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Centra Dental
Houston braces can be a cumbersome and uncomfortable experience. While our staff at Centra Dental try our utmost to ensure that your visits and treatments with us are as pleasant and stress-free as possible, the truth is that rubber bands may be a necessary part of a patient’s treatment. It makes sense that patients with braces would like to minimize the number of parts and components in their mouth that they need to take care of and clean. That’s why one of the most common questions asked by Houston braces patients of their South Houston family dentist is whether or not they need rubber bands, also sometimes called elastics, installed on their braces. The short answer is: It depends.
Why Do Houston Braces Have Rubber Bands Anyway?
Houston braces work through the firm and constant application of pressure on your teeth and jaw to correct misalignments, straighten crooked teeth, and resolve tooth crowding issues. Most of the work is done through wires and brackets, but sometimes, these are not enough. Your South Houston dentist must resort to adding strategically located rubber bands among your braces in order to add a little more force and pressure in the right direction. This additional hardware is understandably a source of discomfort and inconvenience to patients, as these rubber bands can make eating more difficult and make cleaning their braces more complicated. However, South Houston pediatric dentistry experts say that the discomfort from braces and rubber bands tends to go away within 2-3 days, and while cleaning braces will always be tedious, they will teach patients to better clean and care for their teeth.
When Are Rubber Bands Not Needed With Houston Braces
In general, rubber bands are employed in Houston braces to correct misaligned jaw conditions such as overbite, underbite, open bite, and crossbite. If you do not suffer from any of these conditions, you may not need rubber bands at all on your braces. Additionally, even in the case that you do need rubber bands installed on your braces, your Houston family dentist may determine that they only need to be part of your treatment for only a few months of the one to two years of the total time that you are wearing braces.
Get Your Houston Braces Stress-Free From the South Houston Family Dentist You Can Trust
At Centra Dental, we’re fighting the perception of visits to your South Houston Dentist being occasions of fear and dread. Our staff puts in the utmost effort to make each visit a relaxing and productive affair. We also accept most PDP, DPPO, and PPO dental insurance plans, as well as CHIP and both Adult and Children's Medicaid, making us your trusted source for affordable braces. Give us a call and let’s schedule an appointment at your earliest convenience!
Centra Dental
If you or your child have teeth that are crooked or misaligned, then you’re probably going to get South Houston braces in the near future. If you talk with your South Houston family dentist, you’ll find that you are going to have options to choose from, usually between ceramic braces or Invisalign treatment. Both options are effective at giving you or your child a straight and perfect smile, but one of them might be a better choice for you than the other. Let’s dive into the differences between them.
Ceramic South Houston Braces vs. Invisalign: Speed and Effectiveness
In general, ceramic braces will take between 18-24 months to do the job, while Invisalign treatment will take only an average of 12 months to complete. The trade-off of Invisalign’s faster results is that they will require more regular visits to your South Houston family dentist as retainers are swapped out at a quick pace. In contrast, ceramic braces will also require adjustments, but not as often as Invisalign. When it comes to effectiveness, both will perform equally well at fixing crooked or misaligned teeth. However, ceramic South Houston braces may be more applicable over a wider range of cases, which is why, depending on your specific case, South Houston pediatric dentistry experts may recommend them over Invisalign.
Living With South Houston Braces: Ceramic Braces vs Invisalign
Your choice of ceramic braces or Invisalign will also impact your lifestyle during the duration of the treatment. This is another factor to discuss with your South Houston family dentist. Invisalign retainers can be removed during meals and for cleaning separately from the patient’s teeth. This makes them easier to live with than ceramic South Houston braces. Ceramic braces can require special brushes to keep clean, and also require the patient to abstain from sticky foods that may gunk them up. For this reason, South Houston Pediatric dentistry experts may recommend Invisalign for younger patients. Another factor to consider is the difference in cost. In general, ceramic braces will cost less than Invisalign treatment.
Get Your South Houston Braces From a Stress-Free and Pleasant South Houston Family Dentist
Whether you pick ceramic braces or Invisalign, our team at Centra Dental is committed to making your visits as stress-free and as pleasant as possible. Our goal is to be as helpful and caring as we can to each of our patients. Centra Dental accepts most PDP, DPPO, and PPO dental insurance plans, as well as CHIP and both Adult and Children's Medicaid, allowing us to be your trusted source for affordable braces. Get in touch with us and make an appointment to experience the Centra Dental difference!
Centra Dental
Advancements in orthodontics through the years brought with them improvements to the traditional metal Houston braces as well as other dental braces alternatives that are less bulkier and more comfortable to use such as Invisalign clear aligners. Have you heard about Invisalign clear aligners? Are you wondering if your dental issues can be corrected by this type of retainer? As part of our commitment to educate our patients on how to best take care of their teeth, our South Houston Family Dentist will discuss in this article how Houston Dental Braces work and who are the candidates for getting a South Houston Invisalign.
How Traditional Houston Dental Metal Braces Work
Traditional metal dental braces are devices used by your South Houston Dentist to align and straighten teeth to improve a person’s bite. It addresses usual dental problems such as crooked teeth, underbites, overbites, and other bite problems stemming from flaws in the teeth and jaw. Dental braces work by moving teeth as a result of force and pressure. The constant force and pressure over time slowly move the teeth to their desired position. Brackets are installed on each individual tooth that will serve as anchor points. The anchor points are attached to an arch wire using ligature elastics. The force that would eventually move the teeth comes from the interaction of the brackets and the arch wire. As the teeth move toward the desired position, the arch wire is adjusted by your South Houston Family Dentist.
How Invisalign Clear Dental Aligners Work
Invisalign clear retainers also work in the same way as a traditional metal Houston dental brace that slowly coaxes the teeth through a constant application of force. However, the constant force comes from the wearing of a series of custom-fit aligner trays. As the teeth are moved towards the desired position, a new aligner tray is produced by your South Houston Dentist and made to be worn by the patient. The number of aligner trays used would depend on the required treatment time. Most patients receive new aligners roughly every two weeks.
Who Can Use Invisalign Dental Aligners
Invisalign is perfect for patients who have mild to moderate dental issues such as misaligned teeth, large overbite, and those who have gaps in their front teeth. Our South Houston Family Dentist does not recommend Invisalign for individuals with jaw alignment problems and severely crooked or rotated teeth. Part of the Invisalign treatment is wearing the aligners regularly. If a patient has an issue with or has a lifestyle that prevents him from wearing aligners for long periods of time then he should consider other options.
Consult Your South Houston Family Dentist
The points discussed above by our South Houston Dentist are general guidelines regarding dental braces and Invisalign. A consultation in person following a dental checkup would still be best so that a patient can make an informed decision about a treatment plan that is appropriate for him. If you have reservations because of the ongoing pandemic, we have taken extra steps to ensure a clean and safe environment. Aside from the mandatory wearing of masks, shields, and gowns, and the sanitizing of equipment before and after sessions, we have installed a system that surgically cleans circulating indoor air. Call us now and book an appointment with our top-rated dentist!
Centra Dental
Some patients think that getting Houston braces installed is the hard part. However, any Houston family dentist will tell you that getting braces means making a few lifestyle changes, especially with regard to oral and dental hygiene. But not to worry, these adjustments are relatively minor, and they include habits that patients would like to keep even after their Houston braces have been taken off.
Oral Hygiene Practices With Houston Braces
While your Houston braces get to work fixing crooked or misaligned teeth, the patient maintains the responsibility of keeping their smile clean and bright. That means following these tips from their South Houston dentist:
Brush Your Teeth and Houston Braces After Every Meal or Snack
This may sound like a hassle, but your teeth will thank you in the long run. South Houston family dentists recommend using a toothbrush with soft and round bristles so that they can reach every crack and crevice in and around your Houston braces. Hold the brush with the bristles pointing towards your gums at an angle of 45 degrees. Aside from brushing your gumline, be sure to pay special attention to the areas above and below the brackets of your braces.
Make Flossing Your Houston Braces a Daily Habit
Unfortunately, brushing your teeth alone won’t clean every nook and cranny of your teeth or your braces. That’s why any Houston dentist will recommend that you learn to floss your teeth. If your traditional dental floss is uncomfortable or inconvenient, consider interdental brushes or even a water flosser to clean the areas between each tooth and the hard-to-reach components of your braces.
Use an Antibacterial Mouthwash to Keep Your Houston Braces Fresh and Clean
To round out your dental hygiene routine, an antimicrobial mouthwash can provide lasting protection between meals. It can also reach areas of your teeth or surfaces of your braces that you might be unable to with either a toothbrush or floss.
Keep Your Houston Braces Tuned With Regular South Houston Family Dentist Appointments
Your Houston braces will need to be adjusted and maintained over time to make sure that they’re doing their job. This is especially true for younger patients, who need a South Houston pediatric dentistry expert to account for a child or teenager’s behaviors and natural growth.
Foods to Avoid While Wearing Houston Braces
As a general rule, your Houston family dentist will tell you that hard and sticky foods are a no-no when wearing Houston braces. Those who defy these restrictions will find themselves paying the price either through the inconvenience of cleaning their teeth and braces, or through discomfort when such foods knock their braces out of alignment, needing a visit to the Houston family dentist to set them right. The most common examples of food to avoid include hard candies, chewing gum, taffy, caramel, jellybeans, nuts, and popcorn.
Get Affordable Braces from a Trustworthy South Houston Family Dentist
At Centra Dental, we believe in making visits to the dentist as stress-free and as pleasant as possible. Our team of highly-skilled and experienced dental professionals believes in being as helpful and caring as they can to each of our patients. Centra Dental accepts most PDP, DPPO, and PPO dental insurance plans, as well as CHIP and both Adult and Children's Medicaid, allowing us to be your trusted source for affordable braces. Call today to set an appointment and experience the Centra Dental difference!
Centra Dental
Once your Houston family dentist has restored your smile to its full potential, the job of maintaining that smile begins. For the first few months after you’ve finished your Houston Invisalign treatment, you will need to wear some clear retainers. This might sound like a bit of a hassle, but it is a minor inconvenience compared to the olden days of living with South Houston braces for years.
Tooth Correction Was Tougher Before Houston Invisalign
For most patients today, South Houston Invisalign treatment is sufficient to correct mild to moderate cases of crowded, crooked, or misaligned teeth. Nowadays, only severe cases require the use of South Houston braces, entailing the installation of brackets and wires. Braces can incur long, painful, and expensive work for your Houston dentist, to say nothing of the aesthetic cost for patients in social situations. Keeping your Houston braces clean also takes a lot more time and effort, with food particles liable to get stuck between the various bits installed in your mouth. Fortunately, a consultation with your South Houston dentist will let you know that a better, less painful, and more convenient option now exists.
Invisalign’s Advantages Over Traditional South Houston Braces
Houston Invisalign treatment involves having a series of transparent plastic custom-fit aligner trays made for your mouth. Mechanically, they work the same way as South Houston braces, applying pressure to gradually push your teeth back into their proper place, but with a lot less hassle and aesthetic penalty. If you are thinking of getting some South Houston Invisalign treatment for yourself, consider scheduling an appointment with a South Houston dentist today!
Retainers Preserve Houston Invisalign Progress
After your Houston Invisalign treatment has concluded, your teeth will want to slip back into their old positions. That’s why your South Houston family dentist will require you to wear a retainer for several months. Research has found that tooth movement is at its most active during the night, which is why retainers must be worn even throughout the night as you sleep. Thankfully, your Houston dentist can fit you for a clear retainer, allowing your new smile to shine through in everyday situations. While they will require some work on your part to keep them clean, it is definitely a much smaller inconvenience than dealing with traditional Houston braces. This shows how advancements such as South Houston Invisalign have made dental work as convenient as they have ever been. Do you think your teeth need some form of correction? If so, a quick diagnosis from your Houston family dentist is only a phone call away!
Centra Dental
Malocclusion is a term used to refer to an incorrect bite, improper tooth alignment, crowded teeth, and irregular teeth spacing. It’s a very common condition most often treated with dental braces, usually during a patient’s adolescent or teen years. But did you know that our South Houston cosmetic dentist offers braces for adults, too? Keep reading to learn why Houston braces might be recommended for adult patients and what options are best for you and your lifestyle.
When Our South Houston Dentist May Suggest Adult Dental Braces
Houston braces for adults are becoming more and more popular now that this treatment has become more streamlined, affordable, and varied in its methods. Sometimes adult braces are prescribed to correct malocclusion that wasn’t treated in childhood for any number of reasons. Other times, it’s to correct a minor alignment issue that has recently become more severe. Even recent trauma or injury can lead to a need for Houston adult braces. But no matter the cause, untreated malocclusion is an unsightly and uncomfortable problem that can cause migraines, gum disease, speech impediments, and improper digestion due to difficulties chewing food. Our South Houston cosmetic dentist can explain the best plan of care for you and your needs.
Houston Braces Options for Adults with Our South Houston Dentist
Our South Houston family dentist offers a variety of treatments for adults living with crooked or misaligned teeth. After your initial consultation, we may recommend one of the following types of Houston braces for adults:
Metal Dental Braces
The most popular and cost-effective option, these Houston braces for adults feature metal brackets that are glued to each tooth’s surface and connected by a metal wire that our South Houston family dentist tightens periodically over the course of treatment to straighten teeth. Metal dental braces have a noticeable appearance, but are effective at correcting nearly all malocclusion issues.
Ceramic Dental Braces
South Houston ceramic dental braces are composed of brackets and wires that are adjusted in order to move crooked teeth into a straighter line over time, just like metal braces. The difference is that they are constructed of clear or tooth-colored ceramic, making them less noticeable.
Houston Invisalign
An appealing option for adults due to a virtually invisible and noninvasive design is Houston Invisalign. This treatment plan features a series of clear plastic aligners that gradually straighten teeth. They must be worn at least 22 hours each day in order to work effectively, but are removed when eating and drinking. They are more expensive than either of the options above and may not be recommended for those with severe malocclusion.
Achieve a Winning Smile With Houston Braces For Adults
Don’t dismiss your chance to have the confident smile you deserve! Instead, schedule an appointment with our South Houston dentist to discuss your braces for adults options and establish the treatment plan that’s right for you. Centra Dental strives to provide the highest quality care for all our patients, so come see why we’re the number one choice in South Houston family dentistry.
Centra Dental
You know the importance of regular visits to our South Houston dentist to keep teeth clean and healthy. This is especially true if you're wearing Houston dental braces. Not only is it easy for food to get stuck in and around the brackets and wires, but it’s just as easy to miss those hard-to-reach spots during at-home brushing and flossing. Over time, plaque can develop and cavities can form, which is why those with braces need to maintain regular dental cleanings with our Houston dentist.
Dental Cleanings While Wearing Houston Braces
Dental cleanings with Houston braces aren’t much different than regular cleanings with our Houston family dentist. We’ll do a brief oral exam to ensure all brackets and wires are intact and survey the overall health of the teeth and gums. When we begin brushing and polishing teeth with braces, our South Houston family dentist will place extra focus on the spaces between the brackets and wires where plaque and decay-causing bacteria may be building.
Our Houston dentist’s dental cleaning with braces typically follows these steps:
- Oral Exam: this identifies any obvious issues, such as large cavities, irritation, or tooth damage before the other steps of the dental cleaning can occur.
- Tooth Scaling: our South Houston dentist or dental hygienist will use a small metal tool to remove plaque and tartar buildup along and in between the teeth, paying special care to braces brackets.
- Tooth Polishing: using a rounded, rubber-capped toothbrush and gritty toothpaste, we will deeply clean and polish the teeth around the brackets and wires.
- Flossing and Flouride Treatment: finally, we’ll floss the teeth by weaving the floss under the Houston braces wires and between brackets. We may also include a fluoride rinse treatment to strengthen teeth in between dental cleanings.
Houston Dental Braces Oral Hygiene
Our South Houston dentist has some tips for maintaining proper oral hygiene during Houston braces treatment:
- Brush after every meal: pack a travel toothbrush and toothpaste in your purse or backpack so you have it with you at all times. Since food can easily get stuck in and around your Houston braces, you should brush your teeth every time you’ve finished eating to remove those food particles and prevent decay.
- Floss regularly: new crevices and spaces may develop as your teeth shift into their correct position, creating breeding grounds for decay-causing bacteria. Regular flossing can aid in removing food particles and plaque from the gum line and between teeth.
- Avoid certain foods: overly sticky, sugary, or crunchy foods can get stuck to the different parts of your Houston braces, leading to damage or slowing treatment.
Our South Houston Dentist Is Here for Your Dental Cleaning!
Here at Centra Dental, your smile is our top priority! If you’re wearing Houston braces (and even if you’re not!), we encourage you to maintain regular dental cleanings. Our kind and compassionate South Houston family dentist is here to address all your oral health needs in a comfortable setting designed to make you feel at ease, so schedule an appointment to see us as soon as possible!
Centra Dental
Dental braces work wonders to correct alignment issues such as crooked teeth or an improper bite by slowly shifting your teeth and jaw to their proper position. This is done through a series of brackets and wires that our South Houston dentist affixes to your teeth. And while Houston braces are sturdy and often resistant to the kind of wear and tear that can cause them to break, they are not immune to damage. If you or your teen just got braces with our South Houston family dentist, this article will help ensure they remain in good shape for the duration of your treatment.
How Do Houston Braces Work?
Braces are comprised of metal brackets that our South Houston family dentist cements to each tooth, then connects with a wire. The width and tension of this wire are adjusted periodically to slowly shift the teeth and jaw to their ideal locations. Our South Houston dentist may also include coils, hooks, and/or ligatures depending on your individual treatment plan. These different parts of your Houston braces all work together to create a straighter smile, so if any one of these parts is damaged or breaks, it delays the effectiveness of your treatment and must be fixed by our South Houston family dentist immediately.
Common Reasons Houston Braces Might Break
Because they’re made up of so many different parts, “broken” Houston braces can refer to damage seen to any of those parts, but the most common damage is to the brackets. Our South Houston dentist uses an adhesive to affix the brackets to each tooth, and sometimes these brackets can be jarred loose. Broken brackets are most often caused by patients eating sticky and/or hard foods that stick the bracket and pull it from the tooth. Our South Houston family dentist advises that it’s best for you or your teen to avoid these items while wearing Houston braces. Another common cause of a broken bracket on your Houston braces is from being too rough while brushing or flossing. Gentle, fluid motions work well to keep your teeth clean and your Houston braces intact.
Our South Houston Dentist Can Fix Your Broken Braces
If you or your teen have sustained damage to your Houston braces, it’s best to address it right away. The longer you wait, the more you’re delaying your treatment. And since all Houston braces components work together to shift your teeth, damage to one part could place undue stress on the surrounding components, leading to additional damage. Call our office to schedule an appointment with our South Houston family dentist as soon as possible. We can reaffix your broken bracket and check the strength of the adhesive on surrounding brackets to make sure they’re still firmly attached. We look forward to fixing your Houston braces damage and seeing you smile!