Switch Your Aligners Before Bed: Switching to your next set of Invisalign aligners is what typically triggers any pain or soreness. Putting your new set of trays in right before you go to sleep means the tightness and pain associated with the tooth movement can be avoided for at least the night. And, by the time you wake up the worst of it will be over!
Stick to Soft Foods: As always with a new orthodontic appliance or a change in your mouth, soreness can be helped with a soft-food-only diet, at least for a couple of days! We recommend stocking up on some soft braces-friendly food before you know any pain will set in. Here are some ideas:
Getting braces, or any orthodontic appliance is a daunting life change. At the end of your appointment or evaluation, your orthodontists, such as the experienced team at Advanced Orthodontics, including Dr. Barton Soper, Dr. Lauren Lewandowski, Dr. Mohammad Mainayar, and Dr. Gabriela Aragon, will ask you if you have any questions, and as a new patient, it’s sometimes hard to know what exactly you should be asking or what you’ll need to know as you navigate your new braces. Here are five questions you’ll need to know the answers to for a smooth orthodontic experience.
Five Essential Questions for Your Orthodontist:
Can you describe my treatment plan?
What are my options for treatment?
What is this appliance doing? This adjustment?
How should I care for my new appliance?
Do I need to make any lifestyle changes now that I have this appliance?
Vitamins and minerals are essential for your health. But vitamins are not just good for keeping your energy up or gut health; they are also integral to good oral health. Your teeth are bones, just like those that make up your arms and legs, and therefore require the same support as the bones in the rest of your body.
Vitamins are essentially an all-around preventative measure for common oral health issues. Improving your mouth’s health every day with vitamins is a proactive way to ensure a pain-free, healthy dental experience. Dr. Barton Soper, Dr. Lauren Lewandowski, Dr. Mohammad Mainayar, and Dr. Gabriela Aragon at Advanced Orthodontics recommend these vitamins to promote tooth health, strengthen your enamel, and support jaw health.
Here are the five vitamins and minerals you should have daily:
Sugar, acid, and foods that stay in your mouth for longer than necessary are all guilty of worsening your oral health. From dissolving enamel and promoting negative bacteria growth to downright decay, there are some foods you should be sure to moderate or take out of your diet altogether. Keep reading to learn more from Dr. Barton Soper, Dr. Lauren Lewandowski, Dr. Mohammad Mainayar, and Dr. Gabriela Aragon at Advanced Orthodontics about which foods pose a threat to your dental health.
Traveling can be a stressful undertaking, especially in the post-COVID age. Some people forget to consider how to best travel with their Invisalign and run into some tough situations as a result.
When you’re in a new place, far from your orthodontist’s office, and stopping at so many different places, it’s easy to remove your aligners and leave them behind. Here are some tips from Dr. Barton Soper, Dr. Lauren Lewandowski, Dr. Mohammad Mainayar, and Dr. Gabriela Aragon at Advanced Orthodontics for traveling with your Invisalign , to make sure you don’t have to take time out of your vacation for an orthodontic emergency!
What if I Lose my Invisalign while Traveling?
When traveling for longer periods of time, always take your previous set of aligners, your current set, and your next set of aligners with you. Whether you will go back to the previous set or move forward to the next set if your aligners get lost will be determined by how long you have been wearing your current set. The general rule of thumb is if the current aligners are tight, go back. If you can remove them easily and are in your second week, move forward to the next set.
If you are going to be out of town for more than two weeks, we can order replacement aligners if needed and ship them to you directly. Continue wearing your previous set until they arrive and start again with the new set.
To ensure your teeth and mouth are healthy, you should visit a dentist at least once every six months, just like you have a health check with your general practitioner every year. In most dental checkups, your dentist will do a thorough checkup on your teeth and gums, followed by a dental cleaning.
What Happens at a Check-up?
A dental checkup is an important part of maintaining good oral health. During a checkup, the dentist will examine your teeth and gums for any signs of problems. They will also check for any cavities or tooth decay. If you have any concerns, the dentist will discuss them with you and answer any questions you may have. They may also recommend that you schedule an appointment for a teeth cleaning.
A teeth cleaning is a procedure that removes plaque and tartar from your teeth. It is important to have your teeth cleaned regularly to prevent cavities and oral health problems. X-rays may be taken to detect cavities between your teeth. They will also examine your tongue, throat, face, and neck. This will be to look for signs of redness, swelling, or possible signs of cancer.
