Dental implants can make a smile look fabulous – I know I have them. However, if you are just thinking about getting them, you may have a lot of questions. You may be wondering how smoking affects implants, whether or not wine will stain them, if they can be whitened or other concerns. I also know from experience that it can be intimidating to ask some of these questions to your dentist. In my dental implant blog, I am going to answer the questions that can be hard to ask. I hope you find the info you need in this blog and that it guides you to the right decision about dental implants. Thanks for reading!
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Tips to Ensure Effective Treatment with Adult Braces
Isobel Berry
If you're living with adult braces, you should take proper care of your braces because you're probably going to have them on longer than a younger teenager would. Here are some tips you can follow to ensure effective treatment with braces.
Brush carefully and regularly
All of those nooks and crannies on your teeth and gums provide the perfect breeding place for bacteria, and braces only exacerbate the situation. As they are wire-based appliances, braces can easily trap food debris and encourage the build-up of plaque in your mouth. Failure to remove plaque build-up can lead to premature demineralisation of your teeth – wear of your tooth's enamel (hard, outer layer) due to erosion caused by acid-containing plaque. This can leave unsightly stains on your teeth but also cause tooth decay and gum disease.
To prevent these problems from arising, maintaining proper oral hygiene is essential. Brush carefully and regularly – preferably after having your meals and when you're retiring to bed – with a soft-bristle toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste recommended by your dentist.
You should also consider rinsing your mouth with antibacterial mouthwash at least once a day, preferably when you are going to sleep. Additionally, flossing your teeth can also help rid of food deposits that may be trapped between your teeth, thus improving the overall effectiveness of regular teeth cleaning.
Keep off hard, crunchy and sticky foods.
If you're a big fan of hard, chewy and sticky foods like hard candies, uncooked carrots, and caramel, it's best to replace them with soft, braces-friendly foods. Hard foods can break parts of your braces, while gummy, tacky ones can pull off them off.
Avoid a sugar-rich diet
Sweet indulgence foods such as sweets and chocolate cakes are rich in sugar, which encourages plaque buildup. As already mentioned, plaque buildup can lead to tooth decay and gum disease. So, it's important to stay away from sugary foods if you want to maintain a healthy mouth while wearing braces.
Go for regular dental checkups and cleanings
Going for routine checkups and professional cleanings will allow your dentist to monitor how you're coping with your braces, but also ensure potential problems are identified and remedied before it is too late.
If you follow these tips, you should be able to receive effective, problem-free treatment with adult braces. If you ever damage your braces while wearing them, take them to an emergency dentist for immediate repair.
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