Braces treatment is a lifetime investment in your smile and your personality. Lot of teenagers come to us complaining that their smiles are not good on photographs. They lose confidence while appearing in college seminars , job interviews or they just want to smile big socially.
Investing in your smile does not just enhance your appearance and self confidence but also opens doors for your future career prospects. In countries like USA,Canada, almost every person has undergone this treatment in their childhood or at some point of age because of the awareness shown by their parents or by themselves.
In India, parents are getting aware of their child’s personality and overall appearance especially in bigger cities where education rate is high. Many Girls who didn’t get their braces treatment at early age turn up for this treatment before their marriages as they want a perfect photogenic face before heading to their D day.
Most of the youngsters have started investing in this treatment after getting a job and becoming financially independent.
So, once you have decided to go for orthodontic treatment, My advice is to look for the best orthodontist in Chandigarh and consult him (Not the General dentist). At Faces n Smiles, we see lot of kids coming at a later age (as guided by general dentists) with their growth period over and they lose the benefits of early age treatment.
Lack Of Knowledge About Right Age Of Orthodontic Treatment
Is There a Benefit to Early Treatment?
The childhood orthodontic treatment that you get is the “early” treatment, or the “interceptive” treatment, which is performed while a few baby teeth are yet present.
Timing is a key factor in orthodontics, and the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) recommends that your child’s the first check-up must be performed when the first problem is recognized, but not any later than 7 years of age.
Why age 7?
It is the age by when your child has enough permanent teeth for an orthodontist to evaluate the development of teeth and the jaws.
This initial check-up has three general outcomes:
1. Your child needs no treatment so far.
2. A treatment might be required in the future. Therefore, the child would be periodically followed while the face and jaws are growing.
3. There is a major problem that is leading to an early treatment.
• Underbites- It is a situation when the lower front teeth are ahead of the upper front teeth.
• Crossbites- It occurs when the jaw shifts to one side.
• Excessively crowded teeth
• Overly spaced teeth
• Extra or missing teeth
• Abnormally meeting teeth or the ones that do not meet at all
• Thumb or finger sucking that has affected the growth of teeth or the jaw
The bottom line is that a timely detected and treated orthodontic problem is easier to correct. Waiting until the facial growth is almost complete and all the permanent teeth have come makes the correction difficult.
Give your child the best opportunity for a healthy, beautiful smile. Visit the Faces N Smile Dental and receive a professional orthodontic care from the much-experienced Dr Pankaj Pupneja. They answer your queries about your child’s oral health the best and alerts you of any potential problem that may occur. They also recommend a proper treatment when it is most appropriate for your child.
Braces Are Meant For Every Age Group
You deserve a beautiful smile at any age you decide to.
Ever wondered if you could turn back the time and get braces to fix your smile? If yes. it is never too late! An orthodontic treatment is as successful for adults as it is for kids. It is just the same process whether you are 6 or 60. The only difference that might occur would be the duration of the treatment because adults have thicker bones, hence they take longer to move.
The case of adults can have some complications such as fillings, missing teeth, misshapen or worn teeth, or other dental diseases. But all these problems are with the reach of your orthodontist.
The braces have seen a revolution over time, much because of the adults who want straight teeth but want to be inconspicuous about their treatment. Today, options such as tooth-coloured braces, braces behind the teeth, plastic-like trays or the “aligners” are available.
For an improved dental health, better functioning, the ability to keep your teeth clean much easily, and for a higher self-confidence, braces are a comparatively small investment.
The heart-warming feeling of witnessing the adult patients see their new smile and be extremely happy about it. The only regret that is left in them is that they did not take the step earlier.
So, do not hide your smile anymore, it is never too late for a healthy, beautiful smile. Visit the Faces n Smiles Dental Clinic today!
To ensure the health of your teeth and to avoid any unwanted breakages to the appliances, while undergoing orthodontic treatment, it is important that you avoid certain food items.
Foods to Avoid
• Popcorn
• Nuts
• Hard taco shells
• Sticky and hard candy
• Chewing gums
• Corn chips
• Hard cookies or crackers
• Sticky or hard chocolate
Habits to Avoid:
Do not chew ice, hard candies, pencil or pens. Biting of fingernails must also be stopped
Here is a list of orthodontic emergencies and their treatments, in the order of the least to the most severe. The severe emergencies require immediate orthodontic attention, while the others can easily be treated with follow-ups.
1. Ligatures came off
The small, fine wires or the tiny rubber bands that hold the wire to the bracket are known as the ligatures. It is usually easy to fix using a sterile tweezer, but in case of a broken ligature, the orthodontist must be informed for any follow-ups.
Discomfort: A day or two of discomfort after the braces or the retainers are adjusted is both normal and temporary. Soft food and rinsing mouth with warm salt water is helpful during this period.
2. Mouth sores
Episodes of mouth sores are common, and while the braces do not cause them, these may be caused or worsened due to an irritation from it. This is not an emergency and prompt relief can be achieved by applying a small amount of topical anaesthetic to the ulcerated surface using a cotton swab, as needed.
3. Irritation of Lips or cheeks
An irritation might be caused due to new braces, especially while eating. A small amount of non-medicinal, harmless relief wax acts as a buffer between the metal and mouth and helps the patient to be able to eat more comfortably.
4. Poking Wire
Rarely, an end of the wire comes out of its place and irritates the patient’s mouth. Temporarily try to place it back with a tweezer and inform your orthodontist about it.
In case it gets too bothersome, and your orthodontist is not available anytime sooner, as a last resort, you may clip the wire.
5. Loose Brackets, Wires or Bands
The brackets are usually knocked off due to consumption of the hard-crunchy food, instructed to avoid, or if the mouth is struck while a play. It is best to inform the orthodontist immediately, who will then determine a course of action.
Wrapping up your orthodontic treatment? Congratulations!
Once you finally reach the milestone, to ensure that the perfect new smile lasts for a lifetime, it is really important that you wear your retainers.
Retainers are the devices that hold your teeth in their new positions while the bone tissue rebuilds around them and stabilizes them. This process takes some time, and even after the new bone solidifies, you might have to wear the retainers for a long time. Retainers minimize the tooth movement and counteract the naturally generated forces, ensuring that the teeth remain in their proper forced position.
For retainers to be able to perform their job properly, it is important that they are in your mouth.
Are there more than one kind of retainers?
Depending upon the type of your orthodontic problem, removable or permanent retainers or a combination of the two may be suggested.
The removable retainers are the ones which you can put in and take out easily. Made of wide and hard plastic-like material, the traditional Hawley retainers has an inside like pink colour or can even be customized. Another type is the Essix retainers which are nearly invisible, and removable. They resemble clear aligners that are used to move teeth.
The permanent or the fixed retainers are placed and removed by the Orthodontist only. Each of them is a custom-fitted wire, bonded to the tongue-side of your teeth.
You and your orthodontist can discuss the right ones for you.
A proper prescription for when and for how long to wear the retainer would be given. In case you fail to wear them as prescribed, your teeth may move so much that the retainers won’t fit anymore. Contact your orthodontist immediately if this happens.
• Proper instructions for cleaning the removable retainers would be given by your orthodontist.
• Permanent retainers can be flossed and brushed using the proxa brushes.
• Ask your orthodontist if you must remove your removable retainers before eating.
• For the ones with a transparent retainer, it is advised to avoid drinking liquids (except water) with the retainers on, else decolourization and tooth decay may occur.
Any problem with the retainer such as it being lost, broken, warped, too loose, too tight, etc. must be reported to your orthodontist.
Unless lost, carry your retainer every time you visit your orthodontist.
Maintaining a healthy and beautiful smile is in your hands. It can be done by a proper home hygiene and regular visits to the dentist. To preserve the results of braces, it is important to wear retainers as instructed by your dentist.
Dr Pankaj Pupneja, the braces expert in Chandigarh will not just give you a lasting treatment but also a consistent follow up routine.
