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Why Dental Checkups Are Essential During Orthodontic Treatment
When your orthodontist puts braces on your teeth, we speak to you about the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene. Because you have brackets and wires covering your teeth, there are lots of places where food particles and plaque can build up, putting you at risk for tooth decay. That’s why you should brush you teeth very well after every meal and before bedtime. It’s equally important to floss your teeth at least once per day, to remove the food and plaque your brush missed.
Don’t Skip Seeing Your Dentist
Many orthodontic patients falsey believe that they don’t need to see their dentists because they’re being treated by orthodontists. However, orthodontists specialize in straightening teeth and are not like regular dentists who specialize in helping their patients achieve and maintain good oral health. When you’re wearing braces, you should visit your family dentist every six months for routine checkups. During one of the dental visits, your dentist will:
- Provide you with an oral exam to check the health of your mouth, teeth, gums, cheeks, and tongue.
- Look for any early signs of tooth decay or gum disease.
- Check any filling or restorations you have to make sure they’re in good condition.
- Treat any oral health problems you have early, while they’re still manageable.
- Clean and polish your teeth.
Don’t Take Risks With Your Braces
If you neglect to see your dentist for checkups while you’re wearing braces, you could develop a problem like gum disease that may delay your orthodontic treatment. If your gum disease is severe, your orthodontist may need to remove your braces, wait for your gums and mouth to heal, and then reapply them. This would cause a major interruption to your orthodontic treatment progress, resulting in you needing to wear braces much longer than you planned.
Importance of Keeping All Your Orthodontic Follow-Up Visits
During your time spent in braces, we will work with you to schedule regular visits with us every four to six weeks. During this type of follow-up visit, your orthodontist will replace any worn out elastics, check the progress of how your teeth are moving, and make adjustments to the archwires to make sure your teeth are being pulled in the right direction. Skipping these important visits can slow down your progress.
Get in Touch with Us at WGM Orthodontics
If you have any questions about your braces or your treatment in general, please contact us at the office location you’re being treated at so we can answer them! We want the time you spend wearing braces to be a pleasant, carefree time. So please visit your family dentist and don’t skip the orthodontic follow-up appointments we schedule for you!