Broken Braces and Wires

When you have braces, typically broken braces, broken wires loose bands and braces, and wires sticking out tend to be the biggest issues you run into. If you run int that, you should call the orthodontist or the office staff to get the problem fixed. If there was an injury that caused it, you should see the dentist right away. Orthodontists will also tell you if you need immediate attention, or if it can wait.

Sometimes, braces, wires, and bands fall off, usually from chewing hard or sticky foods and some parts tend to come loose, causing discomfort. Som problems can be simple, others not so much.

Loose brackets, for example, are a big one.  Usually, they’re attached with a resin, similar to the material used for fillings. If you have something hard and sticky, these tend to weaken or break. When that happens, they can come loose, poking the gums, tongue, and cheek. When you first get your braces, you’ll be getting a special wax, and if that happens to your bracket, put some wax over it as a temporary measure.

Then there are loose bands, which are the metal rings that are cemented around the back and front teeth. If a band becomes loose, call to have it replaced or recemented, and if it comes off completely, don’t put it off till the next appointment.

Then there are broken and protruding wires.  If a wire breaks or sticks out, it can hurt the gum, tongue, or cheek, and you may have to push it into a better position with a pencil eraser. If that doesn’t work, put wax over the end.  don’t try to cut it, since the wire can be inhaled or swallowed. If the wire has caused a sore, use an antiseptic rinse, or some warm salt water in order to help reduce discomfort and clean it. Some pain relievers will numb it too, and if it seems to be getting worse, you should be advised that seeing your dentist is the best option at that point.

Then there are loose spacers, which are rubber rings that are between the teeth, left in place for a few days. They open up the space between the teeth so that the orthodontist can slip out of the teeth easily. Some brass wires and springs can be used too, but some spacers may slip out. When this happens, see your orthodontist, since you may have to have the band replaced.

Usually, your orthodontist will adjust, reposition, and reattach the existing brackets and wires, and sometimes, the orthodontist will fully replace it if it’s better off for the teeth to do that.

In essence, if you notice this, and if you do have any discomfort and the problem won’t interfere with the appointment, the orthodontist may wait on repairs, but then again, if it’s too much for you to handle, you should let the orthodontist know, and make sure that you get enough time.

Do I need to Floss?

Many people think that they don’t need to floss, but if you’re wanting to maintain the correct oral hygiene and cultivate good oral care habits, you’re going to need to floss to clean up the plaque.  It can also prevent tartar, cavities, and also some other serious issues.  One of the biggest parts is flossing, and it is actually more effective to help with eliminating than brushing your teeth here.  It can be a good daily habit and it will help you get the full benefits of your oral habits.

So yes, you’ll need to floss, because it will help with removing plaque from the teeth. Flossing will remove the bacterial film that shows up that will decay your teeth, and the tartar will be removed, a mineral deposit that’s responsible for gum disease.  Cleaning between your teeth is very important because it will prevent decay, and flossing will help get in between the interproximal areas, and by using dental floss, you can remove a great deal of plaque, and you can reduce the risk and decay and gum disease that can happen.

To floss, you need to first open it up and cut a length of floss, about a foot and a half or so, and hold it between your teeth with thumb and index finger. You can wrap it around to prevent slippage.  You should put it between your teeth, not too forcefully.  From here, you form the floss into a C shape so that it will curve around the surface area of every single tooth.  you’ll want to move it gently up and down, and from here, you can repeat this on each tooth and each side.  You then continue to do this until you’re done.

C271YR Woman Flossing Teeth – Close-up view

Now, if your gums bleed a ton, you should stop and see your dentist.  If it’s a little bit, don’t be too alarmed, since this can happen if you haven’t flossed in a bit.

When you’re done, you should discard all of the floss that you have, and don’t use it again.

If needed, you can use an interdental brush to clean the places that are hard to reach if you have some space and if the floss isn’t getting you what you want.

Now, you should do this every single day as a part of your dental habits, since it can mean the difference between having healthy and unhealthy teeth, and many times, this is how periodontal disease and cavities are prevented.

When it comes to taking care of your teeth, the biggest and best thing to remember is to floss every single day.  You should make sure that you take some time and work on this since it will help your teeth stay nice and healthy. Having healthy teeth saves you lots of time, money, and dental work, and it definitely will make a difference between how long your teeth stay nice, and how much decay will come about as a result of this.

What is Parotitis

Parotitis is an inflammation of the parotid glands, which are two large salivary glands, one in the front of and one right under the ear. These can be inflamed for various reasons, such as a bacterial infection which happens in older people, especially if they take medications which cause their mouth to be dehydrated, where saliva flow is reduced, and it can cause bacteria to collect. There is also a salivary stone which might block the flow of saliva, which causes a swollen gland and sometimes the infection. Another is mucus plugs, which is where saliva is made with the mucus. When there is dry mouth, mucus thickens and can block the flow of saliva.  There is also Sjogren’s syndrome, which is a lifelong disease that hits the area.

There are other medical conditions that can happen with this. Mumps is a viral infection that can hit these glands, but it tends to be rare.  AIDS is another, where about 5% of people with this have issues with the gland. A tumor can happen as well, but usually, they’re not cancerous. Finally, there are certain medical conditions such as alcoholism and bulimia, which can cause problems, and usually, they don’t cause infections.

When air gets into this, it’s usually called pneumoparotitis, which may not include inflammation as well.

Usually, the symptoms are varied, but the typically include pain, bad taste, and dry mouth.  Usually, if the gland is tender and sore, and the skin is red and swollen, it’s infected. The doctor may take fluid from the gland to treat this and find out why. If you have mumps, your doctor will diagnose it based on medical history, symptoms, or blood tests. Finally, they may do an x-ray to see if there is a salivary stone, and in some cases, CT or MRI scans also help.

Typically, these respond to antibiotics in a few days but don’t stop taking the medicine once you feel better since it can take 1-2 weeks for it to fully disappear. Mumps disappears in about 10 days. For some diseases, t might never disappear. For alcoholism or bulimia, it gets better if brought under control. Parotitis from a salivary stone should get better after the tumor or stone is taken out.

Some people are more inclined to build stones or mucus plugs, and you can prevent this usually by drinking lots of fluids. You can also suck on sour, sugarless candies can also do the body good by producing saliva, and you can always talk to your doctor about this.

If you have a bacterial infection, you’ll be given antibiotics more than likely. If you have mumps it goes away on its own, but avoid contact with people to prevent others from getting infected. Some salivary stones may be taken out with a probe, but larger stones require surgery.

Whatever it might be, do see your doctor if you notice problems related to this, since it can make a big difference too.

Do I need Jaw Implants?

Losing teeth is never fun since it can sometimes take a lot of time to feel confident again.  You should also understand it has disadvantages to eating and speaking too. Even closing a few teeth will cause others to shift, causing unevenly spaced teeth, malocclusion, or even headaches and grinding.  There are options though, and one of them is jaw implants.

Many who are using dentures may want to get jaw implants. These are full or partial dentures that you put on the jaw, with titanium posts that are inserted from the jawbone into the gums. The implants will fuse to the bone, giving stability to the dentures so that the person can eat or speak without experiencing a movement of dentures.

Denture implants come in several types, such as endosteal and subperiosteal.

Endosteal are usually small screws, cylinders, or plates on the jawbone, whereas the other is put under the gum but above the jawbone.  The replacement teeth are mounted there, and dental professionals usually recommend the latter for patients with a shallow jawbone and are unable to rebuild it.  In some ways, bone augmentation may also be used to regenerate or restore the bone in the sockets without a ton of bone mass. This is done with synthetic bone, donor bone, some bone growth additives, or bone that is harvested from other places on the body.

Many mini dental implants are similar to the regular ones but smaller. The surgical placement is usually less invasive, and it can be carried out using a mild anesthetic. Patients usually can eat with these new dentures within a day.

So, why would you get jaw implants? Well, tooth loss can happen, and usually, if you’re suffering from complete tooth loss, this is the answer. The ideal candidate is healthy gum and tissues, follows an oral hygiene routine including brushing, flossing and rinsing, and finally, having enough bone mass to support these implants, or whose mouth is suitable for augmentation.

So what is the cost of this/ well, it depends in some cases?  A singular tooth can cost between 1-4 grand, but some can cost up to 15,000 dollars.  Four to six implants can come at an average cost of 34,000 dollars per denture, and it can be up to almost 100 grand for both upper and lower.

The thing about it is, they’re an expensive option, but if you fit the criteria and have the insurance and funds for it, it’s worth it. they’re not for everyone obviously, considering the costs of it, but if you feel that you can benefit from this, and you fit the criteria that this has to offer, you can get the full benefit of this through the use of implants, and in turn, you’ll be able to truly benefit from this, and some of the other actions that come with this, and some other cool additions that you can make to your arsenal of helpful items to help restore your smile.