Braces: How Braces Work, Pain Relief, & Keeping Braces Clean

Braces can correct misaligned teeth to improve your smile and your dental health, but braces pain can make you uncomfortable.

How Braces Work

Knowing a bit about how braces work can help you prepare for the braces pain you might experience. Braces place continuous pressure on the teeth to slowly move them into a different position. The key components of braces are:

• Brackets: A bracket is attached to each tooth or to a band placed around the tooth. Brackets hold the wires that actually cause the teeth to move. Braces pain associated with brackets may include pain from the band or the brackets.
• Wires: The wires used for braces are known as arch wires. They are attached to the brackets, and an orthodontist adjusts them at regular visits. Sometimes braces pain occurs soon after the braces are adjusted.

Benefits Of Braces

Braces pain can be uncomfortable, but wearing braces to improve your bite can help to eliminate other types of mouth and tooth pain caused by misaligned teeth. Other benefits of braces include:

• Easier Oral Care: Straight teeth are easier to clean, so you will be at less risk for tooth decay and gum disease.
• Increased Confidence: When braces have corrected your misaligned teeth, you’ll enjoy the improved self-confidence that comes with a healthy smile.

What Causes Braces Pain?

The exact cause of braces pain is unknown, but it may be attributed to internal or external factors.

• Internal: Some research has shown that braces pain may be caused by changes in blood flow that occur when the braces apply pressure to the teeth.
• External: The physical rubbing of the brackets and wires can cause braces pain in the soft tissue inside the mouth. This type of braces pain usually lessens with time, as the tissues become tougher. Sometimes one of the arch wires can cause braces pain by poking into the back of the mouth, but orthodontic wax can usually relieve this.

How to Relieve Pain from Braces

Many products are available to provide relief of braces pain. For pain associated with the pressure of the braces, try over the counter pain relieving products. Tablets or capsules such as Motrin or Advil can provide relief of braces pain, or you can use topical pain relieving products. Ask your dentist for recommendations if your braces pain persists. In addition, toothpaste, mouth rinse, and dental floss designed for sensitive teeth such as those in the Crest Pro-Health Sensitive Shield regimen can help relieve tooth pain. (1), (2)

Try these additional tips to relieve braces pain:

• Eat Soft Foods: If you tend to experience braces pain after an orthodontic adjustment, stick to soft foods, such as Jello®, pasta, and soft-cooked vegetables for the first day or so.
• Brush Soft: A soft-bristled toothbrush can help ease braces pain.
• Protect Your Braces: If you play contact sports while wearing braces, be sure to use a mouth guard. Being hit or falling during sports can cause brackets to break or wires to come loose, which causes braces pain and adds to the expense of orthodontic care.

How to Brush Your Teeth with Braces

While brushing teeth with braces may be a bit challenging it’s even more important for people with braces to brush properly. That’s because food particles can easily get caught in your braces, which can lead to harmful plaque bacteria that can cause gum disease. Effectively brushing teeth with braces is very important for your long-term oral health.

How to Clean Braces

• Ask your dental professional for a brush that's specifically designed for brushing teeth with braces. These brushes are made to reach in between all brackets and hardware.
• Brushing teeth with braces takes a bit longer than it does without braces. Brush from top to bottom and in between all braces. Take your time to ensure you keep your teeth healthy and protected while you wear braces.
• Brush more often, including after every snack or meal.
• Use an anti plaque/gingivitis mouth rinse to help remove food particles that linger in places your toothbrush can’t reach, as well as to prevent new plaque from forming.
• Ask your dental professional if they have any recommendations for brushing teeth with braces. They can show you the best techniques and ensure you know the best approach.

Once again, effectively brushing teeth with braces can help keep your teeth and mouth healthy. When your braces come off, you’ll be thrilled with your healthy teeth and bright, beautiful smile.

To read the entire article visit crest.com

Hampton Family Dental  
George F. Bork, DMD  
Route 31 N  
One Manor Drive  
Hampton, NJ 08827  
(908) 574-4670  
HamptonFamilyDental.com

What Is the Best Age for Braces?

Below is an article written by by Steve Auger and found on Colgate.com 

Responsible parents always want what is best for their children, even if the kids don't see it that way. That means yearly physicals, regular dental checkups and an orthodontist appointment if you suspect your child needs braces. While you're preparing for the visit, brush up on the best age for braces.

What Do Braces Do?
Orthodontic treatment solves multiple mouth issues. Some of those issues include teeth crowding, missing or extra teeth, tooth spacing and improper bites. Orthodontic issues are referred to as malocclusions. Malocclusions that aren't fixed can cause problems down the line, including worn enamel, tooth decay and issues with chewing and speaking.

First Visit to the Orthodontist
The American Association of Orthodontists recommends scheduling a child's first orthodontist visit by age 7 or at the first visible sign of a malocclusion. At that age, the child's teeth and jaw are still developing, making orthodontic issues, such as tooth crowding, easier to address.
Your child might be a bit apprehensive about the visit. A good orthodontist will take measures to put your child at ease, like giving them an office tour and introducing them to the staff. Once your child is more relaxed, the orthodontist can conduct the initial exam to determine if treatment is needed. Photographs and X-rays of the mouth and teeth will be taken to help the orthodontist decide how to proceed.

To read the entire article visit Colgate.com

The remainder of the article details the following:

• Types of Misalignment
• Adapting to Braces
• Not Just for Children

Hampton Family Dental  
George F. Bork, DMD  
Route 31 N  
One Manor Drive  
Hampton, NJ 08827  
(908) 574-4670  
HamptonFamilyDental.com

Youth Orthodontic Treatment

Neuromuscular Dentistry is for Kids Too!

Kids can have overbites, headaches, facial pain, and breathing problems due to improper alignment – this doesn't occur only in adults. Early detection and proper treatment in children is important to prevent additional problems later on. Correcting bites and airway obstruction focuses on assessment of facial development and skeletal misalignment for treatment with specialized orthodontics. We treat these problems when the patient is young so they do not have severe health problems later in life!

Hampton Family Dental  
George F. Bork, DMD  
Route 31 N  
One Manor Drive  
Hampton, NJ 08827  
(908) 574-4670  
HamptonFamilyDental.com

Great Ways to Improve Your Smile # 5

Braces
While orthodontic work that begins while a child is growing helps produce optimal results, that doesn’t mean that adults can’t have braces. Thanks to advances in orthodontic treatments, metal brackets are not your only option. Removable aligners, or invisible braces,î or clear plastic brackets can all be used to straighten crooked or crowded teeth.

The above article is from: MouthHealthy.org

Hampton Family Dental  
George F. Bork, DMD  
Route 31 N  
One Manor Drive  
Hampton, NJ 08827  
(908) 574-4670  
HamptonFamilyDental.com

Orthodontics

We have a full range of orthodontic treatment options to help give you the straighter, more even smile you've always wanted. Whether it's interceptive orthodontics for children, traditional braces, or a selection of clear and tooth-colored brackets – we can help!

You Won't be Self–Conscious with Braces
Like many technologies that have been improved to be smaller and less imposing for your life on the go, so too are modern-day braces. Today's "traditional" braces use brackets that are smaller and less noticeable. They are bonded only to the front of the tooth, rather than around the tooth. They can even be tooth-colored to be less noticeable. Wires are thinner and they ease teeth into position more gently.

Will It Take a Long Time?
Let Dr. Bork tell you about the latest in modern techniques to straighten your teeth. Today's technologies not only reduce the time you will need to correct your smile, they are also comfortable during treatment. They are attractive and do not detract from the appearance of your smile. Forget commitment to a time span of 3 – 5 years. Treatment times of 6 – 24 months vary from individual to individual, and traditional braces are still the most cost-effective way to go.

More than Just Braces
Orthodontics do more for your dental health and appearance than just straighten crooked teeth. They can be applied if the dental arch is too narrow or has an overbite (upper teeth overlap lower teeth), or an underbite (lower jaw or teeth are forward of the top teeth), and crossbite (overlapping of side teeth). These factors develop due to a variety of reasons, causing a problematic bite and/or jaw joint problems. We design special appliances that gently shift teeth and jaws into proper alignment. For children and teens, it will prevent more serious issues in the future.

Prevention Now or Braces Later

If you child has malocclusion (a "bad bite"), it is very beneficial to correct it before permanent teeth grow in. This will help their adult teeth come together instead of creating an overbite or other problem. The earlier the detection and correction, the easier the prevention. Early treatment can minimize the extent of orthodontics or eliminate the need completely.

Younger children's bones are also more pliable than adults'. With today's dental advancements, treatment no longer must be 3 – 5 years long. Although the care plan varies with each individual, treatment is usually 6 – 24 months and sometimes less! Dr. Bork provides braces that are more comfortable and less noticeable than ever before. Your child will not have the embarrassment or discomfort that has been associated with braces of the past. Please let us discuss what we can do for your child so he or she will have good dental health and a pleasing smile. 

Hampton Family Dental 
George F. Bork, DMD 
Route 31 N 
One Manor Drive 
Hampton, NJ 08827 
(908) 574-4670 
HamptonFamilyDental.com