October 2021 - Carolina Complete Dental Blog

October 27, 2021

Goose Creek dentists, Dr. Barganier, Dr. Zuffi, Dr. Williams, and Dr. McAdams of [OFFICE] inform patients about the best tools and tricks to use when performing oral hygiene routines with braces. If braces are in your future, or you have just had them placed, you may be wondering just how the heck to work around them when flossing and brushing. We’d love to calm your mind by reminding you those wires and brackets are temporary visitors, hanging out to help correct the bite and achieve a smile anyone would feel confident flashing.

Yes, there will be a learning curve while our favorite curve on your face is a work in progress, but Carolina Complete Dental is confident in your abilities and wants to fill you in on just how important it is to be diligent in your oral hygiene routine—while going through orthodontic treatment, and afterward, too!

Bands, Brackets & Wires—Oh My!

The anatomy of your mouth is more complex than what we see with our eyes alone, while the anatomy of your braces is fairly simple (and visible, unlike the pulp, nerves, and roots of your teeth). This might lead you to believe your typical hygiene regimen won’t require much change. We hate to break it to you, but you may need to add some tools to your belt and skills to your resume. If it sounds intense, don’t worry! Most Goose Creek patients—adults, kids, and pre-teens alike become pros in no time.

Your Trusty Techniques & Tools

The basics will remain largely the same—a soft-bristled toothbrush and handy-dandy dental floss. A manual toothbrush will work, but you might prefer the ease of an electric or sonic toothbrush, which can maneuver itself around the hardware and withstand the wear a bit longer than their manual counterparts. You should be brushing gently already, but you’ll find it’s especially important with braces because brushing too hard can cause damage.

Typically, Dr. Barganier, Dr. Zuffi, Dr. Williams, and Dr. McAdams advise to hold the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle and brush gently along the gumline in small circles. With braces, however, you’ll want to angle the bristles both upwards and downwards to be sure no food debris or plaque is left behind on the wire or brackets. You’ll still want to brush in small circles and spend 25-30 seconds on each bracket. If you notice stubborn particles after you’ve finished brushing, an interdental toothbrush can help you remove them.

Flawless Flossing

While the idea of flossing with so much in your way may seem tricky, once you nail the technique (we know you can do it!), you’ll see it doesn’t take much more time than flossing without braces. Waxed floss will be your best bet, as the unwaxed varieties are more likely to get caught and shred.

A length of 18 inches should work well. Thread the floss under the main wire of the braces. If for any reason this proves too difficult (maybe your fingers are too large or you’ve got some shakiness), floss threaders can simplify the process!

If you weren’t much of a flosser before braces and don’t think you’ll become a fan of the string method, water flossers (like the WaterPik®) are a great option, too. These have been proven to work just as well, but aren’t particularly convenient if you’re at work or school.

Mindful Eating

Remember that while the benefits of braces are numerous, the number of foods you should avoid while wearing them are, too. Braces are a tried and true way to get your teeth in proper alignment, but they’re not strong enough to endure hard, sticky, or crunchy foods. You also want to avoid nail biting or chewing on pens and pencils. Eating softer, enamel-friendly foods will protect your braces and your smile and make your hygiene routines easier to conduct!

Picture This

Visual reminders can be helpful if you’re feeling frustrated throughout your orthodontic treatment, whether it’s because of the dietary restrictions, the increased importance of your oral hygiene routine, the length of treatment, or the pain and discomfort that can come with your mouth’s structural changes. We want your post-braces smile to be 100% worth it, and being thorough is the best way to ensure you’ll be ready to proudly share your smile once you’ve crossed the finish line. We can’t wait to celebrate your new smile with you!

If you have any questions about oral hygiene routines while wearing braces, don’t hesitate to contact your Goose Creek dentists, Dr. Barganier, Dr. Zuffi, Dr. Williams, and Dr. McAdams at Carolina Complete Dental today!

October 13, 2021

Goose Creek dentists, Dr. Barganier, Dr. Zuffi, Dr. Williams, and Dr. McAdams at Carolina Complete Dental shares medical reasons that your child’s permanent teeth may take longer to come in than other kids their age. If your child’s permanent adult teeth haven’t emerged in a timely manner, you may wonder if there is a reason to worry. Carolina Complete Dental would like to share a few possible reasons permanent adult teeth can be delayed.

Is There Enough Space for the New Teeth to Grow?

The most common reason for permanent teeth to appear late a simple one: there is just not enough space for them. Adult teeth tend to be larger than the primary baby teeth they replace, and at times, a surrounding tooth (or teeth) may require removal to create extra space. Occasionally, braces also become necessary to facilitate this process.

Are Permanent Teeth Facing the Right Direction?

Sometimes permanent teeth come through the gums facing the wrong way. This is most common with upper canines and bicuspids. The primary teeth around the affected area may require removal to allow repositioning of teeth that are out of place, and braces are usually required for a permanent solution.

Gender

There are wide variations in every aspect of human development, and the rate that teeth grow is no exception. Girls tend to experience puberty changes before boys do, and studies also show that girls begin losing primary teeth up to six months earlier than boys lose theirs. If your firstborn was a girl and your second child was a boy, keep this in mind if you start comparing the rates their teeth develop!

Genetics

In 80% of cases, kids are going to take after one (or both) biological parents when it comes to their teeth—so if you needed braces or your spouse’s teeth came in late, this could happen to your child, too.

There are also congenital conditions present at birth that can cause teeth to be missing. Hypodontia is when six or fewer permanent teeth are absent, and is associated with Down’s syndrome, cleft lip, and cleft palate.

Having more than six permanent teeth missing is a condition called oligodontia. If a child is missing multiple adult teeth, consulting with their pediatrician to rule out medical conditions affecting the entire body is a good idea.

Since each tooth serves an important purpose in the mouth, when one or more teeth are missing, it can impede the function of the overall mouth structure. Dental implants are the most commonly recommended solution for a missing permanent tooth; bridges can also be an option in certain cases. Orthodontics may also be necessary to reposition any teeth that have shifted into the wrong spot to compensate for the absent ones.

Nutrition

Calcium and other minerals give permanent teeth the strength to push through the gums. If your child is a picky eater, you know that feeding them can be challenging—and what they eat or don’t eat can also affect the development of adult teeth. If essential nutritional components are lacking, dental delays can occur—so you may want to consider dietary changes or supplements to make sure they’re getting the essential nutrients they need.

Height & Weight

Children that are heavier and taller typically develop their adult teeth before children that are shorter or have more slender body types. Heavier children, particularly girls, also tend to go through puberty at a younger age, so this goes along with the correlation between gender and earlier appearance of permanent teeth as well.

Impacted Teeth

If your child lost a baby tooth prematurely—for example, due to injury—the permanent teeth in their mouth may not have room to erupt. A small jaw can also complicate things. These situations can cause impacted teeth, which are teeth trapped in the jawbone that either only partially erupt or fail to emerge at all.

Impacted molars are the most common, but other teeth may also become impacted. If children with missing teeth complain of jaw pain, infected or swollen gums, bad breath or recurring headaches, impacted teeth may be the problem. Extraction or oral surgery are possible solutions.

Missing Teeth that Never Develop

If wisdom teeth come in—and most do by the time a person turns 21—the adult mouth should, in theory, have 32 teeth. If all four wisdom teeth were extracted and no other teeth have been lost, the tally is reduced to 28. However, about 20% of the population has one or more wisdom teeth that just never showed up. Lucky for them!

Failure to Launch

If there is enough space in the jaw and the teeth are present in the gums but have not erupted, your child may have a rare condition called “primary failure of eruption”. It sounds dire, but the definition is “adult teeth that failed to erupt on their own.”

The solution to this condition is typically a combination of oral surgery and braces to “save” the teeth in the jaw and prevent additional complications with neighboring ones. Because multiple teeth are usually involved, correction can take many treatments and several years. Dr. Barganier, Dr. Zuffi, Dr. Williams, and Dr. McAdams will outline a detailed treatment plan to make each step of the process easier to understand.

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s permanent teeth coming in, we would be happy to speak with you. Contact us today!

The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.