Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Life After Braces


If you have braces already, congratulations! You’ve taken one of the best, proactive steps towards your long-term oral health.

We know as well as you do that orthodontic treatment can be a long process, but by and large, our patients find that the treatment is well worth the cost and effort.

When you get your braces off, chances are your teeth will be straight, but in order to keep those pearly whites in great shape even after your last orthodontist appointment, there are several things you can do—thing of it as an insurance policy on your orthodontic treatment.


Give your gums some TLC 
If you had wire braces, there's a chance that your gums are in need of a little bit of care since "many patients have difficulty keeping their gums as healthy as they should be due to the difficulty of flossing with wires in their mouths," says one California dentist. "If your gums are slightly puffy, rinse with hot salt water three times a day until they are firm again." 

Schedule a dentist appointment 
The same reasoning applies here-there's a good chance your teeth were slightly neglected while you wore braces or aligners, so once you're finished wearing them, make sure to schedule a check up and cleaning with your dentist, along with dental x-rays (especially if you wore metal braces) to check for tooth decay. 

Never stop wearing retainers 
This might go without saying, but there are plenty of people who choose not to wear their retainers (or simply stop wearing them after awhile). But if they aren't worn regularly, your teeth will move back to their original position pretreatment.



If you don’t have braces yet, but think that you might need orthodontic treatment in Pittsburgh, call Reed Orthodontics today for a consultation, at (412) 421-8565.

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