Ask the Dental Experts

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Braces for Children

Braces can correct a bad bite after the majority of permanent teeth have emerged. Before the 1980s, braces were steel bands that fit like rings around childrens teeth. Wires that were attached to a bracket on each band pulled the teeth into alignment. This was very uncomfortable to children, and it was often very embarrassing for them as well.

Since then, orthodontics has made many strides forward. Braces are no longer manufactured from metal bands. Using an adhesive, dentists now bond the brackets directly to the front of the teeth. They are much less noticeable and much more comfortable for children to wear than were the braces of the past.

Cosmetic dentists often use brackets that are made from clear sapphire brackets, but these are very expensive and hard for children to clean. These brackets are held together with a stainless steel wire, and the size of the wire determines the pressure needed to move the teeth. The wire is also held in place by elastics, and these help speed up tooth movement.

Believe it or not, braces can actually move children’s teeth through bone. This is because bone responds to tension caused by brackets and wires by making special cells on either side of a tooth. These cells remove bone on one side of the tooth and make bone on the other, moving the tooth in the process.

Children usually have to wear braces for one to three years. Because it is hard for children with braces to clean their teeth, frequent dental cleanings are paramount. Otherwise, a child may have permanent white stains develop on his or her teeth if plaque is not regularly removed.

After the braces are taken out, retainers are used to hold the teeth in their new alignment. Some retainers are removable, and others are bonded in place.

Young children can be fitted with braces, so long as they have enough permanent teeth. Conditions like an excessive underbite or overbite are very effectively treated with braces. If braces cannot be used due to insufficient numbers of permanent teeth, functional dental appliances can be substituted.

Functional appliances are usually used to correct misalignment or bite problems by holding the space created by a missing primary tooth. Such devices are fixed in place for extended periods of time, or they are made to be removable and worn for only a short period of time. With functional appliances, the protruding upper front teeth of an eight-year-old, which are very prone to injury, can be moved back into a less vulnerable and much more attractive position.

If a child is less than 10 years of age, the normal growth of his or her permanent teeth will sometimes push the upper front teeth back together. A dentist can x-ray these teeth to determine if the gap will close on its own. If not, braces or functional appliances can be used to correct these problems in children’s teeth.

Labels: braces, children with braces

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Dental Hygeine for Children with Braces

Braces for children correct a great many problems that plague growing kids. Overbites, underbites, and occlusion are just some of the many dental conditions that braces and functional dental appliances correct. Braces can be used on a child of any age provided they are affixed to permanent teeth. If a child is very young, and still has most of his or her primary teeth, functional dental appliances can be substituted for braces and still achieve impressive results.

Sometimes a child does not even need braces if problems with teeth are detected early on. In the early stages of most problems, a functional appliance is often all that is needed to correct the teeth of a child. One such device is called a space maintainer. It is used after a baby tooth has been lost and the permanent tooth has not yet emerged. A space maintainer can prevent the teeth that surround the gap in the smile from becoming crooked. If placed immediately after a baby tooth is lost, a space maintainer can conceivably make it unnecessary for a child to have braces.

This is not to say that braces are not necessary. Sometimes they are the only option. It is good to understand the challenges of dental hygiene that accompany orthodontics in order to better equip your child for both a healthy and beautiful smile in future years to come.

The downside to braces, however, is that they make the already challenging discipline of dental hygiene even more challenging for children. When a person of any age has braces, it is harder to keep teeth plaque-free and prevent cavities.

Children who are wearing braces need to use a soft toothbrush (so that bristles can reach under the wires and still clean teeth), and they need to use a toothpaste with fluoride. It goes without saying that they need to brush after every meal. The surface of each tooth should be brushed in a circular motion, and extra care must be given to the areas where braces meet the tooth, and where the tooth meets the gums.

Children with braces need to floss their teeth. No exceptions. Toothbrushes simply cannot reach between teeth, so only floss can remove the plaque that causes cavities in these places.

To floss teeth with braces, kids should use a threader and slide it underneath the arch wire. They should then pull the floss between their teeth, pull it into a C shape, and move it around their mouths, flossing both sides of every tooth.

After children have finished flossing, they need to make sure they have not missed any areas. Once they have checked their teeth thoroughly, they should rinse their mouths thoroughly with water.

Reducing foods with sugars will help children with braces prevent cavities. Hard foods like Cornnuts and ice will damage they can damage braces. Children should eat softer foods and cutting harder foods into smaller bites when at all possible.

By watching their eating habits and paying careful attention to their daily dental hygiene, children with braces can keep their mouths healthy and teeth in great condition.

Labels: braces, children with braces, cosmetic dental braces, dental hygeine, flossing, tooth brushing