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Approaching the end of your Houston braces treatment is so exciting! Before you know it, you’ll be showing off your brand new smile, but remember that you still need to wear retainers after your Houston braces come on in order to ensure your new smile sticks around. Don’t worry, though. Retainers are removable and offer more flexibility than dental braces. In this article, our South Houston family dentists will explain the importance of wearing retainers after concluding your braces treatment. 

Orthodontic Retainers Prevent Your Teeth From Shifting Again 

Believe it or not, after braces, your teeth will try to shift again. This occurs because your teeth haven’t had a chance to fully settle into the soft tissues of your mouth. Remember that, for at least an entire year, your teeth have been 100% reliant on metal, ceramic, or even plastic from your Invisalign Clear Aligners in order to hold them in place. To mitigate this and let them settle into their new alignment, you should wear your retainers day and night for at least a year, but this will also depend on the individual’s case.

Orthodontic Retainers Protect Your Investment In Your New Smile

Wearing retainers after completing your Invisalign, metal braces, or ceramic Houston braces treatment is a sure way to make your investment in your smile well worth it. As frustrating as it is to realize that you need to take another step to allow your teeth to stay in their alignment, remember that dental braces from our Houston and South Houston dentist offices prevented (or got rid of) some serious complications with your dental health. 

By diligently wearing your retainers day and night and then transitioning to only wearing them most nights, you will strengthen your teeth so they remain straight for years and years to come. You might even get to enjoy your new, perfectly aligned smile for the rest of your life.

Get Fitted For Retainers at Centra Dental In Houston And South Houston

When you’re near the end of your Houston braces treatment, please book an appointment with us so we can confirm that you’re ready for your braces to be removed soon. At this appointment, we will also take impressions of your new smile so we can fit you for your retainers and educate you and how to wear them and how to best take care of them. Houston braces and orthodontic retainers won’t last forever, but with adequate care, your new smile can last as long as you let it!

If you’re currently undergoing Houston braces treatment, or plan to very soon, you may be wondering what you can do to ensure your treatment goes by smoothly. In this article, our Houston family dentists will offer some of our best tips to help you get the most out of your dental braces treatment.

Be Mindful Of The Food You Eat When Wearing Houston Braces

No, this doesn’t mean to go on a diet. This just means that you need to be careful that you don’t eat foods that will damage your braces. 

Some foods you should avoid, especially early on in your Houston braces treatment, include:

• Crunch foods, such as chips and popcorn
• Sticky foods, such as candy and bubble gum
• Foods that you usually bite directly into, such as carrots, corn, and apples. Instead, we recommend you chop these beforehand.

Not only will avoiding these foods reduce the pain and discomfort you feel shortly after getting dental braces, but doing so will also protect your braces from breaking over the course of your treatment.

Play Sports Safely

Most of our Houston braces patients are children, which means plenty of them regularly participate in after-school sports. Even some of our adult patients participate in sports in their free time. Regardless of how old our patients are, everyone who practices a close contact sport may benefit from wearing a protective mouthguard that is custom-fitted to their teeth. This way, if there is some trauma during a game, your teeth will be far better protected and we can address it in a timely manner.

Practice Good Dental Braces Hygiene

Good dental hygiene is a must, but Houston braces patients must be extra cautious with how well they take care of their teeth. You can read more about proper dental hygiene when wearing Houston braces here.

Get Affordable Houston Braces At Centra Dental

Our dentists, who treat families in Houston and South Houston, offer exceptional dental braces treatment, including ceramic braces, metal braces, and Invisalign Clear–all at an affordable price starting as low as $99/month. Please book an appointment with us so we can assess the health of your teeth and get you started with a Houston braces consultation. We look forward to giving you a healthy, beautiful smile! 

Invisalign has been growing in popularity over the last several years, especially for adults who prefer a subtle Houston braces treatment to correct the alignment of their teeth. Unfortunately, despite its growing popularity some of our patients at our Houston and South Houston family dentist offices still question how well Invisalign works. In this article, we will debunk 3 common myths and misconceptions that patients have about Invisalign Houston braces.

Invisalign Takes A Lot Longer To Correct A Malocclusion Than Regular Houston Braces Do

Because Invisalign Clear Aligners are made of plastic, they are mistakenly seen as a less effective method of correcting a malocclusion–the term we use to describe a poorly aligned bite–than metal Houston braces or ceramic Houston braces. In reality, Invisalign treatment lasts about 12-18 months on average, just like ceramic and metal dental braces treatments. However, much like our other Houston braces, how severe your malocclusion is and how well you maintain health and hygiene during braces treatment will affect how long your treatment lasts.

Invisalign-Like Clear Aligners Bought Online Are Also Effective And Much More Affordable

Within recent years, online businesses that claim to offer custom clear aligners if you simply submit some photos of your teeth have begun to emerge. They are marketed as cheap and effective in the comfort of your home, but their cheap pricing and lack of in-person orthodontic appointments spell trouble for people who buy into them. Photos are not enough to design an entire Invisalign (or any Houston braces) treatment. When we prepare you for Houston braces treatment at our Houston and South Houston dentist offices, we gather impressions and x-rays as well. Photos will simply never be enough to get a close look at the anatomy of your mouth, which means the aligners you receive will not provide accurate, effective treatment or results. 

Everyone Can Undergo Invisalign Treatment

Although Invisalign is a good alternative to metal and ceramic Houston braces for both teenagers and adults, not every case may do well with Invisalign. If a patient’s particular case is extremely complicated, Invisalign may not work as effectively, so they should invest in one of the other forms of Houston braces treatment we offer at our Houston and South Houston dentist offices.

Outstanding Invisalign Treatment At Our Houston And South Houston Dentist Offices

At Centra Dental in Houston and South Houston, we are proud to offer outstanding Invisalign treatment for various malocclusions. Now that we have debunked these myths and misconceptions, please book an appointment with our Houston and South Houston dentists if you are considering Houston braces treatment. We will start with a Houston braces consultation to start designing your custom treatment plan.

So you’ve decided it might be time for Houston braces. That’s great news! You are well on your way to a beautiful, healthier smile. However, before you get your Invisalign, ceramic dental braces, or metal dental braces, you must first undergo a Houston braces consultation so that our family dentists in Houston and South Houston can design a customized treatment plan that will change your smile. In this article, we will discuss when is the best time to come in for a consultation, what you can expect at this appointment, and what the next steps will be.

When To Get A Houston Braces Consultation

When it comes to dental braces treatment, the earlier the better! If you’re a parent looking into Houston braces for your child, then you will be glad to know that they can come in for a consultation once all their baby teeth have fallen out and their permanent teeth have emerged. 

If you’re an adult looking into adult dental braces treatment in Houston, then you can come in for a consultation as soon as you’d like. 

What To Expect At Your Dental Braces Consultation At Our Houston And South Houston Family Dentist Office

When you visit us for your first consultation, a few tasks need to be completed:

• Gathering X-rays
• Taking dental photographs
• Taking impressions

We will also take the time to learn more about your needs and preferences. Once we have these materials, we will review them and determine whether Invisalign, ceramic dental braces, or metal dental braces may be best for your particular case. Once you decide on which type of Houston braces treatment you will undergo, we will map out the course of your treatment or that of your child’s utilizing our state-of-the-art dental braces technology. 

What Happens After Your Houston Braces Consultation

Once we know what dental braces treatment you will undergo, it’s time to book your fitting. If you will undergo Invisalign, we will get your aligner trays made at our lab before you come into our office to wear them for the first time. 

If you are undergoing ceramic dental braces or metal dental braces treatment, your next appointment will be the one in which we actually attach the braces to your teeth, which will last about 1-2 hours. You can learn more about what to expect when first getting braces here.

Ready For Dental Braces? Visit Us At Our Houston Or South Houston Family Dentist Offices

If you believe that it’s about time for you or your child to get braces, then please book an appointment with our dentist so we can begin with our dental braces consultation and design an effective treatment plan. We look forward to giving your teen a beautiful smile they are proud to show off!