Dental News
Dental braces are an important treatment for many teens in order to establish lifelong oral health and the confidence that accompanies properly aligned teeth. But when is the best time to get braces with our Spring Branch dentist? Getting them too soon may require later treatment, while getting them too late may mean your teen may have to wear them longer. A visit to our Spring Branch family dentist will give us a chance to evaluate your child’s orthodontic needs and help you decide when it’s the best time to get braces.
Why Might Our Houston Dentist Recommend Braces?
Braces are a common way to correct an equally-common problem called malocclusion. Malocclusion refers to alignment issues including overbite, underbite, crowded teeth, crooked teeth, or improperly-spaced teeth. Braces include metal brackets that our Spring Branch dentist adheres to your child’s teeth using a special glue. These brackets are then connected by a wire that our Houston dentist will tighten every few weeks in order to slowly and gradually align your child’s teeth and jaw into the right position.
When Will Our Houston Family Dentist Begin My Child’s Braces Treatment?
There are many different factors that influence the age at which your child should get braces in our Spring Branch pediatric dentist. We typically recommend our patients wait until all their baby teeth have fallen out and their adult teeth have come in. Sometimes in more severe cases of malocclusion, our Houston pediatric dentist will begin treatment earlier in order to shift baby teeth so their adult teeth can come through properly. In these cases, another round of braces treatment may be required later.
Since your child’s jaw is still growing, the newly-erupted adult teeth shift easier than in older patients. This isn’t to say that adults can’t get braces, too! Plenty of adults are choosing to revisit orthodontic treatments that they did not receive when they were younger for whatever reason. Our Houston family dentist is proud to offer braces to all our patients whose teeth would benefit from them.
Maintaining Proper Braces Hygiene
When your child has braces by our Houston pediatric dentist, proper braces hygiene is a must. Because the wires and brackets can trap food and plaque, we recommend brushing and flossing teeth after every meal to avoid cavities. Our Houston family dentist also suggests avoiding overly sticky or hard foods—such as candy, chips, and other junk foods–-that are notorious for getting stuck under wires and between brackets.
Ask Our Spring Branch Family Dentist About Braces
If you have questions about braces for your child or think it may be time to begin this treatment, schedule an appointment with our Houston pediatric dentist. We’ll examine your child’s teeth and gums and provide our best recommendations for orthodontic care. We also offer a wide array of dental services and can meet the oral health needs of your entire family. At Smile 4 Texas Dental Center, your smile is our top priority.
We all want to maintain a healthy lifestyle for ourselves and our families. We all know the importance of eating right, getting plenty of exercise, and scheduling regular checkups with our doctors. But did you know that your dental health is also directly tied to your overall health and wellbeing. Ignoring dental problems that may arise can have a detrimental effect on the rest of our bodies, which is why regular checkups with our Spring Branch family dentist are a necessary part of a healthy routine.
A Beautiful Smile Begins With Twice-Yearly Visits To Our Spring Branch Dentist
We recommend booking a dental cleaning for you and each member of your family every six months. These visits are an important way for our Houston family dentist to monitor the health of your teeth while also giving them the kind of deep clean you can’t achieve at home. We use specialized instruments to access those hard-to-reach places and remove plaque and tartar build-up on your teeth and along your gumline. During your dental cleaning, our Spring Branch dentist will also perform an evaluation of your teeth to identify the existence of damage and decay, possibly with the assistance of x ray imaging so nothing is overlooked. Should we discover any problems that need to be addressed, our Spring Branch family dentist will discuss your best treatment options in order to prevent any issues from becoming worse.
Prevent Cavities With Proper Dental Hygiene at Home
In between visits, your best line of defense against cavities and other problems is to establish an effective oral hygiene routine. This includes thoroughly brushing and flossing your teeth at least twice per day. If you have young children, our Houston pediatric dentist recommends that you monitor their brushing and flossing techniques closely and correct any mistakes you’re seeing. It’s common for kids to brush too quickly or miss sections of the teeth and gums altogether, allowing bacteria to grow and cause possible decay.
Kids Love Our Spring Branch Pediatric Dentist
An important part of lifelong oral hygiene begins by establishing the relationship between you child and our Spring Branch pediatric dentist as soon as possible. We suggest your child’s first visit take place sometimes between ages six months to a year old–which is typically when the first baby teeth erupt–and then regularly every six months. This gives your child the chance to grow with our Houston pediatric dentist and feel comfortable when visiting our office. In fact, kids love our Spring Branch family dentist because of our relaxed environment and nurturing staff, who take the time to explain procedures using kid-friendly language.
At Smile 4 Texas, Your Dental Health Is Our Top Priority
If it’s time for your twice-annual dental checkup, schedule an appointment to visit our Spring Branch family dentist as soon as possible. We look forward to bringing healthy smiles to you and your entire family!
Getting dental care is often overlooked because many think all you need to do to have healthy teeth is brush your teeth twice a day. In reality, though, this usually isn’t enough. In this article, our Spring Branch dentist will discuss what you need to do to have your healthiest possible smile.
Clean Your Teeth Correctly
Did you know that there is a right way to brush your teeth? You need to brush your teeth in circular motions for about 2 minutes–that’s 30 seconds in each quadrant of your mouth. Your tongue should also be brushed/scraped and you should floss every night to get your teeth as clean as possible. If you aren’t sure how to properly floss your teeth or your child’s teeth, our Spring Branch dentists would be happy to help.
Get Regular Dental Cleanings at Our Spring Branch Dentist Office Every 6 Months
Many don’t think they need dental cleanings since they clean their teeth at home, but the truth is that you will always get a better clean at our Spring Branch dental office in Houston. This is because we use professional-grade tools that help us complete a deep clean. When you visit our Spring Branch dentist, we will first scale your teeth, which means we’ll gently scrape away any plaque and tartar (hardened, yellow plaque) that your toothbrush physically cannot reach even if you have excellent at-home hygiene.
Once we finish scaling your teeth, we will brush and polish them for a noticeably deep clean. After they’ve been brushed and polished, we will floss your teeth for you. If you’d like to take your dental health to the next level, we also offer fluoride treatments that help strengthen your teeth against decay.
Get Annual Dental X-Rays
It is recommended that you get dental x-rays once a year. This helps us catch any signs of decay (cavities) in a timely manner so we can treat it without much difficulty. If you let tooth decay go untreated, you may end up needing a root canal or a tooth extraction, and our goal as your Spring Branch dentist is to save your teeth and keep them as healthy as possible!
Book Your First Dental Cleaning of the Year at Smile 4 Texas in Spring Branch
It’s still early in the year, which means now is a great time to get your first dental check-up. By keeping up all these good habits, you will enjoy a beautiful smile. If you’d like to get your teeth looked at and cleaned, please book an appointment with us. We look forward to giving you a healthy smile.
