Blog

Why Mouthguards Are So Important

Many of our patients are student athletes or have a sport they love. After getting braces, many of these sports-enthusiasts wonder if they’ll have to take a break from their games and practices. We’ve all heard horror stories of sports injuries, even worse witnessed one ourselves. Playing sports during orthodontic treatment is 100% possible! The best way to protect your mouth from a painful fate is to invest in a mouthguard. Mouthguards protect not only your teeth, but the soft tissue of your mouth from injury as you play. Luckily, braces will not keep you from any sport or physical activity. However, the price you pay for a beautiful smile is taking a little extra care of your mouth while in treatment. Keep reading to uncover the significant role that mouthguards play in protecting your oral health and overall well-being from Dr. Christopher Murphy at Southern Maine Orthodontics.

 

In This Post, We’ll Cover:

  • Why mouthguards are essential
  • Do Braces put you at higher risk for a sports injury?
  • What type of mouthguard should I buy?

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Early Evaluation and Missing Teeth

Often when parents bring young children into our office for initial evaluation, they are missing several primary teeth. Parents are worried that starting treatment won’t be an option until all the permanent teeth have grown in, or until all baby teeth have fallen out. It’s common to wonder if your child is losing teeth at the right time, or too slowly, or even too quickly. These concerns are normal, and a reason why it’s good to get your child into the orthodontist starting at age seven. Orthodontist Dr. Christopher Murphy at Southern Maine Orthodontics can answer all these questions and more and can start any treatment needed early enough to prevent major issues. 

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Can I Get Invisalign?

Choosing your orthodontist, and by extension, what your options are for years of orthodontic treatment and appointments, is no small feat. One of the deciding factors in this decision is which types of tooth movement your orthodontist has available. Traditional braces, self-ligating braces, or even Invisalign are all options. With so much innovation in the orthodontic field, we have lots of options to best fit any patient’s needs. Whether traditional braces or Invisalign is best for you, our team of orthodontic specialists is here to help you!

 

Making a Decision: Invisalign 

  • Choosing Invisalign
  • Invisalign Candidacy
  • What issues can Invisalign help with
  • Invisalign Pain

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What to do if Your Braces Break

It’s scary to be at home, school, or sports practice and feel a part of your braces loosen or even fall completely off your tooth, but it’s a more common occurrence than you may think.. The good news is that most of these incidents are actually minor and easily fixed by your orthodontist. Here are a few general rules and tips for how to handle these situations in the moment and until you can get into the office for a visit. 

 

Orthodontic Emergencies

Typically, braces emergencies arise when a wire or rubber band falls out of place. These issues are minor and can be easily fixed by your orthodontist. A less common emergency is when a bracket comes loose and falls out. If you can feel a loose bracket that hasn’t fallen out, it’s best to leave it held in by the surrounding wires and call your orthodontist. But, if the bracket has fallen out already, keep it in a safe space and take it with you to the orthodontist. Schedule an appointment as soon as you can to fix this! 

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How Long Do Braces Take?

“How long do braces take?” is the most common question we’re asked by patients. People want to know how long they’ll have to make room in their life for their braces – it’s understandable. Braces are hard to brush and floss around, they come with food restrictions, and they can be a source of embarrassment for teens at school or professionals in the workplace. 

Even our patients who are most excited to begin treatment inevitably cannot wait for it to end. We give each patient and their family an estimated treatment plan and timetable when they receive an evaluation. Of course, they always hope that we can somehow speed up time and make their smiles perfect as quickly as possible.

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Which Bad Habits are Bad for Your Teeth

Young children often put anything and everything in their mouths. Unless it develops into bad habits that carry into later childhood, this curiosity is beneficial. Long-term oral health can be negatively affected by habits like nail-biting, thumb sucking, excessive use of pacifiers, and tongue thrusting as you swallow. 

 

Nail Biting

Biting your nails is bad for your general and oral health because you’re introducing bacteria and dirt into your mouth. The germs and grime you ingest while biting your nails can cause illness and the consistent biting is hard on your enamel.  While it certainly isn’t a good habit to keep up because of the dirt and germs residing under your nails, there are many more negative effects. 

Chewing your nails results in unnecessary wear on your teeth. It weakens the enamel and can even lead to chipping or the teeth becoming crooked. When you have braces, chewing your nails slows down orthodontic treatment. In addition to weakening the roots and making the teeth susceptible to movement, biting your nails can also displace brackets and wires. This makes your braces less effective and can result in more appointments to fix appliances or brackets. 

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