5 Things You Need to Know Before Starting Braces
Before you decide on going down the braces route, we advise our clients who travel from Cardiff, Blackwood, and Newport to make sure they go through these 5 questions first.
Once you have read these 5 questions and getting braces feels like the right thing to do and maintain, then you will be an ideal client for braces and we would love to hear from you!
Why Should I Get Braces?
Braces are not for everyone but quite a lot of children and adults go on to have them and find them useful. The aim of braces is to improve your oral facial appearance. In other words, they make your mouth look better. They fix issues such as crooked teeth, overcrowding, open bites, and overbites as well as jaw-related disorders. If you are wondering about it your dentist will be able to recommend whether or not you need brace treatment.
When Is a Good Time To Get Braces?
As a general rule, dentists wait until all baby teeth have fallen out and been replaced, although there are some exceptions based on individual circumstances.
Having teeth straightened or ‘fixed’ through brace treatment is often considered most effective at early ages as the teeth are at their healthiest and a child’s head and mouth are still growing and so teeth will respond better to being straightened.
However, this does not mean that the treatment will not work for adults. More and more adults are now turning to braces to help improve their appearance.
What Type of Brace Is Suitable For Me?
The kind of braces individuals requires to depend entirely on the individual. Your dentist will book you in for an appointment and will advise you on the type that will best suit you, but more often than not, you will be given a choice.
Braces come in quite some variety and you can opt for anything from brackets, metal or plastic. They all use wires to move your teeth into a predetermined position but you can go for the traditional braces that look like a mini metal fence in your mouth or you can opt for invisible ones that are not easily noticeable.
How Will The Procedure Work?
Getting braces put on is a process that takes between one and two hours. It begins with mouth cleaning. Depending on your mouth and teeth, teeth may need to be extracted for the braces to put them in the right place and shape. If extraction is required your mouth will be numbed, the tooth will be taken out and your mouth will be cleaned again.
In some cases with tooth extractions, there may be two appointments; one for removing teeth and the second for putting on the braces as the mouth may be too sore or the gums may take a while to heal.
Brackets for braces are fixed onto the teeth using special bonding glue which is known to taste unpleasant but is otherwise harmless. The wire is then put into the brackets and secured with elastic bands.
While the process does not hurt, your mouth may be sore afterwards.
Braces are usually kept on from 12 to 30 months.
What Care Is Required For Braces?
- It is best to avoid hard and sticky foods or even chewy and crunchy foods. The healing period is different for everybody and over the
counter painkillers can be used to help with the pain. - Something not everyone understands is that teeth need to come slightly loose to reposition. This is completely normal and to be expected so don’t be terrified when it happens!
- Brushing is as important as ever if not more and you can even get special toothbrushes to help clean between the braces’ brackets.
- Another thing to be mindful of is threading carefully with floss, too much force can damage your braces so take a gentle and steady approach.
Regular visits to the dentist will help you keep on top of things and you can always ask your dentists for additional advice or even ask about any post treatment care packages that they offer!
Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any more questions and you are always welcome to for a free initial consultation with our award-winning dentists by calling 01495 224175
