Metal and Clear Braces:
Cold Lake & St. Paul Orthodontics utilizes the best quality braces for the correction of a variety of smiles and bites.
Both metal and clear braces are an option at our office.
Bonding braces to the teeth is a very simple and easy procedure that is pain-free and does not require dental freezing.
Our office will provide thorough instructions and many helpful tools for properly cleaning your braces throughout treatment to help you maintain ideal oral health. Your orthodontist and your Orthodontic Assistants will provide you with thorough instructions on how to properly clean your braces.
There are many types of toothbrushes; power, manual or sonic to use that is specifically designed for orthodontic patients. It is very important to clean in between your teeth with dental floss to remove food debris.
CLEAR BRACES
METAL BRACES
Life With Braces
Activities
Life with braces does not have to be much different than life before braces. With proper care and maintenance, your activities can continue while you build your terrific smile. You’ll be pleased to learn that orthodontic treatment will fit in with your current lifestyle. Be sure to ask your orthodontist if you have questions about specific activities.
Playing Sports
Depending on the sport, it is probably a good idea to wear some sort of lip protector or mouth guard so the braces don’t cut the insides of your mouth. Ask your orthodontist for recommendations.
Playing An Instrument
Yes, you can play your wind instrument. You may not need one, but several companies make mouth guards and lip protectors specifically for this purpose. Ask your orthodontist for recommendations. Some orthodontists can make a custom lip guard for you.
What Can I Eat?
Choose foods that are softer. Avoid foods that are hard, sticky, crunchy or chewy. Cut or tear sandwiches and pizza rather than biting into them. Right after you get braces or whenever they are adjusted, you may want foods that require little or no chewing such as soup and macaroni and cheese.
Cleaning your braces is easier than you think!
Be glad: Braces don’t mean any more work brushing, just a different style. Special toothbrushes, dental floss and also water jets can help you. You should always brush your teeth and braces after each meal. As we said, it’s no big deal. Braces without rubber bands actually make it really easy.
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As clean as a whistle: Proper brushing with braces
1. It is best to use a soft toothbrush with a large head and toothpaste with fluoride.
2. Now start to brush each tooth surface. Of course, you mustn’t forget the areas above, below and between each brace.
3. Brush your top teeth from top to bottom, and your bottom ones from bottom to top.
4. Next, you use an interdental toothbrush to scrub all the areas clean that you didn’t get to with the big one. Brush so the bristles spread out between the braces, wires and rubber bands.
5. To get everything really clean, you should brush each tooth surface about 10 times. So no stress: It usually takes 3-5 minutes max!
Does it really need to be after each meal?
It may seem tedious at the beginning, but you’ll get used to it fast and you are doing yourself a big favour. Once the braces are removed poor oral hygiene can result in decalcification. No thanks!
Dental floss is a cool tool for removing food particles and plaque from the spaces between your teeth.
You think it’s not so easy with braces? Threading normal dental floss under the wires can be tricky. It is easier to use dental floss with a reinforced end. If you have threaded dental floss under the wire, just slide it up and down the tooth’s surface. Be sure not to put too much pressure on the archwire. Finally, you just need to carefully clean all the areas around the rubber bands – presto!
Not sure yet?
Your orthodontist will be glad to show you the right way to use dental floss with braces.
More cool tips for dental hygiene
Your toothbrush now has more work to do and wears out faster. Best swap the brush as soon as its bristles fray. Optical trick: Tooth dye tablets make all your tooth surfaces show up much better. If you’ve got a dental water jet, use it to eliminate rough food particles before brushing.
Professional tooth cleaning
Crystal clear: Systematic dental care is really important if you wear braces. Professional tooth cleaning at the dentist helps you protect your teeth even better. This cleaning removes plaque, polishes your teeth and puts fluoride on the surface of your teeth to strengthen them.