by | Apr 25, 2017 | General Articles, Invisalign, Invisalign Teen, Orthodontic Treatments, Team Demas Orthodontics
You, or your parents, have spent years and a lot of money to get your teeth into perfect alignment and now you see that they are shifting back to their former position. The big question on your mind is most likely: Can retainers fix a slight shift of teeth after braces? The simple answer to this question is yes. But, more than giving you a simple answer, it’s important for you to understand how the slight shift occurred and what you can do to prevent it from happening again.
MAINTAINING YOUR SMILE AFTER BRACES FAQ
Why do Teeth Shift after Braces?
It was the tension applied through your braces that forced your teeth to move into their straightened positions. When that pressure is removed, your gums and bone may try to return to their former misaligned conditions. To maintain the new structure of your teeth, you will need to use a retainer.
After your braces were removed, your orthodontist provided you with a retainer that you were to wear daily for a scheduled period of time. That schedule may have been for several hours every day as well as throughout the night. The retainer was meant to allow your gums and bone to adjust and support the new position of your teeth.
If you did not follow your orthodontist’s schedule or only wore your retainer sporadically, you provided your teeth with the opportunity to start shifting back to their previous condition. The shifting of your teeth does not happen fast, so it is possible that you will not notice the change until you see something in the mirror or you have problems when brushing and flossing.
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by | Mar 28, 2017 | Orthodontic Treatments
Contrary to Popular Belief: It is Perfectly Safe
When people are told that they are going to need to have multiple teeth removed, one of the most common concerns is how this will affect the appearance of their face. It is possible that the look of your face could change slightly after having an orthodontic treatment performed to remove permanent teeth. However, the reality is that in the vast majority of cases, no changes will occur that can be perceived by the naked eye.
FAQ
What will the orthodontist recommend?
When an orthodontist makes the recommendation to remove teeth, he or she does not do so lightly. The need to remove teeth is usually caused by a lack of room. An orthodontist will examine x-rays, pictures and models to determine if extraction is indeed necessary. Saving the teeth is always the preferable option, but this is not always possible.
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by | Mar 27, 2017 | Invisalign, Invisalign Teen, Orthodontic Treatments, Team Demas Orthodontics
Understanding How Self-Ligating Braces Work
Misaligned teeth have been impacting people’s smiles for a long time. Braces have been utilized for hundreds of years as a way to straighten the misaligned teeth of children, as well as adults. There have been developments in orthodontics concerning the design of braces. The goal has always been to make them more comfortable and easily accessible. With traditional braces, a person’s mouth has archwires, brackets, and bands in place to put pressure on the teeth. This is done so the teeth can be put in proper alignment. This method requires regular orthodontic visits so the bands and archwires can be adjusted as needed. This is how traditional braces are kept working correctly. Now, there is a new type of braces available. Self-ligating braces utilize clips and not rubber bands.
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by | Feb 28, 2017 | Orthodontic Treatments
When Do I Get My Braces Off?
Most recipients of braces use them to improve their facial appearance through the straightening of teeth and improve their teeth’s ability to bite correctly. Even though the brace user chooses this dental procedure, he or she still naturally prefers a mouth without braces! Knowing when they are likely to be removed is really important as it is a relief being able to display a better set of teeth after the completion of the procedure. Dr. Demas and his team at Demas Orthodontics find the number one question they are asked is “When do I get my braces off?”
No one person goes through exactly the same treatment program, so the time frame required for braces to complete a good job does naturally vary. The procedure follows certain standardized steps, some of which take longer than others.
At Demas Orthodontics, successful braces treatment undergoes three treatment stages. Each of these stages has to be completed satisfactorily before the preceding stage commences. The first step is analyzing and correcting the crowding of teeth; the second is aligning the teeth, while the third involves bite correction.
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by | Jan 24, 2017 | General Articles, Invisalign, Invisalign Teen, Orthodontic Treatments, Team Demas Orthodontics
When you are done wearing braces, you expect to have perfectly straight teeth for a lifetime, but that isn’t always the case. There is the possibility of shifting teeth, especially if a retainer isn’t worn immediately after having the braces removed from your orthodontist. Below are some information about using a retainer and how they can help fix the shift in teeth following orthodontic treatment.
FAQ
Why is a Retainer Worn after Braces?
If you have recently completed orthodontic treatment, you might have been advised to wear a retainer. This is a recommendation by many orthodontists as it helps to keep your teeth in their new position. With the braces off, there is a risk that the teeth will start shifting back to their original position. While it doesn’t happen with everyone, the best thing you can do is prevent it by wearing your retainer as often as your orthodontist recommended. They will inform you about exactly how long they need to be worn for in order to avoid orthodontic relapse.
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by | Dec 22, 2016 | Invisalign, Invisalign Teen, Orthodontic Treatments, Smile Quote, Team Demas Orthodontics
Summer is a great time for entertaining and trying out new recipes with friends and family. The beautiful weather allows for lots of opportunities to gather outdoors for cookouts and parties.
However, it is easy to get caught up in the excitement of summer and entertaining that we forget how important it is to eat tooth-friendly foods – recipes that are delicious but are also nutritious for our bodies and our teeth. Your smile is likely to be the first thing people notice about you and one of the simplest and most important ways to keep them healthy is to be mindful of the foods you are eating.
With that in mind, our office would like to share a recipe for a tooth-friendly yogurt dip that is creamy, delicious, and perfect for your summer outdoor gatherings.
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