Traumatic Injuries of Head and Neck with Orthodontic Braces

It is quite possible for you to sustain head and neck injuries when you are undergoing an orthodontic treatment. Though you will be as careful, there are chances of you getting hit in the mouth, or sustaining injuries to your face. Orthodontic braces may make your teeth, the gums and bones supporting it and the surrounding soft tissues more vulnerable to damage. If you have sustained any sort of injury, each of these aspects will have to be evaluated by the best orthodontist around.

Possible Damage you may Sustain

Once you begin orthodontic treatment, you will go about your life as normal. However, it is possible that you sustain some injuries. Take a look at some of the possible injuries and the implications:

Damage to teeth: If you have been hurt in the mouth, your orthodontist will check for any visible or hidden damage to the crown. The most common results are a chipped tooth or broken enamel. The tooth may also be fractured. Depending on the extent of this, you may experience sensitivity to hot or cold food or beverages.

Damaged teeth may be fixed with bonding, veneers or even a complete crown. This will depend on the extent of the damage. If the fracture of the tooth has gone down to the bone, then it may be removed and given time to heal.

Change in position: Trauma to the head or the face may result in the change of position of your teeth. This may happen if the bone surrounding your teeth is damaged in any way. You must know that bone is generally weaker than the teeth and tends to give way first.

If your teeth have shifted position, you will have to visit an oral surgeon who will evaluate your teeth first. You will then be given a mouth-numbing agent and will have your teeth brought back into position. The bone around your teeth will also be set back in place. Any broken or damaged braces will be removed and the trauma dealt with first. They will then be repositioned by your orthodontist to continue with your treatment.

Injury to your lips and your cheeks: This is a common result of wearing braces. While the teeth themselves are well protected because of the braces, the soft tissues in your mouth are not. It often gets badly cut and scratched in the event of an accident. You will feel discomfort for a while, but will have to bear with it in order for it to heal.

The use of a cold pack is a good idea. This will decrease the inflammation in the first two days. Because of the large number of vessels in the mouth, you may be shocked when you see the amount of blood that comes out. Do not let this alarm you. The large number of vessels in the mouth, actually help in speeding up the healing process as well.

You may not be able to protect yourself from damage at all times, but our professionals who practice at Beecroft Orthodontics say that using customized mouth-guards will make a huge difference. For further queries contact us today.

Beecroft Orthodontics, 10472 Georgetown Dr. Fredericksburg, Virginia

Phone: 540-898-2200

Traumatic Injuries as a Result of Braces

How will Braces, Expanders, Retainers, and Invisalign Affect my Life?

As you can imagine, with braces, expanders, retainers, or any other orthodontic appliance, there’s an adjustment period. And, you may have to do a few things in your life differently as you adjust.

I’ll discuss what to expect, changes you may experience, and how you can minimize any unwanted distractions or deviations from your daily life.

Braces

Here’s what you can expect:

A general soreness for about a week after the initial appointment and two to three days after the adjustment appointments.
Soreness in the teeth as well as lips and cheeks (from rubbing against the braces).
Food will get stuck in the braces. Be more diligent with brushing, flossing and your overall hygiene. If you aren't, you can experience swelling, redness, inflammation of the gums, as well as the beginnings of cavities around the braces. This leaves a white ring around the braces that’s unsightly when the braces come off.
You’ll have to be more careful with activities where you may bump your lips like wrestling and football. When you play sports, wear a mouth guard. Now, you can’t wear normal mouth guards because they will not fit over the braces and the teeth. And, the mouth guards can’t be form-fitting because the teeth will move. You don’t want them to impede the movement of the teeth. Most orthodontists have special mouth guards for braces and different kits for keeping teeth clean.
I often hear: “Do I need to be worried about kissing my boyfriend or girlfriend who also has braces?” I can assure you I never heard of someone getting stuck to someone else with braces. Myth debunked.

Retainers and Expanders

When it comes to talking, expect an adjustment period of a couple of days. You may have a little bit of a lisp, but this doesn’t happen with everyone. You may struggle speaking because those appliances are in the roof of your mouth so you can’t form some of your “S’s” and “T’s” by bringing your tongue to the roof of your mouth--causing a lisp. So, just read a book out loud for the first couple of days to speed up the process.
Food may get trapped underneath the appliance, so use a water pick. Water picks shoot out jets of water that tend to do a good job of getting rid of any unwanted leftover lunch from an expander or retainer. They are inexpensive and can be purchased at any one of your local stores.

Invisalign

Invisalign is nice because you can take it in and out, so you don’t have to be concerned about issues that can arise with braces, retainers and expanders.

You will wear the trays 20-22 hours each day, so some people find snacking and drinking less convenient. You should take out the trays to snack and drink. To avoid staining the trays, drink through a straw. And, rinse out your mouth after you snack before putting the trays back in.

I’m reminded of a patient I saw about a year ago who was an ER doctor, big triathlete, and exercise fanatic. She loved to sip on red Powerade all day long, but was really worried about staining her teeth. She ended up getting Invisalign but didn’t want the trays to turn red. So, I told her she could take the trays out, drink Powerade, then put the trays back in. But by doing that, she didn’t have the trays in for 22 hours of the day, so I recommended she drink through the straw. She tried that and it actually worked out really well.

It’s amazing how a minor tweak can make all the difference to accommodate your daily activities. Remember, these are minor tweaks, and you shouldn't see too much of a burden on your day-to-day life when it comes to braces, retainers, expanders or Invisalign.

Contact Beecroft Orthodontics today for any further information or questions that might still be troubling your mind or set up an appointment for your oral problems with our experienced team.

Beecroft Orthodontics, 10472 Georgetown Dr. Fredericksburg, Virginia

Phone: 540-898-2200

Daily Life and Orthodontic Appliances