Dr. Chapman and the professionals at Chapman Orthodontics in Brownsburg, IN have the skill and experience to treat their younger patients with Invisalign clear aligners for their orthodontic treatment needs.
Overbite
How To Brush and Floss Teeth with Braces
Dr. Chapman and the team at Chapman Orthodontics in Brownsburg, IN are orthodontics experts and can help explain to you why you should always maintain good oral health by brushing and flossing your teeth while wearing braces.
We’ve all been taught about the importance of brushing and flossing our teeth, typically in the morning when you wake up and at night before you go to sleep. But the one thing that you should never forget to do is clean your teeth properly, especially if you wear braces. While wearing braces, whether you’re a teenager or an adult, maintaining good oral health care Chapman Orthodontics helps ensure a successful treatment outcome.
Brushing and Flossing When Wearing Braces
With braces, food often gets caught in the brackets and wires, and then lingers on your teeth, creating plaque and tartar. These conditions can also cause serious and unwanted complications during your orthodontic treatment, such as:
- Swollen gums
- Cavities
- Permanent stains on your teeth
- Yellowed teeth
- Bad breath
While wearing braces, not only is it important to brush your teeth multiple times a day but to brush them in the correct way. To get the best brushing results, make sure you brush your teeth and braces from every angle.
While brushing your braces on and around your top teeth, make sure to brush them with the toothbrush angled downward.
When brushing your braces on and around your bottom teeth, make sure you brush them with the toothbrush angled upward.
This helps to ensure that each tooth and every part of the tooth–the front surfaces, the chewing surfaces, and the back surfaces of your teeth–get completely clean. These techniques will also improve your brushing skills and give you a better cleaning treatment each time you brush.
Dr. Chapman stresses that cleaning your mouth, teeth, and braces effectively is an important part of your orthodontic treatment. If you don’t put the effort into your cleaning regimen while you are wearing braces, you may not get the outcome that you were hoping for: a clean, healthy, straight, white smile.
Flossing
Just brushing your teeth is not enough when you’re wearing braces. Flossing is a necessary (even if it’s a bit more awkward and difficult) and important step toward optimal oral health and the best orthodontic treatment outcome.
For people who wear braces, the Name Orthodontics team recommends using a waxed floss. Some tools designed just for flossing are made with a stiff tip to reach food stuck under the wire of your braces.
To be certain you are flossing effectively, remember these tips:
Thread the floss under the wire before passing the string between the teeth.
Rub the waxed floss up and down each surface of the tooth and don’t skip cleaning each and every gap.
Weave the floss through the individual gaps between the teeth (no blood should be seen. If you see blood, you may need to floss a little more gently).
Be sure to massage the gums with your toothbrush during brushing.
Finish things off with a good and thorough mouthwash rinse.
Both brushing and flossing your teeth properly are crucial steps in your orthodontic treatment with braces. You’ve already spent a lot of money on your braces to straighten your teeth and improve your smile. So why not maintain your oral health to ensure you get a healthy, beautiful smile?
If you’ve been searching for an orthodontist in Brownsburg, IN that can help you achieve a beautiful, glowing smile, then look no further than Dr. Chapman! To make an appointment for a consultation at our office, contact Chapman Orthodontics at: 317-852-5566
Learn the Lingo of an Orthodontist
How many orthodontic terms do you know? Like any medical specialists, orthodontists have their own terminology they use to describe dental issues that can be treated with braces and the latest orthodontic technology, like Invisalign. Dr. Peter Chapman, a top orthodontist near Danville, Indiana, said understanding the terms doctors use can help alleviate the anxiety some patients have before a consultation.
Dr. Chapman tells future patients in Danville, Indiana, to learn 8 common terms before visiting an orthodontist:
1. Open-bite is when the upper and lower teeth do not touch because they thrust forward. Dr. Chapman attributes the condition to thumb-sucking, thrusting your tongue against your teeth when you swallow or sleep, underdeveloped teeth or an abnormal jaw structure.
2. Cross-bite, commonly called under-bite, is when the lower teeth overlap the upper teeth. Dr. Chapman said the issue often causes gum loss and uneven wear on teeth in some patients in Danville, Indiana.
3. Over-bite is when the upper teeth overlap the bottom teeth, which is fairly common. But a deep-bite, where the lower teeth are completely covered by the uppers, can be quite unhealthy, according to Dr. Chapman. Deep-bite often leads to gum loss and will create excessive wear on the top front teeth.
4. Spacing is a significant gap between teeth, which is caused by teeth that are missing or small or when the dental arch is very wide. Dr. Chapman has observed the condition leading to uneven wear on teeth in patients in Danville, Indiana.
5. Crowding, a common dental misalignment, is caused by a dental arch that is too small or when the teeth are too large. The teeth bunch together, forming a crooked smile. Dr. Chapman said the issue is more than unsightly. Crowding may cause gums to recede and weaken and lead to impacted teeth. Impacted teeth grow beneath the gum line but never push through the surface, according to the American Association of Orthodontists.
6. Appliance describes anything orthodontists like Dr. Peter Chapman attach to teeth that helps reposition the teeth or changes the shape of the jaw.
7. Retainers are appliances patients wear after braces are removed. Orthodontists attach the retainer to a patient’s teeth to hold them in place. Some retainers are removable, and others are bonded to the tongue side of several teeth.
8. Invisalign is a popular alternative to braces in Danville, Indiana. The relatively new technology straightens teeth with a series of clear, custom-molded aligners. The removable aligners, which are nearly invisible, are worn throughout the day but can be removed to eat and clean the teeth, according to Dr. Chapman.