What Is A Water Flosser And Do I Really Need One?

Water flossers like the Waterpik® offer a great way to remove debris and biofilm on and around your teeth and braces. Although it shouldn’t be used as a substitute for regular brushing and flossing, it is a great tool to have in your arsenal in the fight against plaque buildup.

Do You Use A Waterpik To Clean Your Braces?

One of the best ways to prevent oral health problems from your braces is to keep them as clean as possible. A water flosser is able to help with this by employing a special orthodontic tip that pulsates with a blast of water. There is virtually no area that is hidden from this stream. Its tapered brush can remove plaque and debris not only from your teeth but the brackets as well.

In addition to the orthodontic tip, water flossers can come with special heads for tongue cleaning, tooth brushing, plaque blasting and regular flossing. Even for patients without braces, a water flosser is a great investment in the care of your teeth and gums.

Waterpik® offers cordless models, or you can opt for a countertop style which holds more water than its counterpart.

Although it is possible to care for your teeth properly without a water flosser, once you’ve tried one you may not want to. Many patients say their teeth have never felt cleaner and they help remove a lot of the stress involved with keeping their braces clean.

Whether you opt to use a water flosser or not, it is still vital for you to maintain regular visits with your general dentist for exams and professional cleanings. To learn more about keeping your braces clean, click here; or call us with any questions you have.

Extraction vs. Non-Extraction Therapy

One of the advantages of obtaining orthodontic care for your child while they are still young is that we can take steps to ensure that their permanent teeth have plenty of room when they replace the baby teeth. Orthodontists will either choose extraction or non-extraction therapy to accomplish this.

  To read about the advantages and disadvantages of Extraction therapy, please continue reading the article HERE.  To learn more about this topic, or to talk to one of our doctors about braces, please contact Cronauer & Angelakis Orthodontists.

Tips For Wearing Rubber Bands

Although the brackets are the most noticeable part of your braces, the rubber bands are one of the most important components. These rubber bands are vital tools in applying force to your teeth to move them into proper alignment. If you don’t follow the directions for wearing them, you could actually extend the time that you have to wear braces. Although, we’d love to see more of you, we think getting you a beautiful smile as fast as possible is the higher priority.

• 1.      Wear them for the recommend amount of time each day. Although wearing them longer the next day to compensate for not wearing them enough the day before may seem like a good idea, this will only cause you additional discomfort without moving your teeth any closer to their proper alignment.
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• 2.       If anything breaks or prevents you from wearing them properly, call us immediately to schedule an appointment.
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• 3.      Always carry extra bands with you when you’re not at home in case one breaks or gets lost following a meal.
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• 4.      Don’t run out of bands! We have plenty at our office. When you find yourself running low swing by to pick up some more.
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• 5.      Change them regularly. The longer you wear them the more stretched out they become. A loose band will not work properly.
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Although we wish we could do all of the steps necessary to help you achieve your new smile ourselves, we can’t be with you 24 hours a day. By taking responsibility for your part of the treatment, together we can ensure that you won’t have to wear your braces a day longer than necessary. If you still have questions about wearing your bands, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. Call today!

Who Benefits From Invisalign?

For many of our patients, Invisalign clear aligners have been a dream come true. They love that they can wear braces that are practically invisible and still get a gorgeous smile. The fact that you can take them out while eating or brushing your teeth just makes them even better. Ideally, everyone would be able to benefit from them; but not all patients are candidates. 

To read more about how we select candidates for Invisalign, and to see if they might be the way for you to straighten your teeth, please visit our website!

Is Thumb Sucking Bad For My Child?

Thumbs Down To Thumb Sucking

If your baby was a thumb sucker, it was probably good news for you at the time. Their thumb never got lost, they could pop it in whenever they needed to and it meant less stress for you as a parent. As time went on, you may have realized that this was not a habit they were going to give up any time soon, but does it really matter? The answer to that is a resounding, “Yes!” Thumb sucking that carries over into the toddler and preschool years can actually harm your child’s mouth--especially if the do it throughout the day.

Before the age of 2, thumb sucking is actually pretty harmless and very natural. It used to be believed that as long as the child stopped before their permanent teeth erupted, there would be no oral consequences. Today’s orthodontists no longer believe that to be true. As the child gets older, the sucking motion puts pressure on the upper jaw and the soft palate on the roof of the mouth. Over time, the jaw will narrow and cause the top and bottom teeth to not align properly. This not only requires braces later on, it can also lead to speech problems such as lisps. In extreme cases it can even create a “thumbhole” on the roof of the mouth that can cause the back teeth to take the brunt of the force from regular chewing. 

If your older child is still sucking their thumb, you’re not alone. Approximately 18% of children between the ages of 2 and 6 still do. Here are some tips to help break the habit:

·         Use a Reward System: Have a special calendar that you can mark with a sticker each day that they go without sucking their thumbs. When they’ve reached the amount of days that you set for their goal, give them a special reward.

·         Use a Glove or Mitten: Have them wear a glove or mitten on the hand that they use to suck. This will remind them not to do it when they have a mouthful of yarn or fabric.

·         Never Yell or Scold Them: This is a behavior that brings them comfort so creating more stress for them will cause them to want to do it more often or in secret.

·         Let Them Decide It’s Time: Some children will desire to stop on their own after being teased or embarrassed by the behavior.

If your worried that thumb sucking has done harm to your child’s mouth, it’s time to see the orthodontist. We have several options to reverse the damage caused by this habit and kids are our specialty. Call to schedule an appointment today.

Removable Retainers vs. Fixed Retainers

Once your braces are finally off, the next step in the treatment process is to use a retainer to maintain the position of your teeth over the next 9-12 months. After the time and expense involved with getting your smile just right, you’d hate to have to get braces put back on again! It is even possible to have a removable retainer for the top teeth and a permanent retainer for the bottom teeth, which are smaller and more prone to shifting.

Continue reading about the pros and cons of fixed and removable retainers, please go HERE, to the Cronauer and Angelakis website!

Who Should You See? Orthodontist or Dentist?

Orthodontist vs Dentist

So many people are confused about the difference between an orthodontist and a regular dentist. Both of them are doctors who deal with teeth, so what is the difference between them?  READ MORE...  to make an educated decision about which doctor to see with your dental problems.