ORTHODONTIC FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
What age should my child have an orthodontic evaluation?
Why is it important to have orthodontic treatment at a young age?
What Causes Crooked Teeth?
How Do
Teeth Move?
Will It Hurt?
Braces Care
Appliance Care
Elastics Care
Proper Diet
ORTHODONTIC EMERGENCIES OR PROBLEMS
Loose Bracket
Poking Wire
Wire out of Back Brace
Poking Elastic (Rubber
Band) Hook
Sore Teeth
ORTHODONTIC FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What age should my child have an orthodontic evaluation?
The American Association of
Orthodontists (AAO) recommends an orthodontic screening for children
by the age of 7 years. At age 7 the teeth and jaws are developed
enough so that the dentist or orthodontist can see if there will be
any serious bite problems in the future. Most of the time treatment
is not necessary at age 7, but it gives the parents and dentist time
to watch the development of the patient and decide on the best mode
of treatment. When you have time on your side you can plan ahead and
prevent the formation of serious problems.
Why is it important to have orthodontic treatment at a young age?
Research has shown that serious orthodontic problems can be more easily corrected when the patient’s skeleton is still growing and flexible. By correcting the skeletal problems at a younger age we can prepare the mouth for the eventual eruption of the permanent teeth. If the permanent teeth have adequate space to erupt they will come in fairly straight. If the teeth erupt fairly straight their tendency to get crooked again after the braces come off is diminished significantly. After the permanent teeth have erupted, usually from age 12-14, complete braces are placed for final alignment and detailing of the bite. Thus the final stage of treatment is quicker and easier on the patient. This phase of treatment usually lasts from 12 - 18 month and is not started until all of the permanent teeth are erupted.
Doing orthodontic treatments in two
steps provides excellent results often allowing the doctor to avoid
removal of permanent teeth and jaw surgery. The treatment done when
some of the baby teeth are still present is called Phase-1. The last
part of treatment after all the permanent teeth have erupted is
called Phase-2.
What Causes Crooked Teeth?
Crowded teeth, thumb sucking, tongue
thrusting, premature loss of baby teeth, a poor breathing airway
caused by enlarged adenoids or tonsils can all contribute to poor
tooth positioning. And then there are the hereditary factors. Extra
teeth, large teeth, missing teeth, wide spacing, small jaws - all
can be causes of crowded teeth.
How Do Teeth Move?
Tooth movement is a natural response to light pressure over a period of time. Pressure is applied by using a variety of orthodontic hardware (appliances), the most common being a brace or bracket attached to the teeth and connected by an arch wire. Periodic changing of these arch wires puts pressure on the teeth. At different stages of treatment your child may wear a headgear, elastics, a positioner or a retainer. Most orthodontic appointments are scheduled 4 to 6 weeks apart to give the teeth time to move.
When teeth are first moved, discomfort
may result. This usually lasts about 24 to 72 hours. Patients report
a lessening of pain as the treatment progresses. Pain medicines such
as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil) usually help relieve
the pain.
Back to Top
The part of your braces which actually
moves the teeth. The arch wire is attached to the brackets by small
elastic donuts or ligature wires. Arch Wires are changed throughout
the treatment. Each change brings you closer to the ideal tooth
position.
Brackets
Brackets are the “Braces” or small attachments that are bonded directly to the tooth surface. The brackets are the part of your braces to which the dentist or assistant attaches the arch wire.
Occasionally, a bracket may come loose
and become an irritation to your mouth. You can remove the loose
bracket and save it in an envelope to bring to the office. Call the
office as soon as possible and make an appointment to re-glue the
bracket.
Band & Loop (B&L)
A Band & Loop is routinely used to hold space for a missing primary (baby) posterior (back) tooth until the permanent tooth can grown in.
At some time during treatment, it will
be necessary to wear elastics to coordinate the upper and lower
teeth and perfect the bite. Once teeth begin to move in response to
elastics, they move rapidly and comfortably. If elastics (rubber
bands) are worn intermittently, they will continually "shock" the
teeth and cause more soreness. When elastics are worn one day and
left off the next, treatment slows to a standstill or stops. Sore
teeth between appointments usually indicate improper wear of
headgear or elastics or inadequate hygiene. Wear your elastics
correctly, attaching them as you were told. Wear elastics all the
time, unless otherwise directed. Take your elastics off while
brushing. Change elastics as directed, usually once or twice a day.
Functional Appliances
These are used to help modify the growth
of the jaws in children. The theory behind their action is that if
you hold a jaw in a specific position long enough, that it will grow
into that position. What you usually get is a combination of a
little jaw growth with a lot of tooth movement. These are not
universally accepted, as they do not always work.
The first of these appliances were removable and are still very
popular. They are made of plastic and wire. Some of their names are
Frankel, Bionator, and Twin-block. A different style is actually
fixed to the teeth and uses a spring action to hold the jaw into
position. These have names like Herbst and Jasper Jumper.
Often called a “night brace”. The
headgear is used to correct a protrusion of the upper or lower jaw.
It works by inhibiting the upper jaw from growing forward, or the
downward growth of the upper jaw or even by encouraging teeth to
move forward, if that is the case.
Another appliance designed to encourage the lower jaw to grow forward and “catch up” to upper jaw growth.
A
lower lingual arch is a space maintainer for the lower teeth. It
maintains the molars where they are, it does not move them. This is
fabricated by placing bands on the molars and connecting them to a
wire that fits up against the inside of the lower teeth. It keeps
the molars from migrating forward and prevents them from blocking
off the space of teeth that develop later. This is used when you
have the early loss of baby teeth or when you have lower teeth that
are slightly crowded in a growing child and you do not want to
remove any permanent teeth to correct the crowding.
Malocclusion
Poor positioning of the teeth. Types of Malocclusion:
 |
 |
 |
|
Class I |
Class II |
Class III |
The alignment and spacing of your upper and lower teeth when you bite down.Types of Occlusion:
|
|
|
|
Openbite - Anterior opening between upper and lower teeth. |
Overbite - Vertical overlapping of the upper teeth over the lower. |
|
|
|
|
Overjet - Horizontal projection of the upper teeth beyond the lower. |
Crossbite - When top teeth bite inside the lower teeth. It can occur with the front teeth or back teeth. |
O rings, also called A-lastics, are
little rings used to attach the arch wire to the brackets. These
rings come in standard gray or clear, but also come in a wide
variety of colors to make braces more fun. A-lastics are changed at
every appointment to maintain good attachment of the arch wire to
the bracket, enabling our patients to enjoy many different color
schemes throughout treatment.
Palatal
Widening Appliance
An appliance which is placed in the roof of the mouth to widen the upper dental arch. The maxilla, or upper dental arch, is joined in the center by a joint, which allows it to be painlessly separated and spread. Temporarily you may see a space develop between the upper two front teeth. This will slowly go away in a few days. Once this has occurred, the two halves knit back together and new bone fills in the space.
Care of appliance: Brush as usual. Brush
the appliance and roof of the mouth thoroughly. Rinse often to clean
any food lodged between the arch and appliance.
Retainers
At the completion of the active phase of
orthodontic treatment, braces are removed and removable appliances
called retainers are placed. To retain means to hold. Teeth must be
retained or held in their new positions while the tissues, meaning
the bone, elastic membranes around the roots, the gums, tongue and
lips have adapted themselves to the new tooth positions. Teeth can
move if they are not retained. It is extremely important to wear
your retainers as directed!
Separator
A
plastic or rubber donut piece which the dentist uses to create space
between your teeth for bands.
You will be shown the proper care of your braces when your orthodontic treatment begins. Proper cleansing of your mouth is necessary every time you eat. Teeth with braces are harder to clean, and trap food very easily. If food is left lodged on the brackets and wires, it can cause unsightly etching of the enamel on your teeth. Your most important job is to keep your mouth clean. If food is allowed to collect, the symptoms of gum disease will show in your mouth. The gums will swell and bleed and the pressure from the disease will slow down tooth movement.
BRUSHING: You should brush your teeth 4-5 times per day.
-
Brush
back and forth across……between the wires and gums on the upper and
lower to loosen any food particles. -
Next, brush correctly as if you had no brackets or appliances on.
-
Start on the outside of the uppers with the bristles at a 45 degree angle toward the gum and scrub with a circular motion two or three teeth at a time using ten strokes, then move on.
-
Next, do the same on the inner surface of the upper teeth.
-
Then, go to the lower teeth and repeat steps A & B.
Look in a mirror to see if you have missed any places. Your teeth, brackets and wires should be free of any food particles and plaque.
Note: If your gums bleed when brushing, do not avoid brushing, but rather continue stimulating the area with the bristles. Be sure to angle your toothbrush so that the area under your gum line is cleaned. After 3 or 4 days of proper brushing, the bleeding should stop and your gums should be healthy again.
FLOSSING: Use a special floss threader to floss with your braces on. Be sure to floss at least once per day.
FLUORIDE RINSE OR GEL: May be
recommended for preventive measures.
Appliance Care
Clean the retainer by brushing with toothpaste. If you are wearing a lower fixed retainer be extra careful to brush the wire and the inside of the lower teeth. Always bring your retainer to each appointment. Avoid flipping the retainer with your tongue, this can cause damage to your teeth. Place the retainer in the plastic case when it is re-moved from your mouth. Never wrap the retainer in a paper napkin or tissue, someone may throw it away. Don't put it in your pocket or you may break or lose it. Excessive heat will warp and ruin the retainer.
If elastics (rubber bands) are worn
intermittently, they will continually "shock" the teeth and cause
more soreness. Sore teeth between appointments usually indicate
improper wear of headgear or elastics or inadequate hygiene. Wear
your elastics correctly, attaching them as you were told. Wear
elastics all the time, unless otherwise directed. Take your elastics
off while brushing. Change elastics as directed, usually once or
twice a day.
Proper Diet
| Avoid Sticky Foods such as: | |
| Caramels | Skittles |
| Candy bars with caramel | Starbursts |
| Fruit Roll-Ups | Toffee |
| Gum | Gummy Bears |
| Candy or caramel apples | |
| Avoid Hard or Tough Foods such as: | |
| Pizza Crust | Ice cubes |
| Nuts | Bagels |
| Hard Candy | Popcorn Kernels |
| Corn Chips | |
| Cut the following foods into small pieces and chew with the back teeth: | |
| Apples | Pears |
| Carrots | Celery |
| Corn on the Cob | Chicken wings |
| Pizza | Spare Ribs |
ORTHODONTIC EMERGENCIES OR PROBLEMS
Please feel free to contact the office
if you are experiencing any discomfort or if you have any questions.
Below are a few simple steps that might help if you are unable to
contact us or if you need a “quick fix”.
Loose Bracket
Occasionally, a glued bracket may come
loose. You can remove the loose bracket and save it in an envelope
to bring to the office or leave it where it is, if it is not causing
any irritation. Call the office as soon as possible in order for us
to allow time to re-glue the bracket.
Poking Wire
If a wire is poking your gums or cheek
there are several things you can try until you can get to the office
for an appointment. First try a ball of wax on the wire that is
causing the irritation. You may also try using a nail clipper or
cuticle cutter to cut the extra piece of wire that is sticking out.
Sometimes, a poking wire can be safely turned down so that it no
longer causes discomfort. To do this you may use a pencil eraser, or
some other smooth object, and tuck the offending wire back out of
the way.
Wire out of Back Brace
Please be careful to avoid hard or
sticky foods that may bend the wire or cause it to come out of the
back brace. If this does happen, you may use needle nose pliers or
tweezers to put the wire back into the hole in the back brace. If
you are unable to do this, you may clip the wire to ease the
discomfort. Please call the office as soon as possible to schedule
an appointment to replace the wire.
Poking Elastic (Rubber
Band) Hook
Some brackets have small hooks on them
for elastic wear. These hooks can occasionally become irritating to
the lips or cheeks. If this happens, you may either use a pencil
eraser to carefully push the hook in, or you can place a ball of
wax on the hook to make the area feel smooth.
Sore Teeth
You may be experiencing some discomfort after beginning treatment or at the change of wires or adjusting of appliances. This is normal and should diminish within 24-72 hours. A few suggestions to help with the discomfort:
-
Rinse with warm water, eat a soft diet, take acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil) as directed on the bottle.
-
Chewing on the sore teeth may be sorer in the short term but feel better faster.
-
If pain persists more than a few days, call our office.
