FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ORTHODONTICS
1. How should I look after my teeth during an orthodontics treatment?
We need to practice basic care to avoid deteriorating the braces and having to visit the orthodontist too many times.
a) Do not chew on hard or sticky things (nougat, pens, chewing gum, etc.)
b) Brush your teeth every time you eat something, do not wait until after the next meal.
c) Brush your teeth much more thoroughly. The specialist will give you precise indications about how to brush your teeth and gums during the treatment, as the risk of caries forming or swollen gums is much greater with braces.
2. How long does an orthodontics treatment last?
It depends on each case and on the patient's collaboration, but normally the duration ranges from 1 to 3 years.
3. Do braces hurt?
At the beginning of the treatment and every time the braces are adjusted there may be some discomfort for 4-5 days. Another additional problem is the appearance of mouth ulcers, caused by friction of the braces with the inside of the mouth. During the first few months this will require regularly rinsing your mouth with fluoridated mouthwashes and using isolating waxes on the braces that are causing the friction.
4. What is the best age to start an orthodontics treatment?
At the age of six or seven, which is when the first permanent teeth start to emerge, it is advisable to carry out a first visit and depending on each case we can either start at that age or wait for an appropriate period of time, arranging the next visit depending on each particular case. During this first visit information is given on what future problems there could be and if there may be any difficulties with all the teeth that have to emerge. It is what is called preventive orthodontics
5. Can orthodontics be prevented?
In some cases it is recommended to act beforehand to prevent the malocclusion from becoming more complicated and making the subsequent treatment more complex. Although in most cases preventive treatments will not avoid a subsequent complete orthodontics treatment, most orthodontic problems will have a worse treatment if they are not diagnosed and treated early.
6. Can all malocclusions be corrected?
The correction of tooth and maxillary bone anomalies is always relative. All malocclusions are susceptible of improving, depending on a series of circumstances. In almost all cases it is possible to obtain a significant improvement of the teeth's function and of the aesthetic appearance of the face, but total correction is not always possible.
