Health tips: Brace yourself!

Teeth can be misaligned because of variety of reasons including genetics, accidents, poor milk teeth, thumb sucking.

Browsing through childhood pictures, the thing I found in common in all of them was a closed mouth, a tight lipped smile and a constipated look on my face.

Camera or no camera, I would still restrain my laughter whenever a joke was cracked in public. I was one among the many afflicted by a case of an out of order set of 32 pearly whites in my mouth. However, that was a long time ago… before I got braces.

Braces are those metal brackets and wires attached to teeth as a lot of you might have seen. The status of braces as a geek hallmark has been reinforced by pop culture — movies, music and shows like Princess Diaries, Hannah Montana and the Katy Perry’s chart topper “Last Friday Night”.

Teeth can be misaligned because of a variety of reasons including genetics, accidents, poor milk teeth, thumb sucking as a child etc. The important thing though, is that if you are self-conscious about your smile, you can get it fixed. If all your milk teeth have fallen out, which usually happens by 12 years of age, that will be a good time for you and your parents to pay the dentist a visit.

The dentist who deals with this problem is a specialist called an orthodontist. Since you can expect the treatment to be long–spanning anywhere between six months to four years, choose your dentist carefully. If you go to a general dentist who might be cheap but doesn’t have the right credentials, know that he or she can do more harm than good. This is primarily because changes due to orthodontic treatment happen slowly as the bone remodels to accommodate the new alignment of the teeth.

The wrong kind of pressure exerted on the teeth might malposition them and significant time will have passed before this becomes noticeable. Therefore, it is advised to take second opinions on treatment options from different dentists and go to a well reputed or recommended specialist for your braces.

Many patients have apprehensions about this treatment, so to dispel a few of those concerns, here is an account of what to expect:

Your dentist is going to assess you with an oral exam, X-rays, models of your teeth, and pictures of the face and the mouth. You’ll be advised removable appliances if the problem is easily correctable and surgery in advanced cases. Braces will have to be used in most cases.

In the first week of braces, the teeth are going feel a little mobile which will be mildly painful but relievable by simple over the counter (OTC) pain killers. Getting used to the new occupants in your mouth will also be a little uncomfortable.

You will have to braces-proof your food — no corn on the cob, chewing gum, and coconut for instance. Nonetheless, you will have a plethora of options on your daily menu that will help preserve the waist right where it is. Dental appointments will be scheduled between four to a maximum of eight weeks intervals.

There might be pain following an appointment depending on how much work was done. Again OTC meds will help. Any sores forming due to friction can be treated by local creams or prevented by applying dental wax to the sharp surfaces. The dentist will also ensure no pointy wires are sticking out that can later cause pain. After the braces come off, retainers will have to be worn as advised by your dentist to stabilise the new position of the teeth.

Dental hygiene will need to be bolstered with fluoride containing tooth paste, mouth wash and a special dental floss in some cases; an interdental brush will be prescribed to clean the inaccessible spaces.

The point is not to make you shy away from braces, rather to help you make informed choices. Increasingly, braces are becoming an expected part of growing up and are easy to adapt to. And considering the end results, most will still get braces in retrospect.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 5^th,  2011.