Now that you have that Big, Beautiful Smile, we want to make sure you keep it!

So now that you’ve completed your orthodontic treatment and your wisdom teeth have been taken out, how do you maintain that winning smile? Right after treatment is completed, your Orthodontist will recommend that you wear your retainers 24 hours a day and gradually step down the amount time you need to wear them. Many people do not realize that without the benefit of retainers to “tell the teeth where to stay” they may relapse back toward their original position. One of the best ways to keep that winning smile that we recommend is that you wear your retainer several nights a week for life. If you put your retainer in after not wearing it for a while and it is snug, we recommend that you wear every night for a few weeks until the teeth move back into place. Going too long without wearing a retainer may require either a new retainer be made or more orthodontics to correct the relapse. For you athletes out there, make sure you wear sports guards to prevent injury to your teeth. Teeth can become chipped or avulsed (knocked out) with playing sports (especially contact sports) and falls from bikes, skateboards etc. There are many options for sports guards including over-the-counter (OTC) guards available at most pharmacies, sporting goods stores and Walmart/Target stores. Custom sport guards can be made of a more durable material from your dentist as well. Some habits like clenching and grinding (bruxism) can cause damage to your teeth in the form of wear (attrition) and loss of tooth structure. These habits can also cause other symptoms such as clicking and popping in your jaw (TMJ) and headaches. Bruxism is generally caused during stressful times or may be related to your occlusion. Symptoms can be relieved by wearing a bite guard during sleep or other times when you may find yourself clenching or grinding. Wearing a bite guard helps prevent the teeth from grinding against each other and wearing down the tooth structure. Use these tips to help keep your beautiful, winning smile. If you more questions about any of the treatment listed above, we’d be happy to answer them for you at your next appointment or give us call… [recent-blogs count=4 layout=”horizontal”]

---