Once The Braces Come Off

When you are on your last week of orthodontics, you are probably ecstatic that you will be getting a new set of teeth, and possibly a new life, and may be hoping for a return to your old lifestyle as well. Thus it will strike you as sad news that once the braces come off you may not be done with your procedures, and you may have a bunch of problems that were caused by or exacerbated by the braces that now need to be taken care of.

Cavities

You are likely to have cavities, and even if there are no cavities, there may be white spot lesions, which are white blotches on your teeth. These white spots are demineralized zones, areas of tooth surface from which all calcium and fluoride has been leached, and the area is now under threat of cavitation. If you have these, you will need a hygiene session, and will have to use fluoride gel or foam to re-up the fluoride levels in your teeth. You may also need to take some calcium-sandoz tablets.

Discoloration

Often times the portions of teeth that were under the brackets will be quite noticeably different in color from the portions of the tooth surface that were not covered. This will be especially marked if you smoke, drink alcohol, eat lots of red fruits and berries, are a frequent drinker of coffee or tea, eat a lot of curry or turmeric, or live in a major metropolitan area. This discoloration will likely be solved by a hygiene session, and a whitening session if it is necessary.

Plaque and difficulty with brushing

You may find that certain teeth have massive plaque build ups, and may even have tartar fused to the tooth. This is because you may not have been able to reach certain parts that got exposed to food detritus. You may also find that you are no longer able to brush certain parts of your teeth that you previously were rather able to, and you may find that you need different tactics to brush your teeth. You may also need to use floss now that your teeth are straight. If you did not previously, it is time to start. If you just cannot get to certain spots, ask your dentist, s/he will be more than happy to help.