We offer Orthodontics!
There are several ways to straighten and align your teeth in order to get that smile you were always meant to have! Here at Garden Oaks Dental, we have been creating beautiful smiles for years! We offer orthodontics to help you get that smile you’ve always dreamt about. Come in today for a free consult!
Types of Braces:
Traditional Braces: When most people picture “braces”, they picture metal brackets with wires running through them. Today's brackets, however, are much smaller in size and less noticeable than the previous “metal-mouth” braces of old. The wires of today are nickel titanium and move the teeth more quickly and less painfully than in the past.
Pros and Cons of Traditional Braces:
Pros: these are the least expensive type of braces. Kids love to express themselves by choosing different color bands
Cons: These are the most visible type of braces Clear Correct (invisible braces): These type of “braces” are a series of custom, invisible aligners that you wear all day to correct and straighten you teeth. The aligners are removable and a new pair of aligners are provided every 3-4 weeks until treatment is completed.
Pros and cons of Clear correct:
Pros: invisible
Cons: not recommended for very difficult or complicated cases, only for adults and teens, require major patient compliance, and generally are more expensive than traditional braces. Life with Braces: Eating with Braces Eating with Braces can be a bit of a challenge in the beginning but as with most things, after a few days, you will probably not even notice you have them on. You will want to avoid hard and chewy breads, raw vegetables such as carrots, or tough meats for the first few days, and especially hard candies, and gum. Stick to soft foods in the beginning until the initial soreness goes away. Soon you will be eating pretty normally but you will still want to be careful to protect your braces for as long as you are wearing them.
Try and avoid:
- Chewy foods: hard breads and bagels
- Sticky foods: gum, gummy bears, caramels.
- Crunchy foods: ice, popcorn Hard foods: hard candy, nuts, bones Chewing on hard things (the ends of pens and pencils,)
- Foods you have to bite into: carrots, whole apples .
All these may damage your braces, thus causing your treatment to take longer than the norm.
General Soreness
When you first get your braces, you may become sore for 3-5 days. This is typically to biting pressure as well as your brackets rubbing against your tongue, lips, and cheeks. Eventually your teeth will become accustomed to the pressure and your soft tissue will callous and become more tough and less irritated by the braces. This soreness can be relieved by rinsing your mouth out with a warm saltwater rinse. You can also relieve some of the soreness by taking what you normally take for headache or pain, such as tylenol or advil, etc… Wax is also used to prevent the abrasion from the brackets against your lips, cheeks, and tongue. Our amazing staff, at Garden Oaks Dental will show you how to place it on your brackets to get you through the process more easily.
Oral Care with Braces:
Taking care of your teeth with braces is a lot more difficult than taking care of your teeth without braces. Plaque can become trapped in the many tiny spaces and crevices formed by the brackets, wires, teeth and gums. Inadequate brushing can lead to areas of decalcification on your exposed tooth surfaces, leading to white spots on the teeth once the brackets are removed. Also if your gums are not properly brushes and flossed, your gums can get very irritable and get enlarged, and bleed. Because of this, it is very important to brush your teeth after any snack and meals, and floss once a day. Often time, your dentist will recommend a fluoride toothpaste or use of a fluoride rinse for the duration of your orthodontic treatment. You and your child should both be prepared for the extra care needed in your oral hygienic with braces.
Loose Teeth
Sometimes your teeth will feel loose during treatment. This is normal and to be expected. Don’t worry, teeth must first loosen so that they can be moved into a new position. They will stabilize once they are in their correct positions.
Loose Wire or Band
Sometimes a bracket will come off, or a wire will pop out, even if you are following all of the above directions. If this happens do not become alarmed. If the wire or bracket is not causing pain or poking you, don’t worry about it and leave it alone until your next appointment. However if the wire is poking, then try and use the end of a blunt instrument such as a spoon or the eraser end of a pencil to push the wire back into the bracket slot, or under the arch wire. This happens, especially in the beginning when a lot of the movement is occurring initially. If it is still bothering you, place a piece of wet cotton, or a ball of wax to relieve the irritation. If any piece comes off, save it and bring it with you to the office. It is important to avoid losing a bracket or doing anything that may cause the wire to pop out as this will delay and prolong treatment.
Retainers After Braces:
Whether you get traditional braces or Clear Correct, you will need to wear a retainer after straightening your teeth to maintain your beautiful smile. Many people believe that retainers are only to be worn for a short while after orthodontic treatment is completed. This is not the case! Retainers are for LIFE! Teeth are always wanting to shift and move back into previous positions. Even if one never wore braces, as we get older, our teeth will shift a little. Retainers prevent this shift from occurring and should be taken very seriously. More than half of all cases relapse due to not wearing retainers. Here are some important tips when it comes to retainers. Wear your retainers full time initially and then when the doctor tells you, you will wear them only at night. Always take your retainers out when you are eating, HOWEVER you never want to wrap your retainers in a napkin (#1 reason retainers get lost is because they get thrown out into the trash when they are wrapped in a napkin), you always want to put your retainers in their case! Retainers should ALWAYS be in a retainer case when they are not in your mouth. Keep them away from pets as they like to chew on them! Keep your retainers clean by brushing them at least once a day with warm soapy water. You may also use a denture soaking type cleaner once a week to remove plaque from them as well. Do not use very hot water to clean. Speaking may be difficult at first with a retainer but eventually one becomes used to them. Keep your retainers out of your pockets as they may end up in the washing machine. Retainers may break or become warped so be careful with them as retainer replacement can be expensive.
Affordable Dental Care for Kids
Your kids deserve the best dental care, and you shouldn't have to spend a lot to give it to them. Garden Oaks Dental Clinic is proud to offer exceptional care at affordable prices.
We offer a 10% discount to all cash patients, senior citizen discounts, new patient specials, and no-interest finance plans through CareCredit. We also accept most dental PPO plans, Medicaid, and U.S. Military and DoD dental insurance plans.
We also have a special offer of $49.99 for a full exam with 4 bitewing x-rays. Contact us today to learn more about our great offers!
Schedule Your Appointment Today
Experience the difference of exceptional dental care at affordable prices. Contact us today to schedule your appointment.
