Getting Food Unstuck

Although your orthodontist has probably told you not to eat certain foods, and although we do not necessarily condone it, most of us eat the “forbidden foods” anyway. These were discussed in our post, Damaging Delectables.

We know that a lot of these foods get stuck in your braces really easily, so here are some tips for dislodging the toughest pieces:

1. If it is a piece of chewy candy, you can swish-and-spit some hot/warm water. The water will help to dissolve the sugar in the candy, thus making it easier to remove.
2. Short of trying to push out the food with your tongue, sometimes your orthodontist will give you a little tool that is a pipe-cleaner with a little plastic handle that can be used to push out the snagged pieces (this device was discussed in the post Cleaning Techniques). Another option would be to use a toothpick!
3. You can brush your teeth or floss. It may seem obvious, but sometimes it is easier to just brush your teeth than it is to spend time trying to push out the food by hand.

One problem is that if you are out in public and you get some food stuck in your braces you can’t pick at it with your fingers because that would be rude, and you will most likely not be able to brush your teeth, so the simple solution is to not get food stuck in the first place! Here are two tips to do this:

1. Try to in general steer clear of the foods that get stuck easily, like corn, lettuce, pineapple, etc. If you just don’t eat these foods, then you will not have to even worry about getting gobs of food stuck!
2. If you are going to eat the foods that get caught, try chewing it slowly and carefully. When you chew really quickly and heavily, you jam the food up in your braces, so try chewing a bit more carefully.

-Erik and Amanda

In The Orthodontist Waiting Room

When you have your first checkup, you might get a little nervous in the waiting room of the orthodontist office. You might be thinking about whether you are actually making and progress and things similar to this.

Here are some things tips for dealing with this phenomenon:

1. Just picture your beautiful straight teeth or a perfectly aligned jaw so that you have a symmetrical jaw that fits nicely! Remember that the reason you are doing this whole process is so you will have a straight smile.
2. Trust in your orthodontist! Know that he/she is trying to get the result with the least amount of effort on your part, so trust that the things they give to you wear etc. are going to help.
3. Also think about how you will be glad that you went through all the effort when you finished!

The first time I (Amanda) went to the orthodontist for a checkup, I was so scared because all of my friends were saying how painful all of the orthodontia they had was. At the time I had a rather large overbite and I just kept telling myself that they would fix it for me and my smile would be normal and it made me less nervous. And once I talked with my orthodontist I felt better because he was very relaxed and told me it would be a gradual process and he planned out how the next few years would be. So if you are nervous in the waiting room, just relax. Its going to turn out awesome!

-Erik and Amanda

Getting Your Braces On

So you are going to get braces. Here is how your procedure will probably go:

1. First you sit in the orthodontist’s special chair and your orthodontist will polish your teeth with a sand-like substance. They do this so that they have a smooth surface to work with when gluing on the brackets.

2. Next is gluing on the brackets. First he/she will put a dab of their fancy glue on your first
tooth and place the bracket on.

3. After your orthodontist has positioned the bracket so that it is straight and in the middle of your tooth, this is the procedure our orthodontist followed, he/she will then shine ultraviolet light on your tooth (before they do this step, you will be outfitted with a pair of glasses). The glue is special in that it dries under ultraviolet light.

Steps two and three will be done for all of the teeth you are getting braces on.

4. Next is attaching the wire. Your orthodontist will get out a wire of specific stiffness, usually relatively soft at the beginning. Then he/she will cut the wire to the right length for your mouth. Then, after heating up the ends of the wire, your orthodontist will bend the ends so that they will hook around your back brackets after being pushed through the hole.

5. Once you have the wire ready, your orthodontist will push it into each of your brackets and then pull the wire through your back brackets.

6. Next you will pick a color of band and they will fit those around the bracket to keep the wire in place (see Rainbow of Rubber).

7. Now your orthodontist will cut the wire in the back so it doesn’t poke your cheek (see post Wretched Wires).

8. You now have braces!

This whole procedure usually takes somewhere between 30 minutes to 45 minutes per jaw. Congratulations on your new braces!

-Erik and Amanda

Wretched Wires

Ow! What is that stabbing me in the cheek? Sound familiar? That "thing" is your wire sticking into your cheek.

We do not recommend trying to fix this yourself, instead set up an appointment with your orthodontist because he/she will have a special tool that is used to cut the bit that is sticking out.

Now say this happens in a critical time when it hurts a lot and you want to relieve the pain right away. Here are a couple things that you can do:

1. Get some of that wax we talked about in the post “Predicting the Pain” and put a generous amount over the wire that is sticking out. This is a temporary fix as the wax will come out within the day. As a side note don’t eat with it because if the wax comes off you might accidentally swallow it!
2. If the part sticking out is long enough you might be able to reach in the back of your mouth with your finger and push it down so that it curves away from your cheek.

The best way to avoid this problem is when you first get your braces on or go and have them tightened, feel around your teeth with your tongue and you should be able to feel any bit poking out. If so, be sure to let your orthodontist know so he/she can fix it on the spot and you will have a pain free six weeks!

-Erik and Amanda

Bracket Bands

When you get your braces on, depending on what is wrong with your teeth, you will get different types of bands to fit over your wire.

Type A: For this type of band, there is an individual band per tooth. This band’s sole purpose is to hold your wire in place over your teeth. You can customize the colors of these.

Type B: These are called chain bands. They can span anywhere from over two teeth to your whole upper or lower set of teeth. The chain band is tighter and more evenly spaced than the first type. These are used to correct spaces in between your teeth. The chain-type is also more painful the first few days since your wire is already pulling your teeth straight and this band adds even
more pressure. Another difference is that your
orthodontist may put in a chain band anywhere after you get your braces, your band type can change throughout your time with braces. You can customize the colors of these, but they come in one color per whole chain so choose wisely!

For both of these bands, although type B is harder, it is difficult to floss with them in. But if you use our previously mentioned tips for cleaning (post Cleaning Techniques), it is possible!

-Amanda and Erik

Asymmetrical Jaws

Sometimes one side of your lower or upper jaw has grown or is growing faster than your other side. The result of this is called an asymmetrical jaw. In the best case, it is very unnoticeable on the outside and is not a big issue. But there are severe cases where your whole face can look asymmetrical.

Fixes:
1. Bands: Similar to the cases of having an overbite, there is a different fix if your mouth is still in the process of developing. When you are still growing you can get criss-cross bands that go from right-left or left-right depending on which side needs to be held back. (See post “Battle of the Bands” for pictures). This fix essentially stops the problem before it becomes too much to handle.

2. Surgery: The other option which would be advised when you have stopped growing and is similar to when you have an overbite. Here your surgeon will implant a piece of semi-soft material on the side that is smaller. Look at the following links for more information.

http://www.onlinetoothdoctor.com/jawsurgery.html

http://www.drposnick.com/orthognathic/amp.html

http://ezinearticles.com/?Correction-of-Jaw-Asymmetry-With-Implants&id=1710445

As we were saying in the post about Head Gear, we would recommend that if you are still growing and you have a less severe case, try the band method. If your asymmetrical jaw is really bad and you want to fix it, chances are you will have to get the surgery.

-Erik and Amanda

The Overbite

A condition that some people have (us included) is called an overbite. An overbite is when your top jaw has grown more than your lower jaw, so your top teeth hang over your bottom teeth. The result is usually what is known as having “buckteeth”.

Here are the two fixes:

1. The Faster Way: In this way you go to an orthodontic surgeon. They will break your lower jaw and then push it forward and position your jaw so that your teeth are straight and line up. Then the surgeon will insert metal pieces that fit into the space that was made by moving your jaw forward so that it permanently stays in place.

2. The Slower Way: The classic way to rid yourself of an overbite is to get head gear. With head gear, the idea is that the gears hold back your top jaw from growing so that your lower jaw can catch up. Naturally this will take longer.

The first fix is typically used for adults or people who have stopped growing, since head gear requires that your lower jaw is still actually growing. Similarly head gear is used mainly for kids and teenagers, if they haven’t stopped growing.

Our opinion on fixing an overbite:

Both of us have done and completed the head gear fix. Though it takes quite a bit longer and is kind of a drag to wear, the results are definitely noticeable and worth it. This method has been around for decades (chances are your parents even had headgear!) and has stood the test of time. But it is not reasonable if you have stopped growing, which is when the fast surgical way would be a better choice. But for kids we recommend the head gear, since the whole breaking-the-jaw part is generally probably not a good idea in kids who are still growing.

-Amanda and Erik

Briefing You on Bite Planes

Another appliance used before you get braces is the bite plane. A bite plane is a retainer-like piece fitted to the shape of your top jaw that prevents your bottom teeth from hitting the roof of your mouth (used in extreme overbite situations usually). There are small metal pieces molded into it that slide onto two of your front teeth, used to hold it up. Because these metal holder uppers are the only things showing, the bite plane is not visible to other people. Eventually as your mouth grows to accommodate this device, your back teeth will touch while your bottom teeth will not hit the roof of your mouth. In other words, your jaw will line up properly.

Here are some tips for this new piece of plastic:

1. Do not eat with it in.
2. Brush your bite plane a lot. For cleaning techniques see our previous post called "All About Retainers", for cleaning your bite plane is exactly the same as cleaning your retainer.
3. Keep it in a safe place when you take it out. Bite planes break extremely easily.
4. Do not play with your bite plane in your mouth. Besides being kind of weird-looking to other people, you can accidentally break off the little metal pieces that hold it up (which are not replaceable unless you get a whole new bite plane!). And you can break off chunks of the plastic part too. Trust us it happens.

To emphasize Tip #4 here is a little story. When I, Amanda, got my bite plane, I used to play with it in my mouth a lot. One day I was talking to my friend and as I went to answer her question, I accidentally spit out my bite plane since I'd been playing with it. It was embarrassing and plus it fell on the ground so I couldn’t put it back in. Moral of this story: DON'T PLAY WITH IT!

-Erik and Amanda

Cleaning Techniques

Between your teeth: Some of you may be wondering "how it is possible to floss with all this metal in my mouth?" One way is to take your floss (make sure it is the wax kind) and thread it under your wire and between your brackets. Another way is to buy those stiff little flossers. You thread the floss through the loop and then stick the flosser end under your wire and pull it out, thus easily getting your floss under your wire/between your bracket.

Brackets: Another place food can sit and rot in your mouth is in your bracket. And we mean in the actual bracket that is glued to your teeth. The best way to get this out is to brush this area very thoroughly. Sometimes your orthodontist will give you a little pipecleaner-like tool and you can use that to dislodge food from your brackets.

Gums: A common problem in people with braces is infected gums. When you have infected gums, they get all red and puffy and hurt to the touch. Not fun! To avoid this problem, be sure to brush above your brackets and floss regularly. Another reason you don’t want this is that when you get your braces off and if you get a plastic retainer, the retainer won’t fit properly when your gum line gets healthy again.

Head Gear: As with all things sitting in your mouth for long periods of time, your head gear will need to be cleaned. To clean the metal mouth piece, brush it with your toothbrush and toothpaste. To get a deep clean you can soak it in your mouthwash and then brush it same as before. As for the cloth part, if it gets too gross for you to wear, you can wash it by hand using regular hand-washing soap. We didn't have this problem but we only wore/wear ours for 12 hours.

Bands: Don’t bother trying to clean these. After wearing them once, just throw them away and replace it with a fresh set!

Cleaning is very important as we have stated in previous posts (such as Health in Hygiene). Hopefully these tips will make it easier for you to manage this task.

-Amanda and Erik

The Classic Checkup

To make sure your teeth are coming along, you get checkups every six weeks or so. The point of this is to make sure your braces and other orthodontic materials are doing what they're supposed to.

Braces: During your checkup, your orthodontist will usually tighten your wires. First they use a little tool with a hook on the end to carefully take your bands off the brackets. You usually can pick a new color at this point, and they will provide you with samples for all color choices. Then they reach in the back of your mouth and pull the wire out from your brackets. Now they will get a stiffer wire and will measure and cut it so that it matches your old wire in length. When your orthodontist puts your new wire in, your teeth will probably be sore for a day or so, similar to when you first got your braces on. After the wire is in, they will trim the ends that stick out into your cheek. Be sure to tell the orthodontist if it is poking you or it will be a painful next six weeks. Don’t worry the process of tightening your wires doesn't hurt and you don't get your wire tightened every time!

Headgear: The orthodontist will usually make sure you are wearing it tight enough and that it sits properly.

Bands: They will usually give you thicker and tighter bands.

Photos: Sometime when you get a checkup, your orthodontist (in our experience) will take pictures of your teeth from straight on and sideways, open and closed. When they do this, the orthodontist will give you plastic cheek stretchers so that they can get a clear view of your teeth. They take the pictures so that they can track your progress.

Here are some tips to help you prepare for your checkup:

1. Brush and floss very thoroughly. Your orthodontist will get on your case if you have a bit of leftover breakfast in your braces.
2. Bring all of your orthodontic materials like your headgear, but you will probably not be required to bring your bands.
3. If you have bands, be sure to ask your orthodontist for more.

You get used to these checkups and they aren't a big deal. But they are important. If for some reason the orthodontist figures out that you aren't using the right equipment to fix your teeth you would probably want to know sooner than later!

-Erik and Amanda