Dr. Vikram Anand

So you've decided to straighten your teeth and get a great smile that too naturally but the road to a brilliant smile comes with a guide map and here are some of the key stops.

1. Keep them clean

While braces are a great tool that work on natural teeth with no side effects, caring for braces is extremely essential in order to ensure that you don't end up with any post orthodontic dental work.

Braces be it metal or ceramic tend to accumulate food and in turn cause cavities or stains. A lot of people suffer from post braces unnecessary treatments only because they couldn't keep them clean.

2. Know what foods to avoid

Wherever you are in your braces journey remember when you started you were warned about a bunch of things you have to stop eating and drinking. That memory maybe fading away but the truth is the dietary restrictions need to be followed atleast to a certain extent if you want the braces off on schedule.

Foods like pizzas, sticky candies or biting into anything from your front teeth is a strict no as it'll cause the front braces to come off and besides interrupting the treatment you may also end up hurting yourself.

Sodas should be avoided as they cause the braces glue to dissolve and they come off your teeth earlier than we would want.

3. Bracket breaks

The system of braces is basically individual brackets that are placed on your teeth to move them and a wire that engages all these brackets together.

A common occurrence with braces is the brackets come off or break if you're not careful. When this happens it's like a derailing a machine everything comes to a standstill and its very important to get this fixed at the earliest for the treatment to continue efficiently.

Bracket breakage can be prevented by maintaining dietary precautions, efficient brushing and avoiding trauma to the face.

4. Be on the lookout for pain or blisters

Although less common now there's an occasional chance of slight pain or ulceration after braces are placed in the mouth for the first time. Our body is getting used to a large foreign object and it may react by rejecting the areas that hurt and forming an ulcer which may last a few days and settle.

The pain sensation of tightness and tooth movement can be eased with a mild anti inflammatory or pain killer on the first appointment if need be.

5. Don't miss appointments

Missing your regular dental appointment is bad enough but your orthodontic (braces) appointment is the most important day of the month for you. Skipping or missing this appointment disrupts the schedule of tooth movement and you may delay an already prolonged treatment procedure.

So if you want that brilliant smile be as soon as possible follow the steps above and you will breeze through your orthodontics treatment without a snag!

Why you must not delay getting your dental implants?

Dental implants are surgical components like frames or metal posts, which are placed beneath the gums so as to enable a dentist to mount artificial teeth onto them. Since these components blend very easily with your jawbone, they offer excellent support for your teeth replacements.

Can anyone have an implant?

It is important for your teeth and gums to be healthy in order to consider a dental implant. You need to have a strong bone in your jaw so that it can support the replacement tooth after the implants. If you smoke, suffer from diabetes or have certain gum disease you are not suitable for the procedure.

Why should you get started on this procedure?

If you are suitable for the procedure of dental implant, it is highly advisable to not delay it any further. Implants should be fitted within one year of losing a tooth since the jaw bone surrounding a tooth starts to shrink in size and gradually becomes so small that it fails to support an implant.

Here are some reasons as to why you should get started on this procedure:

1. To gain healthy and natural looking teeth without affecting surrounding teeth

Nearby teeth are not altered to support the implant, so your natural teeth remain intact. They help in preventing healthy teeth nearby from shifting, which is very common if there's an empty space next to a healthy tooth for a long period of time. The procedure sees a replacement tooth being positioned in place of the lost tooth so that it not only looks but feels like a natural tooth.

2. To protect your jawbone

Not filling up empty spaces in your mouth can severely affect your jawbone. It begins to lose its firmness and strength as a consequence of no longer being able to support a natural tooth. Dental implants help in stimulating bone growth while preventing bone loss.

3. To keep your face from sagging

Missing teeth can cause your face to sink and sag, giving you a very sad and aged appearance. Dental implants provide you with the chance to retain the natural shape of not only your face but your smile too.

4. They do not move or shift but remain in place

Dental implants resemble your own natural teeth as they fuse with the bone permanently. Moreover, being fixed in one place due to the fusion, you can expect the replacement teeth to not move or shift.

'consult'.

Related Tip: Is it More Important to Brush Your Teeth in the Night Than in the Morning?