Ideally, human teeth should line up as elegantly as the keys on a piano. Unfortunately, many people have to put up with crooked teeth, poorly aligned bites or crowded smiles. For many people, these problems raise more concerns, including having low self-esteem. Besides, crowded or overlapping teeth often are difficult to clean, making the occurrence of tooth decay and gum disease more frequent.
Teeth that do not come together fittingly when one closes the jaws cause a problem called malocclusion or “bad bite.” Often, it leads to chewing and swallowing problems. Without a doubt, poor teeth alignment can also make it uncomfortable to pronounce certain sounds. Moreover, it puts excessive stress on the chewing muscles causing facial pain. If you experience all this, it would only be fair to obtain braces. The process of getting braces is not as complicated as people think. Below are interesting steps involved in getting your braces.
Visit Your Orthodontist
It is prudent to make an initial consultation with your orthodontist before obtaining your braces. If you are looking for braces in St. Albert, there are various dentists’ offices where you can get them. Nonetheless, you should follow the standard procedure of obtaining braces that involves having an X-ray from your dentist. You should take the X-rays to the consultation for evaluation by the orthodontist to make treatment recommendations.
Before Treatment
According to a majority of dentists in St. Albert, a patient should have their teeth professionally cleaned before getting braces. It is also prudent to have any other oral care conditions such as periodontal problems or tooth extraction addressed by a dentist.
Getting Your Braces
You should not forget to brush and floss before getting your braces on! That helps in removing food particles or tartar that may be left intact between your teeth when braces are installed. Notably, the procedure for obtaining braces is painless for most people. If you are not sure how the process is conducted, you can visit a dental clinic near you for a consultation. The orthodontist will start by inserting a dental device to keep your mouth dry and the tongue in place. Subsequently, he or she will dry your teeth and apply an etchant to ensure that the tooth surface is ideal for bonding.
Next, the braces are put in place using a special adhesive to secure them throughout the procedure. A curing light is used to harden the adhesive and set the bond. Lastly, the orthodontist will run the arch wire across the braces and hold it in place with ligature bands. You can choose to have self-ligating braces, which do not need additional bands. That is it! You walk home with your braces on!
Your Follow-Up Appointments
After getting lingual braces in St. Albert, many patients will have about 4-8 weeks to get used to them. The first follow-up appointment with an orthodontist should be after this period. At this time, you may have minor adjustments that should not take as much time as getting your braces fixed. The orthodontist will check your progress and exchange the old bands or arch wire for a new set.
