The process of straightening teeth with the help of steel wires is known as orthodontics. All patients with mal-aligned or irregular teeth, buck teeth (forward standing teeth), crowded teeth, overlapping teeth or Gaps between teeth can generally be treated with orthodontic treatment. Schedule a visit to a good dental clinic to have you professionally examined and a course of action can be discussed and finalized.

Reasons for mal-aligned/irregular teeth:

a. Milk teeth not falling off at the right time and the permanent teeth coming from behind.

b. Small Jaw and Big sized teeth.

c. Bad and deep cavities in milk teeth when not treated on time, causes loss of space for the permanent teeth that erupt later.

d. Thumb sucking, lip biting or tongue thrusting habit.

e. Mouth breathing habit.

f. Incompetent lips.

Schedule a visit to a good dental clinic to have yourself professionally examined and a course of action can be discussed and finalized

No, all cases do not need extractions. Only those cases where the jaw size is small and we cannot re-align all the teeth in a straight line, the orthodontist may recommend the need to extract 2 or 4 teeth depending on a case to case basis.

Schedule a visit to a good dental clinic to have you professionally examined and a course of action can be discussed and finalized

The treatment is painless, though slight discomfort may last for 3 to 6 days after orthodontist visits’ as and when they tighten the wires to push the teeth backwards.

Care during orthodontic Treatment

1) Avoid eating the following:-

Apple, Guava, gooseberries, carrots etc. - cut them into small pieces & eat on your back teeth

Do not bite into or cut Burger or Pizza

Hard stuff like ice-cubes & Chewing bones

Biting on corn fobs

Sticky Foods like candies, chocolates, chewing gums

Sugary Foods as it may cause cavities on teeth very soon. These foods may get stuck between the brackets & behind the wires and are difficult to brush & remove safely.

2) Sometimes you may get a sore spot or an ulcer due to the friction between the bracket surface and your gums. At such times, apply a prescribed anesthetic gel or wax balls and if required you may take mild analgesics.

3) Avoid physical sports activities and contact sports such as Football, Boxing or Judo which may injure you or cut your lips or cheeks. Apply the same medications as above or visit the Doctor immediately.

4) If a band/bond becomes loose from a tooth, call the clinic at once. A tight band protects a tooth from decay but a loose band is extremely dangerous and decays underneath the progress of cavities is very rapid. If any band or brackets comes out, save the broken appliance carefully as we may be able to sterilize and re-fix it.

5) You need to pay extra attention while brushing your teeth while you have an orthodontic appliance. You must spend at least 3 minutes in brushing your teeth and use a circular stroke. Although the use of an Orthodontic toothbrush is most ideal, a soft toothbrush with a small head would also serve the purpose. You must rinse at least 7-8 times and then check in a mirror to ensure that you teeth look clean and no visible foods are stuck to the braces and teeth. The use of a fluoridated mouthwash is often a useful addition. Finally, you must massage your gums with your finger as demonstrated to you by the dentist in the clinic to ensure your gums are in the pink of health throughout the course of the treatment.

6) You might feel some discomfort after the initial appliance placement. The level of discomfort differs from person to person depending on one’s individual pain threshold level. In case of discomfort you may take a mild analgesic 1 tablet every 6-8 hours as prescribed by your doctor. If the pain is not too severe you could try rinsing with warm salt water.

7) It is advised to get a general cleaning of your gums and teeth at an interval of every three months during the course of orthodontic treatment to prevent extensive calculus and caries incidence.

8) In case of any other problem please feel free to contact your dentist immediately.

Schedule a visit to Grace Dental Clinic today itself to have you professionally examined and a course of action can be discussed and finalized.