Cavities Can Cause Complications While Correcting Your Teeth with Braces

The metal brackets, wires, bands, and other orthodontic components of traditional braces are sometimes called upon to help correct misaligned teeth. Once they have been installed at Dr. Daniel Bradshaw’s orthodontic clinic, you will still need to return to see him for routine adjustment appointments.

Each of these outpatient sessions will apply progressive tension to your braces. This will gradually stretch the connective tissues that anchor your teeth to bring them ever closer to their ideal position in your mouth.

The appointment is also a good opportunity to repair or replace any orthodontic components that have suffered a little wear and tear. Any pieces of braces hardware that have been compromised could alter the tension applied to your teeth, which could lengthen the duration of the realignment process.

It’s also worth noting that good oral hygiene practices during the alignment process is very important. Inconsistent brushing and flossing can increase your chances of suffering cavities on multiple teeth. This could also complicate the realignment process.

If you are struggling to clean around your braces hardware, there are special oral hygiene tools that can help.

An interdental brush can help remove food particles from contoured areas and small braces components. A simple floss threader can insert a strand of waxed dental floss into these places. An ADA approved water flosser like Waterpik® produces a concentrated stream of water. It can help loosen and wash away food particles, but shouldn’t be used as an alternative to flossing.

If you had braces installed at Dr. Daniel Bradshaw’s Johnson City, Tennessee, orthodontic clinic and you have an oral hygiene question, you can always call 423-929-1126 to speak to a staff member at Bradshaw & Hathaway.