Tips for Those with Braces

You just got your braces on.  Congratulations, you are on your way to creating a better aligned bite, easier to clean and straighter smile!  Now, having braces creates a new challenge in terms of keeping them clean and avoiding the dreaded post braces white spots.

Here are some of our best tips on how to keep your smile healthy.

1. Tooth Brush Two Stepper

I've seen A LOT of kids with braces and let's face it, kids have a tough time brushing without brackets.  Adding them throws them even more of a challenge.  The best brushing technique I've come across is a two-stepper.

Step 1:  Have them wet their brush and WITHOUT toothpaste brush the fronts of their gums and the backs of their gums.

Step 2: Put toothpaste on their brush and brush their teeth.

They'll brush longer and thus stimulate the gum tissue and remove more plaque.

      2.  Flossing

No way around it, flossing your braces is not the most fun thing to do.  Practice does make perfect, but be sure to check out the flossers designed for brackets to make it easier.

      3.  Christmas Trees or Proxy Brushes

These little tiny brushes, when used under the wire, can help fill the gap if you're not flossing.  They will not replace flossing.  But, they can remove stubborn food, plaque and surface stain that brushing misses.

       4.  Avoid Chewy and Sticky Food

Cavity bacteria thrive on sticky sugar.  Gummy bears, taffy and sugary gum are some of the worst offenders.  These types of food can also lead to brackets coming off.

       5.  Maintain Regular Dental Visits

This is the best way to prevent decay and/or find a cavity early, preventing larger problems.  It's also important to get that fluoride on the strengthen teeth and prevent cavities.  We can also review brushing and flossing.  Sometimes a friendly reminder from someone other than Mom and Dad can help motive a kiddo with braces.

Frequently Asked Questions

I don’t have insurance how much does it cost?

After a thorough examination of your teeth, we will give you the exact cost of treatment.  We also will provide information to enroll in our Smile Benefit Plan (SBP).  The SBP is a program we offer to patients without insurance.  This will provide a discount on fillings, crowns, whitening, etc.  The enrollment fee of $250 covers two cleanings, any x-rays and exams for a 12 month period.

My child’s adult tooth is coming in and she hasn’t lost her baby tooth yet, what should I do?

In a word: nothing.  While it can look odd, this is actually quite a common thing for kids.  Give it time, most likely the tooth will fall out on its own and if after 6 months or so Dr. Scott can help it out.   That baby tooth will not impact the way the permanent tooth comes in and will not make her permanent teeth come in crooked.

I was told I have a cavity, but it doesn’t hurt.  Do I really need a filling?

This is great news and means your cavity is not large.  A cavity will only hurt if it is so big, that it has gone into the nerve of the tooth.  By this time, to fix such a large cavity, you would need a root canal.  The fact that it doesn’t hurt is great and a small standard filling is all you need to fix the cavity and prevent a toothache. 

How do I get whiter teeth?

First make sure you’re brushing and flossing daily to prevent microbes and stain from darkening your teeth.  Next, get your teeth cleaned.  No whitening product can whiten through plaque and hard bacteria build up.  Our options in office: custom trays and whitening gel or KOR- a tray system that prevents any gel leakage and prescription strength gel.  You can also try Crest White Strips, but know that it may not brighten your teeth as well or take multiple kits to achieve the desired whiteness.

Do I have to floss?

We certainly will not lecture you on flossing.  It is your teeth and you don’t have to do anything.  But flossing is a great way to prevent cavities, bad breath and bleeding gums.  It also can save you a lot of money and prevent sensitivity to cleanings.  You only have to floss the teeth you want to keep!

Pregnant? It’s Still Important and Safe to See the Dentist.

Congratulations on your pregnancy!   Your overall health is important to you and your developing baby.  Dental health is connected to your overall health, which makes it important to continue visiting the dentist.

Please let us know that you are pregnant at your dental visit, but know, you and your baby are completely safe in the dental office.

• At Stadsklev Dental we practice universal precautions in terms of infection control every patient, every day, all day.  
• Anesthetic is completely safe to use while pregnant. 
• Fillings, root canals, crowns and extractions are all safe to have completed while pregnant.
• Necessary x-rays are safe to take while pregnant.  We have digital radiographs in our office, already reducing radiation exposure, but a lead apron can also be used.  If you are not having any dental concerns, yearly, routine x-rays will be put off until after your pregnancy.

How Might Pregnancy Affect My Mouth?

Most women will breeze by pregnancy with no dental concerns.  But the following are to be on the lookout for:

Pregnancy Gingivitis

Hormones can increase swelling, bleeding and soreness of the gums.  If you notice an increase in bleeding when brushing or flossing, schedule your routine cleaning and exam and we can evaluate your gum health.  You may require extra cleanings.

Increased Tooth Decay

While your baby is NOT ‘taking calcium from your teeth’ leading to decay, you may be more at risk for decay when pregnant. Morning sickness, sensitive gag reflex, acid reflux, cravings/changes in your diet can cause an increase in decay risk.

Pregnancy Tumor

Although rare, some women see a large, red, raw looking, overgrowth of gum tissue.  This type of ‘tumor’ is not cancerous and will likely go away after pregnancy.  It is due a combination of hormones and plaque bacteria.  Better home care and more dental cleanings can help alleviate discomfort.

Other tips

We find it easiest to schedule dental work in the 2^nd trimester.  Usually nausea has subsided and its easier to lay back.  However, if at any time you have a tooth ache, swelling, or something just doesn’t feel right please call us. 

3 Quick Dental Tips

1.       Practice makes perfect.  The more you brush and floss the better and more efficient you become.  So brush two times a day and floss one time a day.  In no time you’ll have your routine down to a little over 2 minutes.  These 2 minutes can save you a lot of time and money at the dental office.  Prevention is always easiest!

2.      Make it easy for you to remember.  Spend a lot of time in the car?  Stash a pack of flossers there.  Put a post-it-note on your mirror to floss.  Always watch the nightly news?  Put a container of floss by your remote.  

Any amount of flossing is beneficial.  Once a week is better than none at all!

3.      Troubled by stain?  Rinse your mouth out with water after: eating, smoking or drinking dark/sugary beverages.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

 

Favorite Tooth Paste

Crest Pro Health HD.  This is a 2 tube tooth paste routine.  The first tube has the best fluoride to use for preventing cavities: stannous fluoride.  The second tube has hydrogen peroxide in it.  Peroxide is known to not only whiten teeth, but makes it difficult for bacteria to grow in, thus reducing cavities and gum disease bacteria.

Favorite Floss

My favorite floss to use on my own teeth is Glide Floss.  I find it doesn’t shred as much as others.

For my kids I use flossers.  My oldest is 4 and he can use the flossers well on his own.  For my busy 2 year old I use these on her and can do a good job in a few seconds. 

      Favorite Mouthwash

Honestly, as stated above, I like Hydrogen Peroxide especially for those who struggle with cavities or gum disease.  The science behind that is: bacteria in your mouth is living without oxygen, peroxide introduces oxygenated bubbles into your mouth, which make it hard for that bacteria to thrive. 

If I had a lot of decay issues I’d add ACT mouth rise.  If I had gum disease issues I’d add Listerine.

       Favorite Manual Toothbrush

I like any extra soft bristled tooth brush; I find that I brush too hard.  Currently I’m using Crest Complete Sensitive toothbrush and brush with my left hand, so I don’t brush too hard. 

Favorite Electric Tooth Brush

For my small mouth I like Oral-B power tooth brush.  I find the smaller head allows me to get back behind my last molar.  Ultimately, I believe, as long as the tooth brush has a rechargeable battery and a 2 minute timer, that brush will be superior to a manual tooth brush.

Favorite Whitening Product – Over the Counter

Crest White Strips.  You need hydrogen peroxide to sit on your teeth.  The longer it sits, the more it will whiten.  White strips allow this to happen to some extent before your saliva will wash it away.  If I didn’t see any results with this product- some won’t- then we can help you achieve a brighter smile with a prescription strength in-office procedure or product.

Charcoal Whitening

We’ve all seen the video on social media.  A mom brushing her teeth until they turn black and then rinsing that black charcoal off.  She then claims her teeth are whiter.  So what is charcoal whitening and does it work?

Activated charcoal has been used in medical settings for a while now.  It is highly absorbent and will trap chemicals.  In fact, hospitals have it on hand and use it on poisoning cases, because it will absorb the poison and be eliminated from the body without absorption. 

The "reasoning" behind using it to whiten your teeth follows the same pattern.  Advocates claim, the charcoal will absorb the plaque bacteria, food particles and staining.  Then, your body will rid itself of that and leave behind a whiter smile. 

The “science” behind that is weak.  Yes, the charcoal will attach itself to particles found on the tooth’s surface.   In doing so, it may remove surface staining, but it can’t reach the inner layer of the tooth.  That inner layer is where whitening is done; from the inside, out. 

Here’s how internal or intrinsic stain and whitening works:

Enamel is porous.  Those pores catch stain and it settles in the layer beneath the enamel.  These pores are microscopic.  Once this occurs, no brush or anything topical (toothpaste or charcoal) will remove the stain.  Toothpaste and charcoal particles are too large to fit into the tiny pores to do anything to whiten the stain residing at the base of the pore.

To whiten, you need a chemical reaction.  A type of peroxide when applied to the tooth oxidizes the stain and breaks it apart, saliva then washes it away, leaving the teeth stain free from the inside out.  Without that stain, teeth are brighter.  Charcoal will not whiten your teeth.

As a dental professional I wouldn’t use charcoal in my mouth at all because:

• ·         It’s super abrasive and may damage the tooth enamel if brushed on.  Enamel will never come back once it’s gone
• ·         Damaged enamel may leave teeth sensitive
• ·         The American Dental Association hasn’t done any research or studies on charcoal used in the oral cavity.  I like science based facts when I recommend something to someone
• ·         Users and dental professionals have no idea how severe charcoal is to the teeth, so it may leave teeth blotchy, stained or worse, damaged
• ·         Because it’s so abrasive, it may harm the soft gum tissue
•       Charcoal will not whiten teeth

Older Women with Gum Disease Face Higher Risk of Early Death, Study Says

There is certainly a mouth/body connection. Having Periodontal Disease has been related to cardiovascular disease, pre-term birth in women, low sperm count in men and increased complications for those with Diabetes, to name a few. The Journal of American Heart Association just released a study stating that women over the age of 50 with gum disease is linked to higher risk of premature death.

With regular dental visits, periodontal disease screening and good home care can all reduce progression and spread of gum (periodontal) disease.

The link to the article is below:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/29/health/gum-disease-early-death-study/index.html