Best Tips for Maximizing Treatment with Braces in Bed-Stuy
Orthodontics can deliver to a beautiful and healthy smile, but the process requires a commitment of time and money. Patients can make the most of their orthodontics treatment by following a few helpful tips when wearing braces or Invisalign, according to Hanson Place Orthodontics, a top orthodontist in Bed-Stuy, New York.
Find a treatment plan that is best for you. Hanson Place Orthodontics can help find the perfect orthodontics solution, whether it be traditional metal braces, clear braces or Invisalign, for your lifestyle. A number of people in Bed-Stuy, New York, have found Invisalign to be an ideal option. They are removable and easy to clean, unlike clear braces, which can require more careful maintenance and can be easier to stain and break.
Hanson Place Orthodontics tells its patients in Bed-Stuy, New York, to avoid certain foods while wearing braces or Invisalign. Sticky foods like licorice, gum, taffy, toffee, Starburst and caramels can get caught between brackets and wires. Hard foods can break or damage orthodontics work. Ice, nuts, hard taco shells, French bread, corn on the cob, apples, raw carrots, bagels, chips, Jolly Ranchers and pizza crust all can wreak havoc. Sugary foods, which promote tooth decay, also need to be avoided. Hanson Place Orthodontics suggests limiting sweetened drinks, including soda, tea and Kool-Aid, to one serving per day.
Dental hygiene is crucial to preventing tooth decay and gum disease, but cleaning teeth and gums can be a challenge when you have orthodontic treatment like braces. Proxabrush, an interdental toothbrush, can help you clean underneath and around dental wires and brackets. According to Hanson Place Orthodontics, Peroxyl, a hydrogen peroxide antiseptic mouth rinse, reduces inflammation in the gums and checks, which can often become irritated by braces. Special floss threaders make it easier for orthodontics patients to clean around tight spaces under brackets and wires to get at food particles and bacteria. Invisaligns are removable, so patients are able to follow more standard brushing and flossing procedures.
Keep routine appointments. Hanson Place Orthodontics works with Bed-Stuy, New York, patients to check on progress and make adjustments to appliances. Missed appointments may set back treatment, which will extend both the time and the cost. If you notice any bent or loose wires at any time, Dr. Niles suggests making an immediate appointment for repair.
Following your orthodontist’s directions, including wearing extra appliances as directed, is crucial to your success. Rubber bands (elastics), spacers, turn key palatal expanders and headgear, according to Hanson Place Orthodontics, are important. Not wearing appliances as directed can cost patients more money and lengthen the treatment period.
You will enter retention, the final phase of the orthodontic treatment, once your braces have been removed. Hanson Place Orthodontics of Bed-Stuy, New York, has patients wear a retainer to hold the teeth in their new position. Without the retainer, teeth might shift back into the original positions, which can lengthen treatment.