Luckily, with a few adjustments to your normal oral hygiene practises, this is easy enough to achieve. And while the team at The Orthodontic Hub will give you individual advice, this guide for good oral hygiene while wearing braces or aligners is a great place to start.

Brushing your teeth

We all know that brushing your teeth is integral to good oral health, and the same is true when you wear braces. If you have traditional or ceramic braces, it’s important to make sure you don’t neglect the area under the wires and around the brackets when brushing your teeth.

To get to all the right places, you’ll have to slightly alter how you brush your teeth put a little extra time aside to ensure you are getting to all those hard to reach places. Orthodontists recommend brushing at a 45 degree angle towards your gums and cleaning each tooth for around 10 seconds. And don’t forget to brush your gums, and tongue!

Food choices

Unfortunately, a few of your favourite foods might be off-limits during your orthodontic treatment. Sticky foods can get stuck in your teeth and hard foods can break brackets and wires. It is best to avoid foods like: nuts, biscuits, popcorn, toffee, hard lollies, and pork crackling. Other foods, like hard apples and raw carrots, should be eaten in smaller pieces or grated. However do not worry, when you see our Orthodontist or hygienist, they will provide you with a full list of some good foods to try when undergoing braces treatment.

Rinsing

Because of the increased chance of getting food stuck in your teeth, we recommend rinsing your mouth with water a few times a day. This will help get rid of any lodged bits of food in between brushing. In addition to this, a fluoride mouth rinse before bed can help keep those teeth strong.

Flossing

A challenge at the best of times, flossing can admittedly be even harder when you wear braces. Still, it’s an essential part of good oral hygiene as flossing can get into tiny and tight spots that your toothbrush misses.

While you can use traditional floss with braces, it might take a few tries – and a lesson from your orthodontist – to get the hang of getting the floss under your wires. If you’re having trouble, there are also other options, like a floss threader, Super Floss or an oral irrigator.

Dental check ups

It is important to continue with your regular yearly dental check with your Oral Health Therapist (prior to secondary school), dentist (whilst at secondary school). This is a government funded free service until the age of 18. Alternatively, for those of you who wish for some extra special care, Dr Katie Ayers (a Specialist Paediatric Dentist) can help you with your dental needs further. She visits our clinic monthly.

Dental Hygienist

While undergoing orthodontic treatment it can be a challenge to maintain excellent oral hygiene even with a great at-home regime. We encourage a visit to a dental hygienist once every 6 months. You can ask your local dentist if they have a hygienist at their practice or you are welcome to book in with our hygienist here at The Orthodontic Hub. Current patients are entitled to a discounted rate and most find appointments very beneficial. Our hygienist appointments include: plaque disclosing dye that shows you where you are missing with your brushing, correct brushing technique, advice on manual versus electric tooth brushes, diet advice, help with choosing Floss Threaders, Interproximal Brushes, beneficial gels and pastes and much more.

Good oral health and hygiene is an important part of your orthodontic treatment.

If you have more questions about taking care of your dental hygiene while wearing braces or aligners, or want to book in with our dental hygienist, talk to The Orthodontic Hub today – we have clinics in both Mount Maunganui and Whakatane.

The post Keeping Your Oral Hygiene Up While Wearing Braces and Aligners appeared first on The Orthodontic Hub, BOP, NZ.

Braces

Metal braces

These are your more traditional braces. Strong with their metal construction, yet low profile with minimal bulk. These braces can even be decorated with bright colourful elastomerics to match your personality.

Who should wear them: These braces are suitable for everyone.

Ceramic braces

A modern version of the classic metal braces, ceramic braces get as good a result as metal braces. Their glass-like construction makes them a discrete, aesthetic option when straightening your teeth. We use one of the most aesthetic, least bulky and high quality ceramic brackets on the market which ensures optimal comfort throughout your braces treatment.

Who should wear them: These braces are suitable for both children and adults. Ceramic braces allow us to correct a wide range of alignment and bite problems and are perfect for anyone who wants a less noticeable bracket.

Incognito lingual braces

As the name suggests, incognito braces are hidden away, with brackets and wires placed on the inside of your teeth facing your tongue and palate. The only truly aesthetic braces option on the market.  Not commonly used in New Zealand, our orthodontist is one of the few in New Zealand to offer this technology.

Who should wear them: Anyone from children to adults who are a little more self-conscious about the look of braces and want an ultimately discrete option.

Fast braces

Good orthodontic treatment takes time. However, if you want a quicker solution to achieve some teeth straightening before a big event such as a wedding, or if the thought of a long treatment period is a deterrent to you getting the smile you deserve, fast, shorter term braces treatments may be a possibility for your individual case. Sometimes we can achieve great results in as little as six months.

However, be sure to not confuse this shorter term treatment with the ‘Fastbraces’ you may see being advertised at your general dentist practice. Fast braces advertising claims an innovative triangular bracket design that allows your teeth to straighten more quickly than any other bracket on the market. The fact is, no New Zealand Specialist Orthodontist uses Fast braces brackets in their practices as there are no well conducted academic studies to back up claims of superior benefits to patients. Often times the Fast braces system allows for premature braces removal. Results celebrated by Fastbraces disciples would often be considered subpar by an Orthodontist’s standards.

Clear Aligners

With Aligner treatment, patients use a series of custom-made plastic (thin mouthguard-like) aligners to produce subtle movements over time to straighten their teeth. Users find that being able to take these clear aligners out of the mouth gives them more confidence during significant events such as work presentations or weddings.

Spark Aligners

Spark Aligners are very aesthetic. They are the ‘new kid on the block. They can be a great solution for more simple to moderate aligner cases and be much more affordable than the original aligner producer, Invisalign.

Invisalign Aligners

Invisalign is possibly the better-known aligner brand. Invisalign aligners offer great aesthetics and are good quality. Invisalign treatment produces great results in well selected orthodontic cases, however are the more pricier aligner option.

3M Clarity Aligners

These are also a new player in the Aligner market and an Aligner product we offer to our patients too.

Who should wear clear aligners: Adults with who want to straighten their teeth while having the flexibility to remove aligners from time to time. Children and teens who are compliant and want a more discrete teeth straightening solution.

Who should not: Aligners (such as Invisalign, Spark or 3M Clarity) are not usually appropriate for children and teens who are not compliant and are likely to misplace something than can easily be removed from the mouth. They also aren’t the best option for complex dental and orthodontic issues.

Although aligner technology has improved greatly over the years, high quality outcomes are not always possible in all types of cases, so it is important that your Orthodontist explains the best options for your individual case so you can make a decision that will allow you to not only get a great smile, but a well functioning bite!

Book an appointment with an orthodontist

If you want to discuss your braces or aligner options in more depth, talk to the team at The Orthodontic Hub – we have clinics in Mt Maunganui (Tauranga) and Whakatane.

The post How to Choose the Right Braces or Aligners for You appeared first on The Orthodontic Hub, BOP, NZ.

Mouth and jaw trauma are a reality of contact sports

When it comes to contact sports, mouth and jaw trauma are among the most common injuries. These can include:

• cheek, tongue or lip wounds
• chipped teeth
• knocked out teeth
• dislocated/broken jaws

Why protection is essential when you have braces

While protecting your mouth during sport is always important, add braces to the mix and you have another layer of concern. While they can cut the inside of your mouth, the braces themselves can also get damaged during a collision. Repairing and replacing the damaged wires or brackets of your braces can often come at an inconvenient time and if not done promptly can affect the positions of teeth.

Mouthguards during orthodontic treatment

The good news is, there’s a very effective, simple and affordable way to protect your braces and your mouth at the same time: wear a mouthguard. Most players on the field will be wearing a mouthguard, so you won’t stand out. The difference is you will need a mouthguard that can fit around your braces.

Sometimes a ‘boil and bite’ basic mouthguard can be sufficient (we can always help you adjust these for a better fit). Other times a more orthodontic specific mouthguard will be advised. These mouthguards can provide a closer fit, better cushioning for your lips and provide added protection for your teeth, jaw joints and braces.

High and low contact sports need mouthguards

It’s an obvious choice when you’re playing a high contact sport like rugby or hockey, but what about lower impact games? Orthodontists recommend wearing a mouthguard even when contact is less common – think netball, basketball, volleyball and squash – because even a small bump to the mouth can cause lasting damage and prolong your time in braces.

What to do when injuries happen

Even with the best protection, sports injuries happen. If you wear braces or aligners and sustain trauma to the mouth or jaws it is best to book an appointment with your orthodontist as soon as you can to make sure your teeth and braces have not been damaged. If teeth are loosened, there is bleeding, there have been significant breakages, or you cannot get hold of your orthodontist, book in with a local emergency dentist or go to the hospital emergency department – it’s better to be safe than sorry and prompt management is always best.

Talk to our orthodontists about a mouthguard

Orthodontic mouthguards are safe, comfortable, affordable and effective ways to stay safe during sport. There are a variety available – speak to The Orthodontic Hub in Mt Maunganui, who cater to the wider Tauranga region, or The Orthodontic Hub in Whakatane.

If you are one of our current orthodontic patients, a perk of finishing your braces or aligner treatment with us is a custom-made mouthguard to properly protect your new smile.

The post Keeping Your Braces and Mouth Safe While Playing Contact Sports appeared first on The Orthodontic Hub, BOP, NZ.

From children to adults, jaw problems to headaches, orthodontics is a large, specialised field that diagnoses, prevents and corrects many mouth, jaw and bite problems. Here’s an introduction to what the team at The Orthodontic Hub does.

What exactly is orthodontics?

We’ll leave oral hygiene, fillings and check-ups to the dentist – your orthodontist is more concerned with the function of your jaw and the position of your teeth inside your mouth.

We are trained to detect abnormalities and prevent or treat them, giving you a beautiful smile that you can feel confident showing off. But it’s not just about aesthetics – correcting bite problems can improve your oral health, speech and even reduce pain and headaches.

Problems we frequently see

Bite issues – a perfect bite is hard to find. Orthodontists treat overbites and underbites, crossbites and open bites.

Alignment – the goal is that your lower teeth protect your tongue while upper teeth keep you from biting your lips or inner cheeks. If you’re teeth aren’t properly aligned, orthodontic treatment could help.

Spacing – we can prevent or treat teeth that are too far apart or too crowded.

Jaw pain – sore jaws are not normal, but orthodontic treatment like braces can help correct jaw issues and reduce the strain on this important joint.

The orthodontist’s treatment of choice

There are a variety of ways that an orthodontist will treat your teeth and it is a very individualised process tailored specifically to you. Treatment can include:

Braces

Probably the first thing you think of when you hear the word orthodontist, braces can be traditional metal or ceramic, or they can be almost impossible to detect (clear braces). There’s standard treatment but, for some, fast short-term braces will do the trick.

Aligners

Adults are not always keen to wear braces, so removable aligners can be used to move teeth without the aesthetic disruption of wires and brackets.

Retainers

These removable mouthguards are often used after braces or to stop thumb sucking so that teeth remain in their rightful place.

Jaw repositioning appliances

These can help guide the lower or upper jaw to close in a healthier way, correcting bite issues and relieving the painful symptoms of TMJ (temporomandibular joint disorders).

An individualised approach

Orthodontics is not a one-size-fits-all approach. If you think you or your child needs expert advice from an orthodontist in Tauranga, Mt Maunganui or Whakatane, make an appointment at The Orthodontic Hub today.

The post An Introduction to Orthodontics and the Many Problems it Treats appeared first on The Orthodontic Hub, BOP, NZ.