101 on mouth guards: Part II

What are the different types of mouth guards?

Stock mouth guard: The cheapest option for mouth protector; though it offers minimum protection, since the fitting regulation is limited. It can disturb when talking and breathing because with this protector your mouth has to be closed to keep it in its place. The stock mouthguard is not considered an acceptable device of face protection.

Formed-in-mouth mouth guards: These dental guards come with a covering people as a “boil and bite” product. The peel is covered with acrylic or gum. When it is placed in the mouth, the protector moulds to the teeth and fixes in.

Custom-made mouth guards: The best option is a dental protector custom made by your dentist. It offers protection, fitting and comfort at a superior level since they are made form a plaster mould that feet your teeth.

How should I take care of a mouth guard?
- Wash your dental device with soap and warm water, not hot.
- Rinse it in mouth wash- When not being used, keep the mouth protector in a ventilated plastic box. Make sure the box has some holes or opening that let the air come in.
- Heat is damaging for mouth protector, so do not expose it to sunlight or keep it in your car.- Do not fold your mouthguard when storing it.
- Do not use somebody else’s mouth guard. - Call the dentist who made your mouth guard if you present any problem.

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101 on mouth guards: Part I

What is a mouth guard?
A mouth guard or dental protector is a flexible device made of plastic that is used for athletic and any other physical activities to protect teeth from any possible traumatism.

Why should I wear a mouth guard?
You should wear them to protect your teeth from injuries. Dentists unanimously support the use of dental protectors, especially when practicing sports. Every year there are over 200 000 mouth and jaw injuries.

Do mouth guards avoid injuries?
The teeth protector, as it is also known, can prevent serious injuries like commotions, brain hemorrhages, conscious loss, maxillary fractures and neck injuries, since it avoids that the lower jaw gets incrusted into the upper jaw. Mouth protectors separate well teeth from the soft tissues of the mouth; avoiding in this way injuries and wounds in lips and cheeks, especially in people who use braces or any orthodontic device.

For which sport should I use a mouth guard?
Whenever there is the possibility of contact with other players or hard surfaces, mouth guards are recommended. If you practice a sport such as basketball, baseball, football, wrestling, soccer, lacrosse, rugby, skating, martial arts, and even riding a bike or doing skateboard, demand wearing a mouthguard.

Why should children wear mouth devices?
Sometimes, parents are unaware of the level and potential dental injury risks there are in the sport their children practice. Some schools make emphasis on the advantage it represents for health wearing a dental protector when practicing contact sports.

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Crooked teeth: Part IX

Periapical radiographs: They are a series of small individual radiographies of teeth taken to observe detailed characteristics of some particular area or small details of some tooth that can not be observed on a panoramic radiography.

Photographic studies: They help evaluating physiognomic characteristics, shape, length and width of the face and facilitate detecting facial asymmetries of patients, as well as details that can not be perceived by first sight, being a valuable instrument to compare results of the treatment.

Yeast models: They are an exact duplicate of your teeth that is realized introducing a soft dough that will quickly get hard in your mouth, being removed smoothly, pouring on it a special yeast to make a model that will allow the orthodontist study your teeth when you are not at his/her office.

Once these exams are realized, the orthodontist will indicate you the most adequate type of treatment for your particular case, when to start it, the type of devices you will use, who much time it will last, the cost and the way of payment.

Eventually, the orthodontist may demand complementary exams if he/she considers them necessary as respiratory airways exams, blood test and others the doctor consider necessary.

So, without radiographies I can not get an orthodontics treatment?
Definitely NO, since the doctor could not be able to know how the roots of your teeth are or where the missing teeth are or if there are supernumerary teeth (more teeth than normal) or if there are congenital absences of teeth or bone problems, or any other problem.

How often should I go to the dentist?

The first appointments will be weekly until finishing placing all the devices (3 to 4 visits), then your visits to the dentist will be once a month. When the devices will be removed, you visits tot he dentist will be more spare.

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Crooked teeth: Part VIII

Do I have to take radiographies? Aren’t them health hazardous?
The only way the orthodontist has to find out the type of malocclusion you mat have is by the means of radiographies analysis. Fortunately, with technological advances, radiographies are less harmful due too the fact that modern devices emit low doses of radiation and they are better directed to the zone to be analyzed. However, it is better to ask the radiologist to wear an apron of plum for more protection, especially if you are pregnant, suffer from anemia or any other condition.

Among the radiographies you will be taken are:

Panoramic radiographies: It allows observing the degree of eruption of the teeth, the formation of roots, the teeth that will grow up; and it allows observing the nasal bones, the jaw and evident bone injuries, rests of fractured teeth and other things that can not be seen by the naked eye; that is why this type of radiography is used for any dental exam.

Complete cephalometry: this is a lateral radiography of the crane that is analyzed in a special way to measure the angles of teeth, their position respect to the maxillary and the type of bone structure you have to determine your type of malocclusion.

Nowadays, with the use of computers, there can be realized millimetrical measurements and angulations in the most exact way to facilitate the diagnosis of the orthodontist.

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Crooked teeth: Part VII

Once the treatment is finished, the position of teeth is permanent?

If the orthodontic treatment was adequately finished, the permanent improvement is in 95% of cases. However, our teeth, as any other part of our body tend to move and readapt with age. Likewise, winkles tart appearing on our skin, hair falls or change its color, teeth also suffer changes. Most of facial and dental changes are permanent, except for some growing pattern. A suitable following of the case, once the treatment is finished and the use of diverse types of fix or removable holders are important factors to avoid possible changes with age.

How much is an orthodontic treatment?

Each person has a different dental treatment plan, since the type of bite, the dental clustering and the times it takes to correct them differs in each person. These factors considerably alter the approximate cost of the treatment; however, the payments are divided into shares during the total time of the treatment, facilitating its payment considerably.

Remember that nice teeth bring many aesthetic and functional benefits during a life time, and what could be best than investing in your own health.

What are the components of an orthodontic treatment?

– Wire arch
– Bands
– Braces or brackets
– Elastics
– Extra oral arch tube

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Crooked teeth: Part VI

How frequent are the visits to the orthodontist?

Once the braces have been placed, the appointments can vary from 3 to 7 weeks, depending one ach phase of the treatment. The use of new techniques allow that the wires keep activated for the long periods of time avoiding discomfort and frequent visits to the orthodontist.

Is it necessary to extract dental pieces to get the correct alignment of teeth?

Not necessarily. Nowadays, they extract much less pieces than they used to some years ago. Fortunately, they have developed different techniques as the breaking of “contact areas” or the expansion of the arches to make the spaces with no need to extract a tooth.

What is the best age to start going to the orthodontist?

According to the American Association of Orthodontics the ideal age top visit the orthodontist is at 7. Severe problems of dental growing and clustering can be more easily corrected before puberty. With the aim of avoiding long and expensive treatments, the early dental treatment has to be done in two phases: the first one to correct growing problems or making spaces to allow the eruption of permanent teeth, and a second phase, to finish the dental alignment. It is necessary that these two phases are realized separately; and to establish the problems to correct in each of them from the beginning to avoid prolonged, expensive and uncomfortable treatments (more than 3 years).

Why there are crooked teeth or bite problems?

There are a number of factors that make teeth grow in a bad position like genetic or inherited causes, until severe cavity problems in baby teeth, nutrition, different type of habits or certain respiratory problems.

How come teeth move?

Dental movement is the result of applying slight strengths to the tooth by different devices, which unchains a remodeling of the bone and the tissues that surround the tooth enabling it to move. For this to happen, it requires certain time: thus, the braces are tightened every 3 to 7 weeks.

The indispensable elements for an orthodontist treatment are the braces or brackets and the wire. The wire gives the strength; and the braces transmit it to the tooth.

When applying strength to a tooth with these two devices, it is generated a soft pressure over the periodontal ligament.

On the pressure area, the bone is reabsorbed; and on the tension area, the bone is formed.
When the wire is changes very month, it is making pressure, but in a show way that do not harm any part of the tooth.

These pressures stimulate the bone cells to reallocate the teeth through the bone remodeling.

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