Getting braces Milwaukee? Brushing regularly is important for many reasons! Avoiding decalcification is a big one!
Most of us have seen the kids at school who have white spots on their teeth after braces are removed. Those white spots are not a normal result of having braces: they are a result of the patient improperly brushing his or her teeth during the straightening process. This is called tooth decalcification.
Understanding decalcification of teeth after braces
Have braces and notice sudden white spots on teeth? First you need to understand: "What is a calcified tooth?"
Essentially, the white spots on teeth indicate that the tooth is decalcifying, a process that is caused by plaque buildup in the place where the braces bracket was applied to the tooth. The acid eats away at the tooth while it goes uncared for. There’s a cavity right on the front of the tooth - that's essentially what a decalcified tooth is - and the only way to fix it is with a filling. Wondering how to fix tooth decalcification? The better answer is to avoid ortho decalcification all together!
Why Our Milwaukee Dentist for Your Milwaukee Braces Care?
You want to avoid white spots on the teeth after braces as much as possible! We see it all the time at Cigno Family Dental, and it’s not pretty! Parents spend good money to purchase braces for their children, only to have the kids take poor care of their oral health at home and have to come in for fillings (which can range anywhere from $125-$350 per tooth!).
If you have braces, or your child has braces, please take our advice and make the following good habits regular practices in your home:
When You Have Braces Milwaukee, Brush Your Teeth Three Times a Day
Here at Cigno Family Dental, we make sure that all of our orthodontics patients who get Milwaukee braces receive the proper home care instruments to keep their teeth healthy and clean in the time that they have braces. White spots on the front teeth after braces CAN be avoided! The only issue is... they have to actually follow our instructions to get the results!
We tell our Milwaukee braces patients to brush their teeth right after they wake up in the morning (or at the latest, right after they eat breakfast), in the mid-afternoon when they come home from school, and once again before bedtime.
The key is to use the brush effectively: take your time, get all the spots along your gum line and around the brackets of your braces. Get everything out of there!
If you brush well three times a day, there will be no softening of the enamel or eventual white spots on your teeth.
Rinsing Agents and Report Cards
It’s really important to us at Cigno Family Dental that our orthodontics patients receive the best care possible, so when they come in every 4-8 weeks to check on their braces, we give them a report card.
Patients may think they can fool us, but we will know if they haven’t been brushing their teeth properly! These days, we have a mouth rinse that will change colors around the plaque buildup in a patient’s mouth depending on how long is has been there. This can be helpful to use at home so you can tell where you need to focus your brushing efforts. In the office, we use it to observe how well the patient has kept his or her teeth clean.
Make teeth cleaning a family activity so you can get the most out of your child’s braces experience.
Are you considering getting braces Milwaukee, or do you have a child who is ready for braces? Give us a call at (414) 282-6020 to set your first appointment today!