Tooth Sensitivity and You

Does the thought of taking a bite of ice cream or taking a sip of ice cold water cause you to cringe? If so, you may have sensitive teeth! Luckily, tooth sensitivity can be treated.

Sensitivity in teeth can be caused by a variety of factors. Cavities, worn fillings, gum recession and worn tooth enamel are some of the most common causes. These problems affect your enamel and allow heat, cold and acidity to reach the nerves inside your teeth causing discomfort for you!

Consult your dentist if you are experiencing tooth sensitivity, and he or she can analyze your sensitivity and come up with a treatment plan which may include fluoride treatments to strengthen enamel, fillings on teeth where cavities are causing sensitivity, or gum grafting for sensitivity caused by recession.

Prior to consulting your dentist at your regular appointment, there are a few steps you can take to reduce your tooth sensitivity at home. Try switching your toothpaste to a desensitizing variety such as Sensodyne and Pronamel which help to block sensation to the nerves in teeth and also can help with strengthening enamel. Also, avoid acidic foods and drinks such as soda, coffee, tomatoes and lemons. These can weaken and erode enamel making sensitivity worse over time.

Prevention of sensitivity is simple, and if you already experience tooth sensitivity, you will want to create a plan to avoid additional sensitivity in other teeth. You can prevent tooth sensitivity by avoiding acidic foods and beverages and maintaining an excellent oral hygiene routine that includes regular brushing, flossing and the use of a fluoride rinse.

Does Your Child Suck Their Thumb? What You Need to Know.

Thumb sucking is a very common habit for children, but what can seem like an innocent enough habit can present a number of dangers to your child’s health. So, as a parent, you might wonder when should you intervene, and how do you help to curtail your child’s thumb-sucking habit? This great article by Surfside Dental outlines the risks associated with thumb-sucking and also presents possible paths you can take to help your child stop their habit.

Should I Stop My Child From Thumb-Sucking? Thumb-sucking is a natural reflex for babies. This is a habit that can be seen even among infants in the womb. Babies suck their thumbs to feel happy and secure. This habit also helps induce sleep and as such, babies and toddlers often suck their thumbs before bedtime. […]

via Should I Stop My Child From Thumb-Sucking? — Surfside Kids Dental Blog | Sacramento Pediatric Dentist | Elk Grove Pediatric Dentist

Easy Ways to Keep Your Teeth White This Holiday Season

 

Looking for braces-safe ways to keep your teeth dazzling white this holiday season? Harper CE provides a quick and easy list of 5 ways patients can ensure their teeth stay nice and white without the use of whitening strips/trays which are off-limits to patients in braces.

via Top 5 Tips for Winter White Teeth that Sparkle through the Holidays — HARPER CE NOW!

Five Quick Braces-Friendly Breakfast Ideas — dentistryonpark

After an orthodontic appointment, patient might struggle to eat some of their favorite breakfast foods. Sore teeth do not mix well with chewy bacon and hard cereal. Luckily, there are plenty of softer breakfast options patients can try. For some braces-friendly and filling breakfast options, check out this blog post by dentistryonpark!

WHEN YOU HAVE BRACES, it can sometimes be tricky to find good food to eat that won’t put all those crucial brackets and wires at risk. Finding the right food is even trickier if you’ve just had your braces tightened and things are still a little tender. That’s why we’re dedicating an entire blog post to […]

via Five Quick Braces-Friendly Breakfast Ideas — dentistryonpark

Are Your Child’s Teeth Protected During Practice?

For many of our patients, sports activities are a favorite pastime. However, participating in sports activities puts patients’ teeth at an increased risk of damage. Some patients are unaware that mouth guards are still required for sports activities while they are in braces. At Walker-Dixon Orthodontics, we strongly encourage patients who participate in sports to use a braces-safe mouth guard for all sports practices and games.

A typical boil-and-wear mouth guard is not an option for patients in braces as they will not fit properly, and they will stop necessary tooth movement if worn. Instead of the traditional boil-and-wear mouth guard, patients should purchase a braces-safe mouth guard, such as the Shock Doctor brand mouth guards.

These mouth guards work differently as they are not boiled and have extra space to ensure they do not adhere to the braces’ brackets. Since they are not boiled, the wearer might have to bite down to keep the mouth guard in place, but otherwise, these mouth guards work just as well as the traditional variety. There are even strapless and strapped versions to suit whatever sport patients play. To clean them, patients only have to use dish soap and warm water, and if needed, patients can trim the material to make it fit more comfortably.

Braces-safe mouth guards are available at your ordinary sports gear stores, or you can visit our office to purchase a Shock Doctor mouth guard, which we sell at cost to our patients.

For more information regarding braces-safe mouth guards, orthodontics in general or to set up a new patient exam, call our office! The Fishers office can be reached at 317-570-0011, or for our Indianapolis office: 317-849-0110.

 

 

A Nightmare on Brace Street

‘Tis the season for pumpkins, costumes and, every orthodontists’ nightmare, sticky candy. Sticky, chewy candy adheres to your braces’ brackets and wires, causing brackets to come off and wires to be pulled out of place. This can cause discomfort for you, the brace wearer, and frustration for your parents who might find themselves having to make an extra trip to the orthodontist to fix your braces.

So, this raises the question: What can you do to prevent damage to your braces, but still have fun over Halloween?

The answer is easy. Avoid sticky, chewy and overly hard candies! You can still enjoy softer candies such as chocolate, circus peanuts, sugar-free gum and marshmallows, and if you must eat a hard candy, do not chew or bite on it. However, it is advised to avoid these types of candy altogether. If you find you have a lot of sticky and chewy candies after trick-or-treating, see if your friends and siblings will trade you for things you can have while in braces, or save these candies for later when you get your braces off.

Parents, you can help your child in braces by checking their candy and removing candies that your child cannot have while in treatment. Offer to put them away until braces come off, or to replace them with brace-safe options to ensure they do not feel like they are losing out on Halloween fun. By doing this, you will save yourself the time that will otherwise be spent calling and visiting the orthodontist for repairs.

If you do eat something sticky and you lose a bracket, do not panic. Having a bracket off is not an emergency, and if you have an appointment within a month’s time, you can wait to have it repaired until then. You just might want to call your orthodontist’s office to let them know a bracket is off. They can put a note in for your next appointment and prepare to repair your bracket when you come in.

So, in summary, while this is the season for scares, don’t scare your orthodontist with damage to your braces caused by candy!

For additional questions regarding what you can and can’t eat with braces on, or questions on orthodontics in general, call our office. For our Fishers location, call: 317-570-0011, or for our Indianapolis location, call: 317-849-0110.

Become a Retainer Defender

After your braces come off, it is important to remember that your responsibility for your orthodontic treatment is not over yet. Retainers are essential to maintaining your perfect smile once braces come off. Your teeth are alive and always want to move, so ensuring you wear your retainer and prevent it from being lost or damaged will ensure you keep your smile perfect.

1. Keep your retainer in its case: Your retainer is small and might be clear, which means it can be easily lost or overlooked as it can fall into tiny places and also seem invisible. Retainer cases, however, are larger and usually bright in color, ensuring your retainer is not lost or thrown away by accident. *Extra tip: Be sure to fill in the sticker on your retainer with your name, address and phone number so if you lose your retainer and someone else finds it they can easily return it to you!
2. Leave your retainer at home: If you are just going to spend the night at a friend’s or relative’s house, it might be best to leave your retainer at home. Your retainer might fit a little tighter the next time you put it in, but its better to deal with a night of a tight retainer than have it lost in transit. *Note: If you will be out of town for more than a night or two, take your retainer with you, but be sure to keep it in its case when its not in use!
3. Contain the retainer in a drawer: This tip is especially useful if you have a dog, as they love to chew on retainers, but keeping your retainer in a drawer when not in use prevents your retainer from being knocked to the floor.
4. Remember to wear it: Your retainer does no good if it is not worn, and you spent all that time in braces for nothing if you do not maintain your straight smile. Be sure to wear your retainer every night. *Extra tip: For those who struggle to remember, try taping a note to your mirror reminding you to wear your retainer, and get in the habit of putting it in immediately after you brush your teeth for the night.
5. Keep your retainer clean: Use dish soap and warm water to keep your retainer clean as needed. Do not use overly hot water as this can disfigure your retainer and will result in it losing its perfect fit.

By following the tips above, you are well on your way to ensuring that your retainer lasts a long time. If you find that your retainer has been lost or damaged, be sure to contact your orthodontist quickly to ensure they can get you in quickly to have a new retainer made. Do not wait too long as your teeth might move without the retainer to hold them in place.

For additional questions regarding retainers or orthodontic treatment in general, we would love to hear from you! Please call our Fishers office at 317-570-0011, or our Indianapolis office at 317-849-0110.

A Nightmare on Brace Street

‘Tis the season for pumpkins, costumes and, every orthodontists’ nightmare, sticky candy. Sticky, chewy candy adheres to your braces’ brackets and wires, causing brackets to come off and wires to be pulled out of place. This can cause discomfort for you, the brace wearer, and frustration for your parents who might find themselves having to make an extra trip to the orthodontist to fix your braces.

So, this raises the question: What can you do to prevent damage to your braces, but still have fun over Halloween?

The answer is easy. Avoid sticky, chewy and overly hard candies! For example, tootsie rolls, laffy taffy, jolly ranchers, starbursts and other similar candies. You can still enjoy softer candies such as chocolate, circus peanuts, sugar-free gum and marshmallows, and if you must eat a hard candy, do not chew or bite on it. However, it is advised to avoid these types of candy altogether. If you find you have a lot of sticky and chewy candies after trick-or-treating, see if your friends and siblings will trade you for things you can have while in braces, or save these candies for later when you get your braces off.

Parents, you can help your child in braces by checking their candy and removing candies that your child cannot have while in treatment. Offer to put them away until braces come off, or to replace them with brace-safe options to ensure they do not feel like they are losing out on Halloween fun. By doing this, you will save yourself the time that will otherwise be spent calling and visiting the orthodontist for repairs.

If you do eat something sticky and you lose a bracket, do not panic. Having a bracket off is not an emergency, and if you have an appointment within a month’s time, you can wait to have it repaired until then. You just might want to call your orthodontist’s office to let them know a bracket is off. They can put a note in for your next appointment and prepare to repair your bracket when you come in.

So, in summary, while this is the season for scares, don’t scare your orthodontist with damage to your braces caused by candy!

For additional questions regarding what you can and can’t eat with braces on, or questions on orthodontics in general, call our office. For our Fishers location, call: 317-570-0011, or for our Indianapolis location, call: 317-849-0110.

What is Phase I Orthodontic Treatment?

While at your child’s last dental cleaning, your dentist might have suggested you take your child to an orthodontist for an exam to evaluate for Phase I. This might leave you with some questions such as: What is Phase I? Isn’t my child too young for braces?

To answer the question of what Phase I is, Phase I is an initial stage of orthodontics for younger children who are still dentally developing. Phase I’s primary purpose is to correct crowding and to create room for adult teeth to emerge both properly and in a more ideal position.

After your dentist makes the recommendation, you can schedule an exam at an orthodontist’s office. Once there, the doctor will take specialized x-rays, diagnostic photos and conduct an examination of your child to determine whether Phase I treatment is necessary. The doctor will either make the recommendation to begin treatment, or they might decide to schedule periodic visits to monitor your child’s development.

Do you have questions about Phase I treatment, or are you looking to schedule an exam for your child? We would love to help. Call our Fishers office at 317-570-0011 or our Indianapolis office at 317-849-0110.

Easing the Mind of the Nervous Patient

For some patients new to orthodontic treatment, their first visits can be the source of anxiety and nervousness. This can be as a result of a negative past doctor’s visit, exaggerated stories told to them by their peers or simply from lack of personal experience which leads to fear of the unknown. Regardless of where it stems from, the anxiety a patient might experience can make a patient dread their orthodontic appointments. Luckily, there are steps that you as a parent can take to relieve your child’s anxiety about their orthodontic visits.

1. Research: Educate yourself on what it is like to have braces. Pass this information on to your child, making them aware of what they can expect at their visits. Eliminating the mystery and being honest with your child often works wonders for settling nerves. Along a similar line, emphasize the positives that come with each visit to the office. For example, you might mention the fact that they will get to pick new colors, the fact that their teeth are going to be so beautiful once they are done or the fact that they can get a cookie in the office at the end of their visit.
2. Listen: If you know your child is nervous about their visit, allow them to verbalize their concerns to you beforehand. Having an open discourse and discussion about what worries them will be a huge relief for your child, and from there you can understand the source of their anxiety.
3. Calming Activity: Instructing your child to do a breathing exercise or meditative activity anytime they feel anxious can help them to alleviate some of the anxiety they experience. For example, taking a deep breath and releasing it for 5-10 seconds while closing their eyes or closing their eyes and picturing themselves somewhere else they enjoy can be quite effective. Young patients might also take comfort in having a stuffed animal or doll with them on their visits.
4. Analyze Your Behavior: As a parent, are you nervous about the visits? While this might be unintentional, if you are visibly or verbally nervous or worried about your child’s visits, your child might also see a reason to be anxious or nervous as well. If you realize you are nervous about your child’s visits or orthodontics in general, follow the steps above for yourself, or even perform them with your child so you can overcome this shared anxiety together.
5. Alert the Staff: Your orthodontist and his/her team want to know if your child is nervous about their appointment. By telling them about your child’s anxiety, they can take extra steps to make your child comfortable at their current and future visits.
6. Encourage: Encouraging your child to be independent at the orthodontist’s office can also work wonders in lessening their anxiety. Have your child go on their own to the brushing station and back to the seating area. Assure them you will be waiting up front, right around the corner if they need you, but you know they can do it. Once they see that nothing bad will happen at their visits, they will no longer see the need for being nervous.

A little anxiety is normal for patients who are starting treatment, so do not worry if your child seems a bit apprehensive as it is an experience that is new to them. By following the suggestions above, you will eventually see a child who looks forward to their orthodontic appointments rather than one who is nervous about them.