Traditional Braces Were you told recently that you might need to be fitted with braces? Believe it or not, you are not the only one. If you look around you, you might notice that there are many people who need braces, or who are already wearing them. In fact, at any given time in the US, there are 4 million people who are wearing braces. If you are an adult, you may have been told that you need traditional braces to fix what’s ailing in your mouth. You might also wonder why other options won’t work for you. Let Senestraro Family Orthodontics talk to you about traditional braces and why these braces may be just what your mouth is looking for.Why Do I Need Traditional Braces?One of the reasons people need traditional braces is because of problems with their bite. Not everyone’s bites are created the same. There are many people who have difficultis with their bite. You may have an underbite. With an underbite, your top teeth either don’t come down far enough over your lower teeth, or your top teeth are behind your lower teeth. You may also have problems with an overbite. If you have an overbite, your top teeth come down further over your lower teeth than they should. Crossbites are also an issue for adults. With a crossbite, your upper and lower jaws have problems meeting correctly when you bite down. Bite issues are usually corrected with traditional braces, especially if the bite issues are severe. Other times people might need traditional braces are to correct teeth that are severely crooked or crowded. Severely crooked or crowded teeth are best fixed with traditional braces. What Contributes to a Bad Bite?There are many reasons people can have misaligned teeth or crooked teeth. There are also many reasons for teeth that don’t come together the right way and form an incorrect bite. If you used a pacifier as a baby or sucked your thumb, you may have both tooth problems and problems with your bite. Your bite may have been affected because of an accident or an injury. If you had an accident or an injury, your whole jaw may look different. You may have lost teeth, which makes the other teeth shift in your jaw and cause bite problems. Bite problems can also be inherited, so if mom or dad has a bad bite, you are more likely to inherit a bad bite. How Do I Care For My Braces?There are things you can do to take care of your braces. Caring for your braces means that you won’t have to get brackets or wires replaced, and your treatment time won’t be delayed. Don’t eat soft candies or chewy foods. There are hard foods you need to avoid if you have braces as well, such as popcorn and apples. Soft and hard foods can break brackets and wires and damage braces. You need to cut up fruits and veggies, such as carrots and celery, before you eat them. You need to make sure you are brushing and flossing your teeth because if you don’t practice good oral hygiene, you could be dealing with cavities or discolored teeth when your braces are removed. If you see us for your appointments, you will also have your braces adjusted slowly over time, and you will be on your way to a healthy mouth. Do you have questions about traditional braces? If so, give Senestraro Family Orthodontics a call at (503) 917-5352 today! |
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