What to Expect When Your Braces are Adjusted

September 24, 2019 Austin Orthodontics

Having a bunch of metal in your mouth may already seem intimidating. If so, you’re likely wondering what to expect when your braces need to be adjusted. Your first follow-up appointment will probably happen after the first couple of months of treatment, and we think it helps to know ahead of time what to expect when you get your braces adjusted.

Why Are Follow-up Appointments Important?

Successful follow-up appointments after your braces have been installed are vital for your treatment to be effective. In addition to tracking your progress, these appointments allow your orthodontist to make the adjustments needed to keep your teeth moving properly. However, your orthodontist isn’t necessarily tightening your braces, as is commonly thought.

What Happens During the Appointment?

To know how your treatment is going so far, your orthodontist will need to get a good look at your teeth. Each band will be carefully removed, leaving the archwire loose but in place. Next, your orthodontist may take the archwire off of your teeth, leaving only the brackets left and offering a clear look at how your teeth are adjusting so far.

In addition to assessing how your teeth are moving during your treatment, your orthodontist will also take the time to see how you are keeping up with cleaning. Be sure to be open about any questions or concerns you have so you leave each appointment with a clear idea of what to do moving forward.

After assessing the progress of your teeth, your orthodontist will determine if any adjustments in the positioning of your bands and archwire need to be made. You will get new bands and maybe a new archwire if necessary to keep moving your teeth in the right direction.

When your fresh archwire and bands have been installed, they may feel a little strange, but you’ll quickly get accustomed to them. However, if you feel something poking your gums or cheeks, be sure to let the orthodontist know so he can check it before you leave.

Will the Adjustment Hurt?

It’s possible that your mouth could experience some discomfort after getting an adjustment. This could be due to the new bands or from your orthodontist slightly altering the course of your teeth in a specific spot. This discomfort often subsides after a few hours and should last no more than a couple days. Be sure to let your orthodontist know if the discomfort is unusually intense or doesn’t subside in a few days, and schedule a follow-up visit sooner if needed.

You’ll likely have adjustment appointments scheduled about every six to eight weeks to keep your treatment moving smoothly along toward a healthy, beautiful smile. Contact Austin Orthodontics today to learn more or to schedule an appointment.

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4 Things You Should Know After Your First Orthodontic Appointment

August 20, 2019 Austin Orthodontics

You’ve spent your whole life without braces until now, so it only makes sense you would feel a little apprehensive about getting orthodontic treatment. You are likely wondering just how you feel with braces, what will be safe to eat, and how to best go about your daily routine with braces. Luckily, these questions will all be answered when you visit us here at Austin Orthodontics, so you’ll be fully prepared to handle life with braces. Here are some important things you will know after your first appointment. 

Food Restrictions

One of the most important aspects of orthodontic treatment to be prepared for is knowing what is okay to eat and what foods could damage your braces. While you won’t have to just stick to applesauce or jello, you’ll want to avoid especially crunchy foods like granola, hard candy, or apples. It’s also best to avoid sticky or chewy foods like taffy or jerky. 

To prepare yourself for a braces-friendly diet, stock up on softer foods and spend a couple weeks figuring out which foods you like best. If you will be using Invisalign, you’ll have no restrictions on the foods you can eat, but you’ll still need to remember to have your aligners out when you eat and to keep up with regular cleaning. 

Cleaning Your Teeth

Speaking of cleaning, you will have to take extra good care of your teeth while you have braces to avoid tooth decay and staining. Since food can easily get trapped between brackets, you should carefully brush your teeth with toothpaste and a soft-bristled toothbrush after each meal. It’s also good to rinse with mouthwash every day to thoroughly clean your teeth. In addition, you will have to be extra careful when flossing, since you will have to maneuver the floss around the brackets and wires. 

Dealing with Initial Discomfort

When you first get your braces, you may experience some discomfort due to them rubbing against the inside of your cheeks or lips. This won’t always be the norm with your braces, but you’ll certainly want ease the discomfort when you start your treatment. Rinsing your mouth with warm salt water will help ease the pain in your mouth while also facilitating quick healing. 

It also may be difficult to talk right when you get your braces installed since there is suddenly less space for your lips, teeth, and tongue to interact. This will also go away after a short time as you get used to your braces. 

When You Will Get Your Braces Taken off

One of the biggest questions you will likely have when you start your treatment with braces is just how long you will have to keep your braces in. The answer will vary from person to person, but the most common range to expect is anywhere between 18 months and two years. At Austin Orthodontics, we always give our patients a rough estimate of when they will be done with treatment, while emphasizing the fact that the end date may change based on the way your teeth react to treatment.

While this is some of the most important information to get at your first orthodontic appointment, we love answering all of the questions our patients have. So be sure to ask us whatever you want to know at any time during your treatment.

 

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Should You Have More than One Child in Braces at the Same Time?

August 13, 2019 Austin Orthodontics

When you have kids, you’ll often find yourself juggling the different needs of each child while trying to meet your own at the same time. As you’ve watched your kids grow, you’ve likely been mentally preparing for when they will need to get braces to straighten their teeth. If you have more than one child, the idea of having multiple kids in braces at the same time may sound a bit intimidating, but this actually has some benefits you should consider. 

You Can Schedule Appointments at the Same Time

The thing about having more than one kid with braces at once is you will have to go through the process fewer times, perhaps just once depending on how many kids you have and how you time their treatment. If you have multiple kids in braces, you can take care of their appointments at the same time, from when they get their consultation to when they get their braces off. Since each person’s treatment will be different, one may be in treatment longer than the other, but they will mostly be on the same schedule.

It Will Be Easier to Keep Track of Food Restrictions

When a patient has braces, there are certain things they should avoid eating so they don’t damage their braces or get food stuck in them that they can’t remove. Having one child who can eat anything and one who can’t can be tricky. If both of your kids have braces, neither one of them will be able to eat crunchy or sticky foods, so you can simply eliminate them from your grocery list. Once their treatments are over, you can go back to buying all of the foods you normally would and not have to worry about food limitations again. 

Your Kids Are Less Likely to Tease Each Other

If one child has braces and the other doesn’t, it can be a headache dealing with one sibling teasing the other. It can also cause added stress on your child during their treatment. If your kids have braces at the same time, it evens the score and they have no reason to tease each other. Plus, if they encounter any teasing from their peers, they can support each other since they know what the other is going through. 

You Have to Keep Track of Treatment Fewer Times

When your kids have braces, you will need to help them stay on track with their treatment plan. This includes making sure they are eating foods that are safe for their braces, but it also entails other factors. You’ll need to make sure they are keeping their elastics in and replacing them on time, avoiding rough play without a proper mouthguard, and keeping up with good oral hygiene. 

Multiple Family Member Discounts

Orthodontists understand treatment is an added expense and the thought of paying for two or more sets of braces can be daunting. To make braces more affordable for families, many orthodontists, including Austin Orthodontics, offer discounts to those who have more than one child in treatment at the same time. This discount also lessens the need for parents to decide who is going to get treatment first, which can be a hard decision to make.

If your kids are close in age and you manage to get them in braces at the same time, you can deal with the process once and save some money. Obviously if your kids are spread out in age or not ready for treatment at the same time, this won’t work, but if you have two or more that are ready for treatment, consider doing them both at once.

If you have any questions or concerns about orthodontic treatment for your kids, feel free to contact Austin Orthodontics today! 

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Heading Back to School with Braces and Confidence

August 1, 2019 Austin Orthodontics

While the summer fun isn’t over quite yet, it is time to start thinking about getting back into the routine of the school year. If you have pre-teens or teenagers, or if you are a college student getting ready to head back for another year, it can be a bit nerve wracking thinking about going back to school with braces. Luckily, you have plenty of reasons to feel confident about walking through your school doors while your going through orthodontic treatment. 

Getting Past the Nerves

Many people in school highly value the views of their peers, with many going to great lengths to gain approval. While many kids think having braces will be embarrassing, the fact of the matter is having braces isn’t viewed the way it used to be. In the old days, braces weren’t nearly as common and kids that had to get braces were often stuck with very bulky metal braces. Today, braces are much more common and far more subtle than they used to be, and you rarely hear kids bullying others because of their braces. 

In fact, modern options for orthodontic treatment can even make you feel excited to head back to school and show off your smile before your treatment is even over. When you visit Austin Orthodontics for your free consultation, be sure to ask about these fun options for braces. 

WildSmiles

Many tweens and teens go into their treatment with braces thinking they are simply going to have to tolerate them. However, your kids can find ways to have fun with their braces, and the options available with WildSmiles are proof of that. These fun braces work just as well as traditional braces but come in a wide variety of stylish shapes, including sports balls, diamonds, and stars. Your kids can mix and match their favorite designs when they get adjustments for different events or if they just feel like switching things up. 

Colored Bands

Each set of braces comes with elastic bands called ligatures, which connect the different parts of your braces together. Your kids can choose bright colors for their ligatures based on their favorite colors, teams, or for different seasons. There are even glow-in-the-dark bands available for a spooky addition to any Halloween costume. 

Subtle Treatment Options

There are plenty of options to choose from that make orthodontic treatment less visible. Ceramic braces work the same way as traditional metal braces, but have tooth-colored, medical-grade ceramic brackets instead of metal brackets. This makes these braces much harder to see throughout the course of the treatment. 

Invisalign is hands down the most discreet treatment option thanks to aligners that are completely clear. The additional advantage to this treatment option is the aligners are also removable for limited hours during the day, allowing for removal during meals or sporting events. 

Contact Austin Orthodontics today to learn more about treatment options that are perfect for going back to school! 

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Why You Still Might Need Braces Even if Your Teeth Look Straight

July 25, 2019 Austin Orthodontics

For people who are unhappy with their smile, getting braces makes sense. However, if you like the way your teeth look, you may not think you need braces. While this could be the case, there may also be issues that aren’t as noticeable when you look in the mirror.

Unseen Crowding

Even if you have a good-looking smile, there could be problems you can’t see. When you get orthodontic treatment with braces or clear aligners, it fixes far more than cosmetic issues.

One common issue is crowding, which is caused by a shortage of space between your teeth. When your teeth are crowded, it often affects the appearance of your smile, but some people can have crowding in the back of their mouth, leaving their smile still looking straight. The problem with crowding is food can easily get stuck in between your teeth, making it difficult to thoroughly clean them. This will inevitably lead to tooth decay and possibly worse oral health problems.

Crowding can also cause one or two teeth to be positioned higher than the surrounding teeth. This will cause a disproportionate amount of force to be put on those teeth, which erodes the tooth over time unevenly or causes cracking, both of which you want to avoid.

Underlying Issues

Not all orthodontic issues occur above the gum lines. X-rays often discover problems that need to be fixed but are currently not affecting a smile’s appearance. For example, some patients have adult teeth that have never erupted, either because there wasn’t enough space or the baby teeth never fell out. These trapped teeth can even end up sideways under the gums in an attempt to move into their proper positions.

Braces are often needed to fix these types of underlying issues, either as part of the initial treatment, or after the fact to return the smile to its straight, healthy state.

This is one of the many reasons we don’t recommend mail-order orthodontic treatment. These providers rely on impressions and selfies submitted by their customers, which means any issues hiding under the gums are not addressed.

Misaligned Bite

While your smile may look straight to others, many people have to force their smile to look normal due to an overbite or underbite. Both of these conditions can complicate your oral health by leading to uneven pressure in your mouth, speech or eating problems, or jaw pain. By getting braces or clear aligners, you can get your bite to a normal position and always bite down comfortably while never having to adjust your jaw to make your smile look straight.

To schedule a free consultation and see how braces can improve your oral health, contact Austin Orthodontics today!

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4 Ways to Limit How Much Sugar You Eat with Braces

July 3, 2019 Austin Orthodontics

The process of getting a straighter smile you’ll be proud of includes going through orthodontic treatment. Braces are still the most common method of straightening teeth and setting yourself up for good long-term oral health. This treatment method takes plenty of getting used to, but the results will be far more than worth it. One of the adjustments you’ll need to make during your treatment is cutting back on sugar.

Reasons to Avoid Sugar with Braces

Besides the fact that sugar is something you should always do your best to avoid, you have an increased chance of experiencing tooth decay when you have braces. This is because food can more easily become trapped around the brackets, making it harder to clean off with brushing. Having sugary food become stuck in your braces causes plaque to build up, which will lead to the formation of cavities.

Another problem people often experience if they don’t take good care of their teeth while they have braces is discoloration of their teeth enamel. If you aren’t keeping with cleaning and choose sugary foods, you can end up with darker spots around your braces when they are removed.

1. Cut Out Hard Candy

One type of food you should be avoiding for multiple reasons is hard candy. Not only can the tough texture of hard candy possibly damage your braces, but the sugary residue can hide underneath the archwire and brackets. You should also avoid sugary cereals for the same reasons.

2. Reserve Desserts for Special Occasions

When it comes to typical dessert foods like cookies, ice cream, and cakes, you should cut back on how often you eat these foods. The best practice is to reserve these sorts of foods for special occasions, such as if you are at a wedding or birthday celebration. If you still feel like you need to appease your sweet tooth, you can schedule a “cheat day” one day a week where you can have a dessert to satisfy your craving.

3. Avoid White Bread

One type of food many people don’t think of as being sugary is starchy white bread. While this may not exactly be a dessert food, white bread processes in your body the same way sugar does. The same goes for your teeth. White bread processes into sugar in the mouth, which quickly leads to tooth decay. In fact, the texture and contents of white bread can be even worse for your teeth than cane sugar.

4. Read Food Labels Carefully

It can be surprising just how much sugar gets packed into foods that seem like they are meant for meals rather than desserts. This is especially true in America, where sugar is a common ingredient in foods that are marketed as being “savory.” Many sauces like ketchup and barbeque sauce can have surprisingly high levels of sugar. When you go shopping at the store, be sure to read each label and look for the sugar content.

If you have any questions or concerns about life with braces, feel free to contact Austin Orthodontics.

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What the Elastics on Your Braces Do

Austin Orthodontics

During your orthodontic treatment with braces, you’ll become familiar with the various aspects of the orthodontic products being used. One of the most important parts of your braces is rubber bands, or elastics. Elastics play a major role in the process of correcting your teeth during your treatment, so it’s worth getting to know a little bit more about what they are and how they work.

What Are Orthodontic Elastics?

It may seem strange to put elastic bands in your mouth, but these bands are specially designed to provide necessary adjustments to your teeth. Orthodontic bands are quite a bit smaller than the typical rubber bands you might think of and are stiffer than conventional rubber bands to provide the force needed for adjustment. Orthodontic elastics are also made to be durable and to last a significant amount of time attached to your teeth.

There are two types of elastic bands you may end up having as part of your orthodontic treatment: elastic ligatures and interarch bands.

Elastic Ligatures

Most likely, you’re familiar with what braces look like. One thing you’ve probably noticed when you see someone with braces or a photo of braces is the tiny bands that surround each bracket of the braces. These small elastic bands hold the archwire in place against the bracket. The level of tightness of your elastic bands also helps in creating the pressure needed to straighten your teeth.

Your elastic ligatures will stay on your braces throughout the course of your treatment, and your orthodontist will often adjust or replace them when you go for your follow-up appointments. Many orthodontists have these bands in different colors, which means you can get them in your favorite colors, be festive for the holidays, or wear the colors of your school or favorite team.

Interarch Bands

Whether you get traditional metal braces or the Invisalign Clear Aligner System, you could also have interarch elastic bands. Rather than helping straighten your teeth to fix issues of crowding, large spaces, or crookedness, interarch bands fix problems with the jaw alignment. Interarch elastic bands run from the lower jaw to the upper jaw, connecting at attachments on your brackets, or on your teeth when it comes to Invisalign.

The pressure created by the interarch wires helps fix instances of overbites or underbites. As you wear your interarch bands with your braces, the pressure pulls the jaw in a direction that corrects your bite over time. In the instance of an underbite, the elastics attach towards the front of the jaw on the bottom and attach towards the back on the upper jaw, and vice versa for instances of an overbite.

When it comes to interarch bands, you’ll most likely wear these for the full length of your treatment, but you will need to replace them frequently yourself rather than waiting until an appointment to have them changed.

To learn more about how elastics play a role in your treatment, contact Austin Orthodontics today!

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Why Are My Teeth Crooked?

June 20, 2019 Austin Orthodontics

As you think about starting orthodontic treatment to straighten your smile and improve your oral health, you might find yourself wondering, “Why are my teeth crooked in the first place?” The answer is different for everyone, which is part of the reason why everyone gets a personalized treatment plan to help with their specific issues. Still, there are some common reasons people’s teeth end up crooked.

Genetics

Just like nobody has perfectly clear skin or a totally symmetrical face, nobody has perfect teeth. Some people have pretty straight teeth naturally, but even they may have underlying issues orthodontic treatment can fix. Some people inherit genes that cause their teeth to grow in crooked. The actual ways genetics affect each person’s teeth varies. Some people have jaws that are too small for their teeth, resulting in crowding, or impacted teeth in severe cases. Other issues with the jaw can cause the person’s bite to be off, causing an overbite, crossbite, or underbite. Permanent teeth may simply grow in at awkward angles due to genetic hardwiring as well.

Bad Timing of Baby Teeth Loss

Many people don’t realize their baby teeth actually play a huge role in how the permanent teeth come in. Baby teeth guide the path of eruption, and if they fall out early or late, it can cause the permanent teeth to come in crooked. For example, if baby teeth don’t fall out when they are supposed to, the permanent teeth may erupt in front of or behind the baby teeth instead of in their proper positions.

Losing baby teeth too early can also affect where the permanent teeth come in. If your child sucks their thumb past toddlerhood, they may loosen the baby teeth early. This habit, along with extended pacifier use, also alters the shape of the jaw as the child is still growing and developing, which can lead to crooked teeth.

Other Bad Habits

Beyond thumb-sucking as a toddler, older children and even adults, can engage in bad habits that cause problems for their teeth grow. For instance, anxious habits like tongue-thrusting or teeth-grinding can alter the orientation of your teeth, causing crookedness and other oral health problems.

Injuries

Another potential source of crooked teeth is getting an injury. For one, getting a facial injury as a child can knock out a baby tooth early, which can lead to permanent teeth coming in improperly. If a permanent tooth is knocked out, it’s important to get a replacement tooth put in as soon as possible since the surrounding teeth will begin to move to fill in the gap.

To straighten crooked teeth, most people undergo orthodontic treatment with either braces or the Invisalign, which both help move the teeth and jaws to an ideal position. Early orthodontics starting at age seven can also help correct the issues that cause crooked teeth before the permanent teeth erupt.

Contact Austin Orthodontics and schedule a free consultation to see which treatment option could be right for you!

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Do I Need Braces?

May 15, 2019 Austin Orthodontics

By now, you’ve no doubt heard about braces as a way of getting a better smile. While getting a better smile sounds fantastic, it is also a significant investment when it comes to your time, effort, and finances. So you may be wondering, “Do I need braces?”

A common misconception is that braces only serve the purpose of straightening your teeth, but there are plenty of reasons people get braces other than just fixing crookedness. When you complete your orthodontic treatment, your teeth will be optimally positioned to keep your smile both looking better than ever and healthy for as long as possible. Here are some signs braces could be right for you.

You Have Crooked Teeth

Starting with a rather obvious reason, braces are for you if you want to have a straight smile you are proud to show off. Crooked teeth are often pretty easy to see, making the results of a treatment with braces pretty dramatic. But what exactly is crookedness? Crowding is a major culprit of crooked teeth, causing teeth to appear jagged and stick out in awkward places. Excess gaps result in crookedness as well.

Crowding can also cause some teeth to stick out more, putting too much pressure on just one or two teeth when you bite down, and leading to wear. By fixing crowding, your bite can evenly put pressure on all of your teeth.

You Don’t Bite Down Correctly

Braces can also fix instances of misaligned bites. Normally, your upper jaw rests a little bit over your lower teeth, allowing the bottom of your lower teeth to still show. If your jaw sits too far forward and starts to perhaps even hit your lower gums, or if you can’t fully bite down without forcing your upper jaw forward, you could benefit from braces. Having a set of braces with elastic bands can fix instances of underbites and overbites, allowing your bite to feel smooth and natural.

Frequent Cavities

When teeth are crooked, it makes it far easier for food to get trapped in your mouth. This leads to decay over time, even if you keep up with recommended oral hygiene habits. Even if your smile looks perfectly straight, getting braces can be beneficial in spacing your teeth in a way that allows you to actually reach all parts of your teeth.

To really answer the question of whether or not you need braces, you should schedule your free consultation with our team of orthodontic specialists today. We can get a complete look at your teeth and find out if there are any issues you aren’t aware of. If you experience frequent jaw pain, tooth sensitivity, or can’t seem to bite or speak comfortably, these problems could be solved with braces. Schedule an appointment at Austin Orthodontics today!

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How Do Metal Braces Work?

April 23, 2019 Austin Orthodontics

Out of all of the different types of orthodontic treatment, none is as well-known or widely used as traditional metal braces. This type of treatment has been used for decades, and is still the most effective way to take care of tough corrections in tooth alignment.

How Metal Braces Work

With metal braces, brackets and wires are placed on and around your teeth to create targeted points of pressure. Throughout the course of your treatment, this pressure will move your teeth in specific directions, correcting the alignment of your teeth. Slowly adjusting the pressure over time allows your teeth to acclimate to their new positions and helps to reduce discomfort.

Parts of Metal Braces

To better understand just how your braces are able to give you a straighter, healthier smile, it helps to take a look at each part of metal braces.

  • Brackets: Acting as the base for your braces, these small metal pieces are the most visible parts of metal braces. Brackets are adhered to the middle of the front surface of each tooth using a special dental bonding agent. With self-ligating braces, which is what we use at Austin Orthodontics, each bracket has a little door or gate that holds the archwire in place, eliminating the need for elastic bands around the brackets.
  • Archwire: The archwire connects to each bracket and gets adjusted or replaced as you progress to the next phase in your orthodontic treatment. The slight tension in this wire creates the pressure needed to straighten the teeth.
  • Elastics: Not every set of braces will use this type of elastic band, but they are quite common. Elastic bands run from the upper jaw to the lower jaw and create pressure to fix jaw alignment issues such as overbites and underbites. These elastics are replaced fairly frequently by the patient during the course of their treatment.

Clear Braces

Clear, or ceramic braces, work the same way as metal braces, but are different in a couple respects. Instead of silver brackets, which are quite noticeable, these braces have ceramic brackets that blend in with your teeth. Wires are often lighter in color as well, making your treatment less visible, but not any less effective. This treatment option works great for teens and adults who are self-conscious about having braces but need the treatment power they provide.

Are Metal Braces Right for You or Your Child?

With all of these parts working together, metal braces are a very effective way to get a straight smile, and with smaller brackets and updated technology, they are more comfortable than ever. Or for a less visible treatment, ceramic braces are also a great option. To learn more about metal braces, clear braces, or other treatments available, schedule a complimentary consultation with Dr. Briggs and his team at Austin Orthodontics.

 

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