Orthodontic Blog - Fresh Orthodontics

Bruxism is a problem that affects many adults, and it affects them in different ways depending on the severity, frequency, and causes of bruxism. The term bruxism refers to involuntarily grinding your teeth in your sleep. It has a variety of degrees, ranging from cripplingly severe to just kind of gnashing your teeth in your sleep. Bruxism can also refer to involuntary grinding if certain situations come up. If you ever find yourself grinding your teeth, then you have a very, very mild case of bruxism. This habit is bad for your teeth, and how bad it is depends on how severely you are bruxing.

Orthodontic patients are considered at risk for a number of reasons. The teeth are harder to clean when there is a metal device glued to them, and the teeth are in a state of inflammation, making the situation extra hard on them. This is why your teeth are at risk during orthodontry, and why you should take steps to minimize the risks.

Orthodontics is a branch of medicine that is especially sensitive. It is a part of dentistry, which is an area of medicine that people fear, along with oncology and pathology. Patients may be afraid and the industry has a bad reputation as being painful and scary. While pain can be a part of treatment, it is not necessarily a part of all dental procedures. Orthodontics is a type of treatment that is long and recurrent, and the relationship between patient and practitioner is especially important in these treatments. Patient cooperation is key, and this can only be expected if the patient knows what is happening and why, and understands that it is in their best interest that they follow any and all instructions given by the dentist. This in turn can only be expected if and only if the patient likes their orthodontist, or at the very least has respect for them. Otherwise the instructions will not be taken seriously at all.

If you have undergone orthodontic treatment before, you will know that it requires you to change your entire lifestyle. Aside from foods that you will need to quit, and that list is quite extensive, you may also encounter a speech impediment, and may need to change the way that you articulate words. But there are also other things you may need to change, and these fit best into the category of personal habits. Here are some of the ones that you will need to kick, as they can interfere with or even disrupt orthodontic treatment.