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Are you the type of person that doesn’t want people to know you are wearing braces? In this blog we will discuss some of the pro’s and con’s of choosing lingual braces over other appliances

What are Lingual braces?

Lingual braces often either Incognito or WIN, are metal braces that are fit behind your teeth to offer a discreet straightening process. They move the teeth in exactly the same way as traditional metal braces do, however, instead of there being pressure on the front of the teeth, it is on the back.

What are the pros?

As well as lingual braces being discreet, there is also a long list of other advantages that come with having this type of brace.

Precise

The braces are custom made for each patient which gives them the ability to give precise movements of the teeth, which will result in perfectly straight teeth.

Teeth won’t stain

For some patients the metal braces have stained their teeth and once their braces have been removed their teeth have had visible white squares where the brackets were placed. This can be caused by drinking strong tea or coffee or eating lots of red and orange foods such as tomato soup. With lingual braces, you won’t see these white squares.

Musical instruments

If you wear braces on the front of your teeth it may feel slightly uncomfortable when playing a brass or wind instrument. If you play a reeded instrument there is also the fear of cutting the reed on your metal braces which will stop you from being able to play. Lingual braces provide a comfortable, safe option for wind and brass players.

What are the cons?

While there are lots of advantages to choosing lingual braces, there are a few disadvantages.

Cost

The overall cost of lingual braces is more than ordinary metal braces and Invisalign. As they work in the same way and provide the same results as the more traditional type of brace, some people find they aren’t worth the money.

Soreness

As with every brace, you may feel some discomfort for a short time once they have been fitted but only for a few days, just while your mouth and teeth are getting used to being under pressure. Patients have mentioned a soreness to their tongue during lingual brace treatments as it is constantly rubbing against the braces. We recommend you apply a layer of orthodontic wax to your braces as it will help ease this discomfort.

Hard to clean

Cleaning behind your teeth is a lot harder than cleaning the fronts. We suggest you brush your teeth as normal then use tooth floss and interdental brushes to clean those hard to reach areas.

If you’re interested in choosing lingual braces, or one of the other appliances we have available, make sure you contact us on 01483 567772 and book a consultation.

The Expression “getting long in the tooth” refers to gum recession, but this oral health problem isn’t necessarily connected to age. Gum recession is when the edge of the gingival tissue moves away from the crown of the tooth, exposing the root. The reason we tend to think of it as an age-related problem is that it tends to be so gradual that it takes many years to become noticeable, but it can begin at any age — even in childhood! — for a variety of reasons.

Gum Recession Caused by Genetics

Unfortunately, gum recession isn’t always avoidable, because it can be caused by genetics. Some people simply have more fragile gum tissue or they don’t have enough jaw bone surrounding the roots of their teeth to support the gums all the way up to the crowns. However, other contributing factors are easier to control, so even people who are predisposed to gum recession can still minimize it.

Bruxism: Bad for Teeth, Bad for Gums

Bruxism (chronic teeth-grinding) can cause all kinds of problems for oral health, and one of them is an increased risk of gum recession. Grinding puts a lot of pressure on the gums, and they can’t always hold up under it and begin to recede. The habit of grinding is often difficult to break, particularly for those who grind in their sleep. If you struggle with bruxism, come talk to us. You don’t have to fight this alone.

Overbrushing: Too Much of a Good Thing

Dentists spend so much time encouraging patients to brush their teeth more that you might be surprised to learn that it’s possible to brush your teeth too much. It’s certainly possible to brush them too hard. We call this overbrushing, and it can lead to enamel erosion and gum recession.

This problem is an easy one to avoid. Always keep in mind that brushing teeth is not the same as cleaning tile grout. Soft bristles are better for our gums and tooth enamel than hard bristles, and two minutes twice a day is usually enough. If you’re brushing so hard that your toothbrush bristles rapidly bend and fray within a couple months, it’s time to ease up. The same applies to flossing. Daily flossing is essential, but be gentle on your gums.

Gum Disease Leaves Gum Tissue Vulnerable

Gum disease, particularly in the advanced stages, destroys the supporting gum tissue and bone around teeth. It’s the main cause of gum recession. The best way to fight it is with good oral hygiene habits and regular dental appointments. Professional cleanings are absolutely crucial for maintaining good gum health, because once plaque hardens into tartar, it can only be removed by the dentist. The longer it remains, the more irritation it can cause the gums.

Kids Can Have Gum Recession?

It’s true; even kids aren’t completely safe from gum recession. The causes are the same for adults: improper brushing and flossing (specifically, overbrushing), bad oral hygiene, and teeth grinding. It can also come on as the result of an injury to the mouth. As with gum recession in adults, the best treatment is prevention through good oral health habits.

Let’s Keep Those Gums Healthy!

If you’re worried that your gums may be beginning to recede or you want to learn more about how you can prevent gum recession, schedule an appointment with us! We can help you take care of your gum health and discuss treatment options if needed.

We’re always rooting for our patients!

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

TOO MANY PEOPLE know what it’s like to accidentally throw a retainer away after lunch. Retainers can be expensive, so losing one is never fun. Fortunately, removable retainers aren’t the only option for keeping your teeth aligned after the braces come off!

What Are Fixed Retainers?

A fixed retainer, also known as a permanent or bonded retainer, is a wire that is glued to the lingual (tongue side) of the teeth. These retainers are typically made of stainless steel. The orthodontist fits it to the patient’s teeth, placing it just right so it’s not visible when smiling or talking, and attaches it with a form of cement. Some are cemented to each tooth, while others are only cemented to the teeth at the ends of the retainer.

Most often, fixed retainers are only placed on the backs of the front six lower teeth, though sometimes they go on the backs of the upper teeth, and some people even have them just for the two front teeth to keep a gap from reappearing. Fixed retainers are intended to stay in place indefinitely. If they break or come loose, it’s important to go back to the orthodontist to get them repaired.

How Fixed Retainers Compare

Now that you know what fixed retainers are, let’s look at some of the things that set them apart from removable retainers. The most obvious benefit to fixed retainers is that they stay in your mouth 24/7, which means you can’t lose them during lunch! It also means they’re continuously keeping your teeth in perfect position. Because they are so small, they tend to be much more comfortable than removable retainers. The best part is that nobody will see that you have one!

Cleaning And Maintenance

For all their advantages, fixed retainers can be tricky to keep clean. Food can get stuck in them and plaque can build up around them very easily and calcify into tartar, but they’re not so easy to clean out because the wire gets in the way of flossing. You can solve this problem with floss threaders or a water flosser. Make sure to get all those crevices!

Check out this video for tips on flossing around a fixed retainer:

https://youtu.be/EhlPXUErhJw

You also might want to be careful when eating hard, crunchy foods, because they could break the wire or pop the cement loose from your teeth. If this happens, make sure to come see us!

Bring Us Your Questions!

If you have any questions about fixed retainers, don’t hesitate to ask us! Whether you’re in braces now and thinking ahead to retainers or you already have a fixed retainer, we can fill in any blanks you might have. In the meantime, keep up your brushing and flossing!

YOU’VE HEARD OF being tongue-tied, but what about lip-tied? Both are actually legitimate medical conditions, and the culprits are pieces of tissue in our mouths called frenula.

Tongue Ties And Lip Ties

We all have a frenulum (or frenum) that connects our upper lips to our upper gums, one that connects our lower lips to our lower gums, and one that connects our tongues to the floors of our mouths. Normally, they are all thin and highly elastic, allowing free movement of our lips and tongues. If someone is literally tongue-tied, it means the lingual frenulum (the one under the tongue) is large enough to restrict the movement of their tongue, causing difficulties with speech, chewing, and swallowing.

Having a “lip tie,” on the other hand, means one of the labial frenula is so thick and/or tight that it restricts movement of the lip it’s attached to. Being lip-tied can lead to problems such as a large gap between the teeth, gum recession, and, in infants, not being able to latch while breastfeeding.

What Can We Do About It?

Luckily, a simple surgery called a frenectomy can reduce or remove an abnormal frenulum. Now, don’t let the word “surgery” scare you off. A frenectomy is definitely worth considering for anyone with these frenulum-related problems, particularly if they’re experiencing pain or discomfort.

Frenectomies are relatively quick procedures with short healing times. Periodontists (dentists who specialize in working with the gums) and oral surgeons are normally the ones who perform them. The way it works is that the doctor will numb the area and make a small incision in the frenulum to make it smaller or remove it. Alternatively, the procedure could involve laser surgery, where the doctor removes the frenulum with a laser. Either way, that pesky lip tie or tongue tie will be gone!

Let’s Take Care Of That Frenulum

For the majority of people, frenulums will never be a problem. If you think any of yours might be thick or tight enough to cause the above problems, schedule an appointment with us, and the same goes for your children if they seem to have these problems. We can take a look and see if a frenectomy would be a good option. If it is, then we can recommend a periodontist or oral surgeon to take care of it.

Thank you for choosing us to take care of that smile!

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

WHEN YOU HAVE BRACES, it can sometimes be tricky to find good food to eat that won’t put all those crucial brackets and wires at risk. Finding the right food is even trickier if you’ve just had your braces tightened and things are still a little tender. That’s why we’re dedicating an entire blog post to giving you great braces-friendly breakfast ideas to satisfy your stomach while soothing your sore teeth!

1. Puréed Fruit

One of the biggest items on the banned foods list for braces is apples, because biting into such a hard fruit can easily pop brackets off. When your teeth are sore after an adjustment, you probably wouldn’t want to eat apples or other hard fruits even if you could, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy your daily servings of fruit—in purée form! Whether it’s a fruit smoothie with no sugar added or homemade applesauce, you can’t go wrong with fruit purée.

2. Greek Yogurt

Another great option when you don’t want to do much chewing is yogurt, whether it be Greek or regular, cool or frozen, plain or flavored. You can add some fruit, cinnamon, honey—whatever you love. The creamy smoothness isn’t the only thing that makes Greek yogurt perfect for your sore mouth; it also has a ton of health benefits such as protein to build strong muscles, probiotics to improve digestion and strengthen your immune system, and calcium for healthy teeth and bones!

3. Scrambled Or Soft-Boiled Eggs

If fruit and yogurt don’t sound very filling to you, then how about eggs? Cooked right, scrambled eggs are wonderfully soft and fluffy, so you can go easy on your teeth and braces while still eating a hearty meal. The same goes for soft-boiled, hard-boiled, and poached eggs. They’re quite soft to bite into and are delicious, healthy ways to start your day!

For another great egg breakfast idea, check out this video:

4. Oatmeal Or Overnight Oats

If you’re looking for other hearty breakfast options, oatmeal and overnight oats are perfect, and they’re so soft and creamy! Oatmeal itself is already such a creamy meal in instant form, but when you make it into overnight oats, you’re in a whole new ballpark. You can add whatever toppings you’d like, such as fruit, honey, cinnamon, or vanilla. You’ll get a meal full of flavor with no pressure on your teeth!

5. Milk Toast

If you’ve never heard of this one before, it might be time to try something new! Normally, toast is too crunchy to eat with sore teeth, but toast soaked in milk and flavored with cinnamon and sugar won’t give you any trouble. It’s easy, it’s fast, it’s delicious, and your teeth will love it.

Enjoy Your Breakfast!

We know braces can be tough to get used to and that’s why we’re always here to help! If you need more ideas for braces-friendly foods, just let us know, and call us or come in if you have any other questions about your braces!

We’re here to make sure you have a great braces experience!

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.