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Dental Implant

What are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are metal posts or frames that are surgically positioned into the jawbone beneath your gums. Once in place, they allow your dentist to mount replacement teeth onto them.

How do Dental Implants Work?
Because implants fuse to your jawbone, they provide stable support for artificial teeth. Dentures and bridges mounted to implants won’t slip or shift in your mouth — an especially important benefit when eating and speaking. This secure fit helps the dentures and bridges — as well as individual crowns placed over implants — feel more natural than conventional bridges or dentures.

For some people, ordinary bridges and dentures are simply not comfortable or even possible, due to sore spots, poor ridges or gagging. In addition, ordinary bridges must be attached to teeth on either side of the space left by the missing tooth. An advantage of implants is that no adjacent teeth need to be prepared or ground down to hold your new replacement tooth/teeth in place.

To receive implants, you need to have healthy gums and adequate bone to support the implant. You must also commit to keeping these structures healthy. Meticulous oral hygiene and regular dental visits are critical to the long-term success of dental implants.

Implants are usually more expensive than other methods of tooth replacement, and most insurance carriers typically cover less than 10 percent of the fees.

The American Dental Association considers two types of implants to be safe. They are:

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  • Endosteal implants — these are surgically implanted directly into the jawbone. Once the surrounding gum tissue has healed, a second surgery is needed to connect a post to the original implant. Finally, an artificial tooth (or teeth) is attached to the post-individually, or grouped on a bridge or denture.
  • Subperiosteal implants — these consist of a metal frame that is fitted onto the jawbone just below the gum tissue. As the gums heal, the frame becomes fixed to the jawbone. Posts, which are attached to the frame, protrude through the gums. As with endosteal implants, artificial teeth are then mounted to the posts.
Post are surgically placed below the gums
Artificial teeth grouped on a bridge, are mounted to the posts .
Implants offer a very stable and secure fit.
Implants serve as a base for single replacement teeth.

This article is intended to promote understanding of and knowledge about general oral health topics. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your dentist or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment.

How to Brush Your Teeth and Floss With Braces

Dealing with Plaque Around Your Braces
Take Care of Your Gums
Brushing With Braces
Flossing With Braces
Plan Regular Checkups
How to Take Care of Your Child’s Braces

If you or someone in your family wears braces, take heart. Before you know it, you’ll be flashing a confident smile if you keep these few things in mind.

Dealing with Plaque Around Your Braces

Once teeth are straightened by braces, it is easier to reach plaque on and between your teeth. But while wearing braces, plaque and food particles have additional places to accumulate and become trapped.
Be prepared to spend three times as long on your oral care while you have braces on your teeth. Don’t worry, it’s worth the time. If you don’t pay attention to oral hygiene while your teeth are being realigned, you increase your risk of gum disease. Plus, it can help your teeth look that much better when it’s finally time to get your braces removed.

Take Care of Your Gums After Braces with Electric Toothbrushes

While wearing braces, you might consider using the sensitive mode of your Electric Toothbrush. The sensitive mode oscillates at a lower speed for extra care and comfort along the gum line—and around the brackets and orthodontic wires.

Brushing with Braces

Using an Electric Toothbrush makes this routine easy.

  • Get started: Remove elastics, bands, or removable parts of orthodontic appliances.
  • Clean your braces: Carefully clean around wires and pins.
  • Brush each wire: Move top to bottom, and all the way around upper and lower teeth.
  • Brush your teeth: Dental professionals recommend brushing your teeth for two minutes, twice daily. That means each quadrant of your mouth gets 30 seconds. Oral-B Electric Toothbrushes have a built-in timer that pulses every 30 seconds to let you know when to switch areas of the mouth. As you’re brushing, make sure to clean all areas of the tooth. Some people find they get the best clean going tooth by tooth.
  • Rinse, and then check your teeth: Rinse thoroughly. Examine teeth and braces in the mirror, and remember to look for any remaining food particles.

Flossing With Braces

Although flossing with braces is tricky, you can get the hang of it with practice if you follow these steps:

  • Floss once a day:Use waxed floss (unwaxed floss is more likely to get caught and shred in your braces), dental tape or a product specifically designed to clean around your braces. Use waxed floss and thread it carefully under the main wire before passing between two teeth. Don’t snap it—simply move up and down gently, remove, and move on to the next pair of teeth, which is self-threading or regular floss with a floss threader to place above and below the orthodontic wire.
  • Use enough:About 18 inches of floss should suffice
  • Thread it carefully: Take the floss and carefully thread it under the main wire of the braces before passing it between two teeth. Then remove the floss and re-thread it under the main wire to pass between the next pair of teeth
  • Be sure not to snap the floss– simply move it up and down gently against the side of each tooth

Parents: Do the flossing for younger children who lack the coordination to thread the floss under the main wire of their braces.

Plan Regular Checkups

Seeing your orthodontist for checkups and adjustments is essential. He or she can repair broken pieces, answer general questions, and address any irregularities such as cavities or every meal or snack if you wear braces. And some dentists recommend a fluoride mouthwash to help control plaque buildup in the places that are tough to reach with a toothbrush.

How to Take Care of Your Child’s Braces

Do you have a child with braces? The following points will help make your child’s daily brushing routine effective:

  • Before brushing – Your child should take off elastics and any other removable parts of their orthodontic appliance. For removable appliances, take them out after every meal for cleaning.
  • Brush teeth – They should clean each tooth individually. First, they should place their brush at a 45-degree angle from the gum line, then apply gentle pressure whilst moving in a circular motion. They should do this for about 10 seconds, using the same brushing action on all outer and inner tooth surfaces, and tilting the brush as needed to better reach the insides of smaller front teeth.
  • Clean the braces – Your child should hold the brush at a 45-degree angle to clean around the wires and brackets of their braces. They need to brush from the top of each wire down to the bottom. They should take the time to ensure that all plaque and debris is removed, and that they work all the way around upper and lower teeth. For removable braces, clean them over a sink filled with water. This helps to prevent damage to the brace if you accidentally drop it. Brush the brace with a toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste to remove all food and debris. Be careful not to damage the wires. Once it’s clean, put the brace back in the mouth.
  • Interdental brushes once a day – Have their dental professional show them the best way to clean between the teeth and braces. Also, they should follow the instructions on the product package. They may also want to use an interdental product designed for braces and orthodontic work, like a single-tufted toothbrush or floss.
  • Protecting your child’s teeth – Braces put their teeth at greater risk of developing decay, therefore they need to keep their teeth strong by using fluoride toothpaste. Brushing should be undertaken twice a day at a minimum and preferably after every meal.
  • Fluoride concentration – If their dentist or orthodontist feels they are at greater risk of tooth decay, they may increase the fluoride concentration by (i) prescribing a stronger toothpaste, (ii) applying fluoride varnish to their teeth two to four times a year when they visit them or (iii) asking them to use a fluoride mouthwash at a different time than tooth brushing.
  • Spit, but do not rinse after brushing – Rinsing after brushing will wash away the fluoride toothpaste which is needed to strengthen their teeth. This dilution effect is why even a mouthwash straight after brushing is bad news as it dilutes the fluoride around their teeth.
  • Keep up regular visits with their dentist and orthodontist.

Taking Care of Your Braces

Braces Do More Than Improve Your Smile
The Basics: Brushing and Flossing
Visit the Orthodontist Regularly

You should be prepared for the fact that taking care of your teeth will be more difficult once you get braces. Braces have countless tiny spaces to trap food, and this trapped food causes plaque, which can lead to many other dental problems. Because of this, it’s very important to brush your teeth after every meal (snacks count, too), to rinse with mouthwash, and to floss at least once a day. This may seem tedious or excessive, but neglecting your oral hygiene can lead to serious oral health problems, force you to spend additional time in braces, or cause unsightly staining on your teeth. The extra responsibility needed to care for braces properly is something that both you and your child should be prepared for.

Braces Do More Than Improve Your Smile

They also play an active role in correcting overcrowded and misaligned teeth. This is important because an abnormal bite (also known as “malocclusion”) may cause other problems, such as impaired plaque removal around misaligned teeth, which can lead to gum inflammation and cavities.

Taking good care of braces can help prevent damage to the braces themselves and the teeth underneath as well as make the braces more comfortable to wear. Learning the basics of orthodontic care will help you follow your dental professional’s recommendations to keep your teeth and gums healthy during the time you’re wearing braces.

The Basics: Brushing And Flossing

Careful cleaning is required with braces, because plaque bacteria are easily trapped inside and around them. The following procedure will make daily brushing and flossing both simple and effective.

  • Prepare to brush. Take off elastics and any other removable parts of your orthodontic appliance.
  • Clean your braces. Hold your brush at a 45-degree angle to clean around the wires and pins of your braces. Brush from the top of each wire down to the bottom. Take your time to ensure that all plaque and debris are removed, and that you work all the way around upper and lower teeth.
  • Brush your teeth. Clean each tooth individually. First, place your brush at a 45-degree angle the gum line, then apply gentle pressure as you move in a circular motion. Do this for about 10 seconds. Use the same brushing action on all outer and inner tooth surfaces, tilting the brush as needed to better reach the insides of smaller front teeth.
  • Floss once a day. Have your dental professional show you the best way to floss, or follow the instructions on the product package. You may also want to use a flossing product designed for braces and orthodontic work, like a floss threader.
  • Rinse and check your teeth. Rinse thoroughly with water or mouth rinse, and examine your teeth and braces in the mirror.
  • Professional Care: Dentist And Orthodontist Visits

Visit the Orthodontist Regularly

During the time that you have braces on your teeth, you will need to visit the orthodontist regularly for adjustments to your appliance. After a routine orthodontic adjustment, you may experience some tightness or even a slight amount of pain. If this discomfort or pain does not quickly dissipate, or becomes extreme, you should consult your orthodontist. Concerns about your appliances, and any problems with broken parts, should also be brought to your orthodontist’s attention immediately.

It’s also important that you continue with regular visits to your general dentist while undergoing orthodontic treatment. Routine checkups are necessary to spot cavities and signs of gum disease. Your dentist or hygienist may also perform frequent fluoride treatments to provide additional protection to tooth surfaces from decay while you’re wearing braces.

Your home oral care techniques will be monitored by your dental professional and changes will be recommended as necessary. As always, be sure to follow their instructions.

Types of Braces

Today’s orthodontics offer more kinds of braces than ever before. Check out your options

Metal braces/Traditional braces
Ceramic Braces
Lingual Braces
Invisalign

Metal braces/Traditional braces

These are the metal brackets and wires that most people picture when they hear the word “braces.” However, modern brackets are smaller and less noticeable than the notorious “metal-mouth” braces that many adults remember. Plus, new heat-activated archwires use your body heat to help teeth move more quickly and less painfully than in the past.

Pros: Least expensive type; colored bands give kids a chance to express themselves
Cons:Most noticeable type of braces

Ceramic Braces

Ceramic braces are the same size and shape as metal braces, except that they have tooth-colored or clear brackets that blend in to teeth. Some even use tooth-colored wires to be even less noticeable.

Pros: Less noticeable than metal braces; move teeth much faster than clear plastic aligners (Invisalign)
Cons:More expensive than metal braces; Brackets can stain easily if patients don’t care for them well

Lingual Braces

Lingual braces are the same as traditional metal braces, except that the brackets and wires are placed on the inside of teeth.

Pros:Invisible from outside
Cons:Difficult to clean; more expensive; not appropriate for severe cases; can be more uncomfortable at first; regular adjustments take longer and are more difficult than with traditional braces

Invisalign

Invisalign consists of a series of 18 to 30 custom-made, mouth guard-like clear plastic aligners. The aligners are removable and are replaced every 2 weeks.

Pros: Almost invisible; Patients can eat and drink whatever they want


Cons: Will not work for serious dental problems; only available for adults and teens, not children; more expensive option; can be easily lost and costly to replace; treatment may potentially take longer.