Basic Orthodontics

by: Christine Zafra

When you have retainers, you normally remove it before you eat. Of course, as you don’t want cauliflowers dangling over your retainers after you eat. So what will you do? Maybe get a tissue or napkin from your bag and wrap your retainers with it?

Oh no. If you have been doing this for quite some time, stop. You might experience some problems when you don’t change this habit of yours. The waitress might think it is trash or perhaps, just some used tissue lying around and throw it in the bin. You may not even notice that the waitress carried away your precious retainers (how could you? You were laughing with your friends.).

So, to prevent this from happening, you might as well want to get those plastic containers specially made for retainers. It’s handy and you can put it inside your bag or purse (at least, it won’t be mistaken as something else).

The cost of basic orthodontic procedures can get quite expensive. It’s one reason why parents are quite apprehensive about any news coming from their dentist, especially if that news include having their child undergo orthodontic procedures in order to correct an alignment in the teeth because this would usually mean wearing braces, which can be really expensive and would put a dent in any household budget.
There’s really no going around this expense when the child is deemed a candidate for orthodontic devices. Fortunately, most dentists accept staggered payments for braces because they know of the cost and because the child would need to visit the dentist anyway for continuous adjustments.

by: Christine Zafra

Smoking nowadays is a trend. The “cool dudes” in your school might be doing it, but do you really have to follow them? Aside from the health risks, “dentally” speaking, it can cause the darkening of your teeth. The nicotine stains can either tarnish the front incisors, or the back of your teeth. This can turn off a lot of people since it is not pleasant to look at. There is, however, a way to whiten those teeth of yours. You can have a regular prophylaxis (or cleaning) to remove those ugly nicotine stains caused by smoking. Visit your dentist regularly to achieve healthy, not to mention nice to look at, teeth.

by: Christine Zafra

Have you seen people with braces wear those colored rubber bands on their mouths? Do you think it looks cool that’s why people (normally kids and teenagers) out them over their mouths? No. Actually, those colorful rubber bands have a purpose. They’re not there for aesthetic purposes only (if they are!). These bands are there to correct the positioning of the teeth. If a person has underbite, overbite or deep bite or perhaps crossbite, chances are they’ll be wearing a couple or more of these colorful rubber bands. It actually helps the braces draw together or apart the jaw, so as to minimize the said wrong bites.

by: Christine Zafra

Dentures are actually helpful to those who have a lot of teeth gaps. If you are not familiar with the other procedures and wouldn’t want to experiment (yes, there are some people who are like that), then might as well settle for this old yet handy type of teeth reparation. Although you’ll get a lot benefits when using dentures (cheaper than the others, teeth that look brand new etc.), the costs outweigh the benefits. You have to put paste every day (products like Fixodent) to keep them attached. Also, you can no longer eat the things you used to love before like corn fritters or gnaw on spare ribs with special sauce your wife cooks for the kids every Sunday etc.

Porcelain dental veneer is a quick way to improve any rusty smile. There is a reason why the mass media glorifies a shining smile, well as we all know, it’s not really shimmering but since its white, it gives the impression of bouncing light. Porcelain veneers are supposedly quick-fixes, it is the equivalent of a facelift on this time, it involves the mouth. They feet your teeth together like fingernails to form a perfect set. It fast operation time makes it the latest craze in clinics as people could walk in and come out with a perfect smile in tow.

by: Christine Zafra

If you are a kid, most probably, metal braces look cute on you. But what if you are already an adult yet, in need of braces? Would you want to have those metal brackets dangling over your teeth when you try to smile to your boss?

No! Of course not! That’s ridiculous. There is in fact a brace that will suit you. It doesn’t have metal brackets on it, no wires that show… in fact, it’s invisible. Yes, invisible braces. The good thing about this is that covers all your teeth (like a plastic vinyl) so the treatment is much faster and more effective.