constantly shift but the process takes many years for significant changes to happen and be noticed by patients. Starting to wear a retainer at night will stop the process going forward. However, if your teeth are slightly crowded, they are easy to re-align again with limited orthodontic involvement. I like to compare straightening teeth to a home remodel. It is going to take some effort, but the sooner you start, the sooner you get to enjoy your new and improved smile!

From easy touch-up cases to more advanced comprehensive treatments, we are happy to discuss your options for you or your child. We look forward to meeting you soon to review your concerns and make a plan catered to your beautiful new smile.

Dr. Lindhorst, Dr. Darsey, Dr. Theriot and the Heights Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics Team