About Orthodontics & FAQs

Braces are an appliance made of ceramic or metal brackets with wires and color ties used together to align teeth and correct bite. Just like braces, dental aligners such as, Invisalign, also align teeth and correct bite but are made of a clear plastic material fitted to your teeth. The Orthodontist will determine at the consultation what treatment is best for the patient.

When an alastic becomes loose or comes off, you can fashion it onto the bracket using a pair of sterilized tweezers. If you notice that several alastics are missing, please schedule an appointment with our office to have the issue resolved.

A broken bracket is when the bracket is not attached to the tooth anymore and moves freely along the wire. Things that can cause this to happen is eating hard, sticky, chewy foods. If this happens please call the office to schedule an appointment to have the bracket(s) repaired.

When struggling with irritated lips/cheeks/sores, make sure to rinse your mouth often with salt and warm water solution. You can also use orthodontic wax as a temporary comfort. Hopefully, using these techniques, your irritations will subside.

The most convenient solution to make a poking wire comfortable is by placing orthodontic wax over the wire where it feels sharp. This will create a barrier between your cheek and the wire. If needed, you may trim away excess wire using a cuticle cutter or nail clipper. Please call our office if unable to reach or difficulty clipping.

Each Invisalign clear aligner is created custom based on your smile goals and progress. Usually, you will wear each aligner for 1 to 2 weeks depending on what the orthodontist prescribes. Changing too quickly can result in teeth not tracking with aligners and can prolong treatment. Each new aligner keeps guiding your teeth to their ideal position.

It’s perfectly normal to have discomfort the first few days of a placing a new aligner. Aligners are moving your teeth to the correct position, slowly, with each aligner you place which can cause soreness.

If you lose or break an aligner please give our office a call so we can guide you on the best course of action. Our office will be able to replace the aligner you lost or broke. Depending on how long the patient has been wearing the lost or broken aligner, our office can give instructions to wear the previous aligner or switch to the next aligner.

Dental retainers are designed to keep your teeth straight. They’re custom-made just for your teeth. Wearing a retainer prevents your teeth from moving out of alignment after treatment and moving to original position.  There are two types of retainers, fixed and removable. Fixed retainers are bonded to the inside of your upper and lower teeth. These retainers are not permanent, they will come out at some point. Removable clear retainers are to be worn as prescribed by the doctor. 

You can help extend the life of your retainers by keeping them clean using a soft bristle toothbrush, a small amount of toothpaste and cold water. Never use hot water or boil. 

A retainer case is provided with your removable retainers and should always be used to store your retainers whenever you are not wearing them. Keep retainers away from animals. 

If a removable or fixed retainer breaks, please give the office a call as soon as possible to decide the best course of action. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do to fix a broken retainer because it’s customized to your teeth. It needs to fit perfectly to do it’s job.

Retainers are forever. As long as the patient wants their teeth to stay straight they should wear their retainers to avoid teeth moving to original position. The doctor will prescribe the amount of hours in a day they should wear them. If you are unsure the amount of time per day, please give the office a call.