Once your brace is fitted your brace aftercare is down to you. Happy, healthy, clean teeth move faster than teeth covered in plaque and if plaque is left to go hard it can stop the teeth from moving along the brace altogether! So, you will need to elevate your usual oral hygiene regime.
Handy Tips To Care For Your Teeth
Attending regular appointments is a vital part of your brace aftercare. Missing appointments can lead to delays in treatment and a less successful outcome. Be sure to book your appointments ahead of time, so we see you often!
Sugar contributes to tooth decay because it feeds the bacteria that live in our mouths. Bacteria feed off of the leftover food particles on the teeth, and if the food contains a high sugar content, bacteria can multiply even faster. Reducing the amount of sugar in your diet will help keep oral bacteria at bay.
Even the best oral hygiene regimen still needs to include seeing your dentist regularly. Your dentist can spot early signs of tooth decay or gum disease, helping you avoid painful or complicated dental procedures. Annual X-rays will examine the jaw to ensure teeth are firmly in place.
If you want, you can even start brushing 3 times per day. Brush after breakfast, after lunch, and after your last meal or snack before you go to bed. Doing so will help ensure your gums and teeth stay healthy.
This applies to everyone, but is especially important for people who have cosmetic dental work like veneers or bonding on their front teeth. Biting extremely hard and crunchy foods like almonds or ice with your front teeth could chip or damage them.
Foods like cranberry sauce and pecan pie that are popular at holiday meals are sugary, acidic, and sticky. This combination can be extremely harmful to teeth. Whenever possible, limit your consumption of these potentially harmful foods, and make sure you drink plenty of water after eating or drinking sugary or sticky items to remove them from teeth. You should also floss and/or brush your teeth between meals.
The good news is that, while many holiday foods are tough on teeth, there are also many Thanksgiving favorites that are great for your smile. While indulging in some of the sweet treats and starchy comfort foods is okay in moderation, make sure that the majority of your holiday meals and snacks are made up of tooth healthy fruits, nuts and vegetables. These foods are less acidic and sugary, so they are better for your teeth in general.
You may have noticed that many of these recommendations include adding extra steps to your regular oral hygiene routine. In addition to brushing teeth for two minutes at a time twice a day and flossing at least once each day, you can take some extra at-home oral hygiene steps, including:
Summer provides plenty of opportunity for food and drink on-the-go and outside of the home. Please avoid using your precious teeth to crack open bottles and packets. Or use them to hold or carry things when your hands are full. Thousands of unnecessary accidents happen every year when teeth are used inappropriately.
Having healthy gums means you can keep your teeth for longer. Gum disease is also linked to heart health, mental health and diabetes so getting out in the sun could be a great choice for a healthy mouth.
It is the beginning of a new year so in this issue we are talking abouteverything that you need to know about how totake care of your oral health. It also covers oralhealth advice for the elderly and kids.
15 JUN 21 - In this blog we take a look at interdental cleaning and why it is so important for good oral health. We also give our top tips on how to use them and how to pick the right size for your teeth.
Even the natural sugars in breast milk and formula can kick-start the process of tooth decay. And even though primary teeth start falling out when kids are around 6 years old, what happens before then will influence your child's dental health over the long term. Research shows that diet and dental hygiene habits during a child's infant and toddler years reduces the risk of tooth decay as they become older.
No bottles in bed. Putting your child to sleep with a bottle allows the sugars found in formula and breast milk to linger on teeth, setting the stage for tooth decay. (In fact, many doctors and dentists refer to early cavities as baby bottle tooth decay).
Handle pacifiers, spoons and cups with care. Tooth decay-causing bacteria can easily move from mouth to mouth. So, for example, you should avoid putting a pacifier in your mouth and then giving it to your child, or tasting your baby's food before offering them a bite from the same spoon.
Avoid using cups or bottles to soothe your child. When little ones get fussy, it's tempting to offer them a little formula or milk, but this exposes little teeth to sugars for long periods. Use a regular pacifier to calm your child, but be sure not to dip it in honey or any other sweetener.
Skip the sugary drinks. Fruit juice, soda and sweetened drinks aren't good for your little one's teeth. In fact, the AAP does not recommend juice for babies under 12 months. After that, limit juices to 4 ounces per day and mix them with water (half-water, half-juice is best). See "Recommended Drinks for Children Age 5 & Younger.")
Limit sticky fruits and treats. Some foods can cling to a child's teeth, giving bad-guy bacteria plenty of sugar to feast on. Sticky foods that promote tooth decay include raisins and other dried fruits, gummy candies, taffy, fruit roll-ups and snack bars with honey or molasses. Try to limit these foods in your child's diet and have kids brush or rinse with plain water after eating them.
Make water the family drink of choice. Regular tap water, which usually contains fluoride to strengthen tooth enamel, is the healthiest drink for your child's teeth. Drinking plenty of water cleanses your child's mouth and helps maintain saliva flow, which also washes away decay-causing bacteria.
Learn more about fluoride. Decades of studies have shown that fluoride is a superhero in fighting tooth decay. Most kids get the fluoride they need from tap water and toothpaste that delivers fluoride. Your pediatrician or dentist may also apply a fluoride varnish to your child's teeth, a helpful step 2-4 times a year that can continue as your child grows.
Since babies see the doctor several times before their first birthday, pediatricians have the opportunity to check inside little mouths. It can be difficult to spot warning signs in baby teeth, so your pediatrician's expert eye is especially helpful.
As your child grows, your pediatrician will offer tips and suggestions that support the expert care your family dentist will provide. They can also apply fluoride varnish to your child's teeth in partnership with your child's dentist. In addition, In addition, pediatricians can help parents learn more about special risks that make some children more cavity-prone. For example, preemies often have weaker tooth enamel than babies born at full term. Certain health conditions and medicines can reduce saliva flow, making brushing and flossing even more important.
Kids learn from the adults around them. That's why parents and caregivers should take excellent care of their own teeth. As one dentist puts it: "Bad teeth don't necessarily run in the family, but bad dental habits do."
Encourage good habits by adding fun to your child's routine. Toddlers and preschoolers may enjoy brushing to music or marking their progress on a tooth care calendar. The American Dental Association offers free coloring and craft sheets you can download and share, too.
While without braces, hard and sticky foods can damage your teeth. The damage is worse with braces. Hard food can cause the bands or wires in braces to snap. Sticky foods, on the other hand, can get wedged in the braces and can be really difficult to remove. For children and teenagers with braces, these types of food should be avoided to keep their teeth clean and healthy.
Keep a little floss handy. Even after rinsing, stubborn bits of food can remain lodged between teeth. So just in case, keep a small bit of emergency floss (or a floss pick) in your purse or wallet to remove any debris you see or feel between your teeth.
Depending on how your teeth come together, you may have natural wear patterns that occur from grinding and clenching your teeth, Fritz explains. You may also find that as your teeth age, small hairline fractures can occur, and those become susceptible to decay and breakage, she says.
Daily brushing is a given. Regular cleanings should also be part of your oral health routine. But perhaps the simplest and most effective way to maintain your teeth as you age? Fritz says it in one word (though in all caps for emphasis!): FLOSS!
Sometimes coffee, tea, cola, red wine, fruit juices, and cigarettes stain the enamel on your teeth. Regular visits to your dentist for routine cleaning and polishing can help remove most surface stains and make sure your teeth stay healthy.
Enamel helps protect your teeth from daily use such as chewing, biting, crunching, and grinding. Although enamel is a hard protector of teeth, it can chip and crack. Enamel also insulates the teeth from potentially painful temperatures and chemicals. When it erodes, you may notice that you react more to hot or cold foods, drinks, and sweets, since they can get through holes in your enamel to the nerves inside.
Plaque is a sticky film made up of saliva, food particles, bacteria, and other substances. Plaque forms between your teeth and gets inside tiny holes or pits in the molars. It also gets around your cavity fillings and next to the gum line where the teeth and gums meet.
To prevent enamel loss and keep teeth healthy, be sure to brush, floss, and rinse with a fluoride and antiseptic mouthwash daily. See your dentist every 6 months for regular checkups and cleaning. You can also try the following: 2ff7e9595c
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