When you have braces you have lot of things in the mouth. You have brackets, wires, rubber bands, elastics which all causes the impaction of food particles in the mouth. It becomes very difficult to keep the mouth clean so if you want to maintain the good oral hygiene you have to take really good care of the teeth. For that special orthodontic brushes can be used which are very effective and teeth should be brushed thoroughly after every meal. If one has a high caries index and if the orthodontist recommends then one can use the fluoridated mouth rinses. Mouth washes not only mechanically cleans the teeth but as they are fluoridated so chemically also they act upon the teeth and make it more resistant to the acid attack which is produced by the bacteria and causes the caries. Initially when the braces are put, one is very uncomfortable as they not only cause pain but hurt a lot also. Pain is because the wire is causing the movement of the teeth by putting pressure on the teeth, but one becomes used to it in couple of days. Initially till our lips and the cheek become used to the brackets and the wire they produce sores and it really hurts. For this the dentist gives the wax which can be put on the particular area which is hurting and for the sores one can use the gels prescribed by the dentist. So initial week or two is quiet a trying period but after wards one becomes used to all the things but the care for teeth should not be overlooked.
What happens when the braces are removed?
Who so ever go for the braces have the crooked teeth and really look forward for the day when the braces are removed? Most of them wonder how they will look after wards. They really wonder what will happen on the day the braces are removed. They are quiet apprehensive as during the treatment period even if you take very good care of teeth you end up having stains on the teeth. The fixing material used for fixing the brackets is also visible sometimes. One also wonders whether removing the braces will be painful or not. The answer is, removing the metal braces is neither painful nor time consuming. But if you have ceramic braces the removal process is long and it is sometimes painful for the patient as there is a chance that it will break during removal as the ceramic is brittle by nature. About the stains and the fixing material the dentist do professional cleaning and polishing of the teeth after removing the braces and that will take care of every thing. After cleaning and polishing the dentist takes the x-ray and the impressions of the teeth. Impressions are taken to see the end result, to keep the record and for getting the retainers made. X- Ray’s are taken to see the condition of the wisdom teeth. Some times if dentist feel that the wisdom teeth can adversely affect the teeth and can cause the movement of the teeth, he can recommend them to get it extracted.
After the removal of the braces the treatment does not end here. To prevent the newly moved teeth from moving and to give them time so that they adapt themselves to the new position, the retainers are given. They are the most important part of the treatment. If the retainers are not worn the teeth can shift back and whatever time ,money, efforts and the hardships one has endured to have well aligned teeth, will go waste. The retainers can be removable or fixed and the duration for which they have to be worn also varies according to the case. Some times few have to wear it for few months while others have to wear it for few years. For first 6 months the retainers has to be worn day and night except while eating and afterwards they have to be worn only at night
When one starts with the treatment it looks quite difficult and sometimes one gets frustrated looking at the mouth full of brackets, rubber bands or wires but you should remember that you are not the only one and with passing of each day your time with braces is decreasing and eventually they will come out and you will have beautiful smile