What Are Different Alternatives To Braces For Adults?

Valley Creek Dental Care always encourages good oral health in the patients coming to us for the treatment. From the eruption of the first tooth in infants to a full mouth of adult teeth, everyone should take care of their teeth and keep them healthy. Many come to us for orthodontic treatment, but they have fear in their mind of looking odd. They know the only solution to get perfectly aligned teeth and a beautiful smile is nasty-looking metal braces that look bad and painful. Being a reputable McKinney dentist, we consider it our responsibility to guide our patients and help them get rid of this fear by telling them about alternatives to braces.

Yes, it’s true. There are several alternatives to braces for adults, which they can choose to align their teeth and have a healthy yet beautiful smile. There are several reasons why adults look for alternatives when it comes to braces. The appearance of the braces is the first and foremost reason why adults try to avoid them. Clean, white, and shiny teeth help them have confidence when they smile. They feel better about their appearance, which is reflected in their confidence in others. Crooked, broken, scratched, and uneven teeth appear unpleasant, making it challenging to keep such teeth clean. Adults with rough or damaged teeth develop stains in the corners that are hard to reach and clean; therefore, causing an unsightly appearance.  

There are several health benefits of straight teeth. When you have correctly aligned teeth, you can actually experience better oral health because:

• You can easily clean your teeth.

• Your gums may support your teeth better.

• You might not have to face risks of chipping, breaking, or wearing of teeth when they are fitted correctly.

• The abnormal stress on your jaw caused due to misaligned teeth can be released quickly.

When you do not clean your teeth properly, then you could witness other problems start to develop. Tooth decay can ruin your teeth and cause severe problems with your jawbone. Therefore, you must get your teeth appropriately treated through orthodontic treatment. Apart from crooked teeth, other issues that you can fix with braces are:

• Malocclusion or a bad bite

• Disorders of jaw position or jaw joint

• Headaches or earaches caused due to misaligned jaw

• Difficulty in chewing or biting

• Speaking problems

But if you have a fear of metal braces, there are several better alternatives to it such as:

• Retainers: Retainers are usually removable dental devices used to position the teeth before or after treatment with braces correctly. These are a bit transparent version of braces that fit over the complete arch of the mouth. Retainers are the perfect example of how to achieve accurate positioning in place of braces. Orthodontists can easily attain minimal tooth movement using these devices. They are generally less expensive and easy to maintain than braces.

• Headgear: Headgear is the most visible form of orthodontic treatment, which is the bad wrap. These are generally used to correct extreme overbites. This device exerts pressure on the upper teeth and jaw to put the teeth in a particular position. The dental header is not the preferred choice of adults because of its restrictive nature. But you need to wear it for a few hours a day. Typically patients wear dental headgears while they sleep at night. You have to remove them while playing sports, brushing your teeth, or eating.

• Clear Aligners: Clear aligners such as Invisalign TX are the most popular and preferred alternative for adults. It can fix anything from minor overbites to underbites and other serious malocclusions. An orthodontist will provide you a series of clear, removable “molds” that you have to wear over your teeth. You have to wear them for at least 20 hours a day for 2 weeks till the time your dental expert moves on to the next series of molds. Each aligner slowly adjusts the teeth. Once it is done, then you can move through the next series. Invisalign is ideal for those patients who have gaps within their teeth.

• Six Month Smiles: Six-month smile is a dental device. It includes a clear bracket with a wire that goes across the teeth. It is not actually visible and ideal to be used for mild corrective issues. Patients have to wear them for about six months. Sometimes, it may be longer depending on the patient’s dental structure.

• Veneers: Veneers are popular among athletes, celebrities, and successful people. These are basically capped teeth ideal for dental patients with gaps, poor shape, fractured or contoured teeth. In this process, the dentist typically removes the enamel layer from the tooth and then fixes a veneer in place with the help of UV light-sensitive resin.

• Accelerated Orthodontics: Accelerated Orthodontics is a fast-track orthodontic treatment in which micro-osteoperforation weakens the jawbones, which makes teeth loose enough so that they can quickly move when the dentist exerts pressure. This treatment works in tandem with clear aligners or a retainer for optimal results. The process increases cytokine production resulting in quick positioning of teeth.

Why Should You Consult a McKinney Dentist In Case You Have Doubts?

Valley Creek Dental Care always suggests you consult your nearby dentist before deciding not to go for braces. They will check your dental status and guide you on what can be done if you don’t want braces. They can also suggest alternatives through which you can resolve your dental problem.

How Your Invisalign Treatment Plan Is Made?

Everyone wants to have a camera-ready smile as it adds a charming effect to your overall appearance and spreads lots of positivity. But unfortunately, many people don’t smile due to various orthodontic problems, like misaligned teeth, crooked & crowded teeth, and bite problems. These dental imperfections spoil your smile entirely, affecting your overall appearance. 

Although these orthodontic problems are not severe dental conditions, they can significantly impact your mental condition and confidence. Therefore, you should overcome them as soon as possible. 

Many effective treatments and procedures are available in modern dentistry to treat orthodontic problems, including traditional dental braces and Invisalign. Both these treatments can help you effectively get rid of your dental imperfections. However, Invisalign is a much better option compared to dental braces. And there are several reasons behind it. 

In this article, we will comprehensively discuss Invisalign and how your Invisalign TX dentist makes your Invisalign treatment. Let’s get into it.

Introduction to Invisalign

Invisalign is also called clear aligners. It is a pair of custom-made plastic aligners used to adjust the alignment of your teeth. It is a lightweight, transparent, and easy-to-wear orthodontic device. 

In modern dentistry, Invisalign is considered the perfect replacement for traditional dental braces as it has the potential to treat many orthodontic problems, including: 

• Overbite 

• Underbite

• Crossbite 

• Open Bite

• Gapped Teeth

• Crowded Teeth 

• Crooked Teeth

• Straighter Teeth 

Why Invisalign? 

Invisalign gives you many advantages such as: 

Faster Treatment- Invisalign aligners are specially designed to fasten the treatment process. Generally, it takes more than one and a half years to treat misaligned teeth. But, Invisalign can help you get rid of your orthodontic problems within 6 to 12 months, depending on the complexity of your dental condition. 

Painless Experience- Unlike dental braces, Invisalign aligners give painless experience as they don’t contain metal or brackets that are harsh for gums. 

Easy-to-Wear and Remove Aligners- Invisalign is flexible, making them super easy to put on and remove, unlike dental braces fixed on the surface of teeth. This feature allows you to eat and drink comfortably and do your daily oral care practices properly.

Nearly Invisible- Invisalign aligners are colorless and nearly invisible. It means you can confidently smile wearing them in front of your friends and colleagues. It never lets you feel embarrassed when you smile or speak. 

Lesser Doctor Visits- Unlike dental braces, where you have to visit your dentist every 3 to 4 weeks, Invisalign frees up your schedule. You have to visit your dentist only once every 6 to 8 weeks as per your dentist’s advice.

All these advantages make Invisalign an obvious choice for you. It not only treats your orthodontic problems but also helps you comfortably survive the treatment period. 

Invisalign Treatment Plan

Your dentist makes your Invisalign treatment plan, depending on your dental condition. He combines his expertise and some powerful technologies to prepare a comprehensive digital plan to shape your dental structure and perfect your smile. 

This procedure is completed in three steps that are: 

Scanning of Your Smile and Dental Structure

In this step, a specialized dentist deeply examines your smile and dental structure using a scanner. It helps him get a detailed 3D image of your teeth. With a clear picture, the dentist finds out the areas in your dental structure that need significant improvement. 

Moreover, he may ask you lots of questions related to your dental condition and experiences. For example: 

• Do you often feel pain? 

• Do you often struggle to chew or eat?

• Do you struggle while speaking?

• How do you take care of your teeth? 

• Have you ever undergone dental surgery? 

You need to correctly answer all the questions asked by your dentist to help him make a better Invisalign treatment plan for you. 

Preparing the Roadmap to Your New Smile 

This is where your dentist prepares a digital plan for improving your dental structure and smile. He works with other dentists and technology experts to design a pair of clear aligners that can be perfectly fitted on your teeth surface.

Once they have designed the aligners, they perfectly place them on your teeth' surface. Since then, you need to wear them for at least 20 hours a day for faster treatment. It will take from 6 months to 18 months to get your new smile, depending on the complexity of your dental structure. 

The dentists will also teach you how to gently wear or remove the aligners so as not to face any problems during your entire treatment period. Moreover, they will give you some important instructions that you must follow throughout your treatment period strictly. 

This step is the most crucial as it prepares the roadmap to your new smile. 

Previewing Your New Smile 

This is the ultimate phase where you meet your new smile- the one you have dreamt of. It may take several months to reach this phase, but it will be one of the most satisfying things in your life. 

In this phase, your dentist will preview your improved dental alignment and new smile to ensure if they are perfect. He will scan your teeth, and once satisfied with your smile; he will free you from your Invisalign aligners. 

This is how we make Invisalign treatment plans for our patients. For more information related to dental care and treatment, stay in touch with us. 

What Are The Possible Reasons For Your Pale Tongue?

Developing a pale and white tongue reflects that your body functioning is abnormal. There can be various reasons for a pale tongue instead of pink. However, we have discussed the five vital causes for your pale tongue and how we can prevent them. 

Whenever we encounter such a problem, we wonder about the possible causes behind it. Likewise, the possibility of getting your tongue to go pale or white is due to the result of papillae’s swelling on our tongue’s surface. When papillae get swollen or enlarged, the dead cells, bacteria, and other things start getting trapped between them, thereby forming a pale white coating. However, that is not only the cause of discoloration of your tongue. There are various other causes including-

Leukoplakia

Leukoplakia is a condition when white patches start to appear on the tongue. These surfaces can be-

• White with smooth or rough edges

• Red irregular shaped edges

• Sometimes elevated shaped

These patches can appear on either side of the tongue. It can appear on the tongue’s surface, underneath the tongue, or on the sides of the cheeks. The primary cause of leukoplakia is heavy tobacco use and high alcohol consumption. 

Men in the age group of 50-70 are most likely to get affected by the disease. However, people under the age of 30 rarely contract this disease. 

This disease is not associated with any pain; however, it does not mean that the problem isn’t serious. The Dentist in McKinney TX suggests consulting a dentist to avoid further complications. This disease can sometimes turn into a chronic disease and possibly into cancer. Hence, early detection is the key to get away from such diseases. 

Switching to a healthy diet and quitting tobacco and alcohol can help manage your symptoms. Other than that, dentists may prescribe you some vitamin A or retinoids as your dietary supplements. 

Geographic Tongue

In this condition, your tongue starts to develop red and white patches, much like psoriasis. Experts suggest that discoloration caused by this condition is inflammatory yet harmless, and it varies over the period as these patches move around the tongue surface.  

It is painless and goes away independently. The primary symptoms show sensitivity to spicy, sweet, or salty food. 

Dry Mouth

The fact is dry mouth can be caused by different other problems as well. And when the mouth stays dry for a longer time, it can cause the tongue to be white. 

When a mouth stays dry for a longer time, saliva glands present in the mouth do not produce enough saliva to keep the mouth appropriately moisturized. And when the mouth does not have enough saliva, it becomes difficult to kill the excess bacteria, food bits, and other debris. Because of the presence of all the debris, the tongue gets discolored.

Nonetheless, sore throat, thickened saliva, and bad breath are also the reasons for a change in tongue color. To treat a dry mouth, it’s always important to know the possible causes of it, and that is why visiting a dental professional is crucial. 

However, to get short-term relief from dry mouth, sucking on lozenges helps to stimulate saliva flow. 

Oral Thrush

The other name for this condition is a yeast infection. It does not exactly change the color but develops patches on the tongue surface and gives a pale appearance to our tongue. When you visit your dentist, they are more likely to treat you with mouth rinse or prescription pills. 

Stanford Medicine suggests that dentists can also run a painless procedure where they can scrape off the patches. Always keep it a priority to visit a dentist for appropriate treatment if your tongue develops white patches.

Poor Oral Hygiene

People who do not follow a proper dental hygiene regime develop a white tongue. If you do not brush or floss your mouth regularly, unwanted bacteria will start to grow, and debris will remain stuck on your tongue and mouth. All these poor practices can lead to cavities, pale tongue, and dental infections. Hence, it’s better to follow a proper dental regime to achieve optimal dental health.   

Treatment For Pale Tongue

One of the common causes of the pale tongue is following poor oral hygiene practices, hence focus, on improving your dental hygiene habits. The oral hygiene regime includes brushing with a soft-bristle toothbrush, flossing between the teeth using water flossers or floss, and various other interdental cleaning devices. Furthermore, gently brushing your tongue with tongue scrapers would also suffice. 

Keep drinking plenty of water to avoid any mouth or other health issues. Most importantly, talking to your dental professional about the causes of discoloration of your tongue will help you recover faster. Dental professionals will run dental exams on you and ask different questions to recommend a customized treatment plan. 

A pale tongue is not an indication of a severe medical condition; however, it might become a chronic disease if you treat it carelessly. Also, it is always startling whenever something is differently visible in our bodies, so it’s always advisable to take the help of an expert and get back to a healthy body. 

Seven Tips to Get Photogenic Smile

With trends like selfies and instant photo-sharing, everyone wants to look more beautiful. Dressing, makeup, and stylish poses are some factors that make you look fantastic. But your smile is something that enhances your overall appearance and spreads positive vibes.

If you have that perfect smile, it is the most beautiful gift given to you. But if you don't have a photogenic smile, fortunately, you can correct it with the aid of specific oral treatments and procedures. 

This article will comprehensively give you an insight into those effective oral treatments and procedures. Check them out below!

Teeth Whitening

Teeth play the most crucial role in making your smile either beautiful or ugly. If you have white and bright teeth, you can have that photogenic smile. But, if your teeth are yellow and stained, it will spoil the beauty of your smile and entire appearance. 

A teeth whitening treatment or procedure is effective in removing paleness and stains from your teeth. Many teeth-whitening treatment options are available in modern dentistry, including in-office and at-home teeth whitening. However, in-office whitening treatments are relatively a better option to get a whiter and brighter smile shortly. 

In an in-office whitening treatment, you first need to book your appointment with your dentist. On your appointment day, a specialized dentist first takes your dental examination and decides which whitening treatment fits perfectly to your dental condition. 

In most cases, dentists prefer teeth bleaching as it is the safest and most effective teeth whitening treatment. If your dentist goes with teeth bleaching, you will have to visit the dental office multiple times in short intervals to get rid of your yellow and stained teeth completely.

Once you have no stains and yellowness left on the surface of your teeth, you can have that camera-ready smile. And then, you will be pleased to share your pictures with your friends. 

Dental Bonding 

Your teeth have a natural look. When they lose their natural look, your smile automatically fades. 

An unhealthy diet and certain bad oral habits are the most significant reasons your teeth gradually lose their natural look. Getting it back is quite challenging, but it is possible with dental bonding. A dental procedure in which a dentist applies a tooth-colored resin on the tooth surface hardens it with a lighting effect, ultimately bonding it to the tooth. 

Dental bonding is a part of cosmetic dentistry. It focuses on revealing the natural look of your teeth and improves your smile aesthetic. It is another effective way to get a vibrant smile. 

Veneers 

The dental veneers act pretty similarly to dental bonding, but they are a bit different. They are thin and tooth-colored shells used to cover the front surface of teeth, improving the entire dental aesthetic. 

These shells are custom-designed veneers that significantly differentiate your teeth' color, shape, and size. They are also effective in treating close gaps, chipped and cracked teeth, and permanent stains. If you have any of these dental problems, dental veneers may prove effective for you. 

Dental Crown

Broken and knocked-out teeth create visible gaps between your teeth, spoiling the beauty of your smile. Fortunately, modern dentistry has dental crown treatment to treat them. 

A dental crown is an artificial cap or upper part of a tooth that is visible when you smile or open your mouth. It is made of different materials, like porcelain and metal. It fills the gap created due to broken or knocked-out teeth and corrects your teeth' alignment. It also helps replace your missing tooth and perfect your facial alignment and smile. 

Braces And Invisalign

Misaligned, crooked, and crowded teeth are some disturbing elements to the aesthetic of your smile. If you want to get rid of these orthodontic problems, traditional dental braces and Invisalign are the best options for you. 

These two are orthodontic tools or techniques focusing on correcting your teeth' alignment. The traditional dental braces are metal-made aligners worn on the surface of your teeth and interchanged every few weeks. They effectively give you straighter and perfectly aligned teeth, but you may face specific problems during your treatment periods, such as intense pressure on your teeth and scratches on your gums and lips. 

Invisalign is relatively a better option compared to dental braces. They are transparent aligners, easy-to-wear, and practical to correct your teeth' alignment shortly. However, before choosing Invisalign treatment, make sure you consult with your Invisalign TX expert. He/she will advise you what the best option for you is. 

Daily Dental Care Practices

Daily dental care practices like brushing your teeth and flossing dental maintain your teeth' whiteness and brightness. If you don't follow these practices properly, yellow & stained teeth, tooth decay, and other oral health problems may occur. These problems can disturb the beauty and integrity of your smile. 

If you want to avoid these things, make sure you regularly follow all the essential dental and oral healthcare practices. 

Avoid Bad Oral Habits

Consuming alcohol or tobacco-containing products, taking edibles high in sugar, and smoking are harmful to your overall oral health. These bad oral habits can cause many different oral health problems, such as dark and stained teeth, dental infection, and tooth cavity. These oral health problems can spoil your smile, so you should avoid them as much as possible. 

Conclusion

Your smile is a precious gift given to you. You may lose its natural beauty and impact due to various reasons, but you need not worry. All the dental treatments, procedures, and preventive care steps we have comprehensively explained in this article effectively correct your smile. Consult your dentist before selecting any of these dental treatments.

Alcohol vs. Alcohol-Free Mouthwash: Know The Difference

Whether to get a fresh breath between the appointments or to have more cavity protection, mouthwash is always handy to boost our oral care routine. Choosing the mouthwash for our needs raises an excellent question: What is the right mouthwash? Do we need a non-alcoholic mouthwash? 

Most of the mouthwashes we see in drug stores consist of alcohol and, specifically, ethanol. Alcohol causes a burning sensation, brings unpleasant taste, and dryness to the mouth. In addition, alcohol not only destroys harmful bacteria but good bacteria as well. Meaning, unless we are regularly using mouthwash, a lot of opportunities for bad breath will build up, generally, because of bacteria imbalance occurrence. However, alcohol-free mouthwash targets bad bacteria rather than good, and hence, creates an optimum balance of bacteria to avoid further complications and combat bad breathing problems. 

People with xerostomia (dry mouth) or otherwise low saliva flow because of medicinal side effects, diabetes, radiation therapies, and systemic diseases like Sjogren’s syndrome can all recover by using an alcohol-free mouthwash. Additionally, alcohol-free mouthwash is beneficial for people with an alcohol abuse history. 

Other than these conditions, BioMed Research International suggests that alcohol-free mouthwash complements gloss, color, hardness, and tooth composite restorations than alcohol-based mouthwashes. 

Nonetheless, alcohol-free mouthwashes effectively prevent dental diseases and freshen the breath as well. But mouthwash should not replace brushing or flossing. Mouthwash complements brushing and flossing to improve your overall oral health care. 

Valley Creek Dental Care, dentist Mckinney TX, recommends a wide range of options of alcohol-free mouthwashes for improving your overall dental care regime. However, there’s still an unheard question:

Why Do Most Mouthwash Contain Alcohol?

• Ethanol constitutes almost every mouthwash. It can kill germs and bacteria in our mouths. It prevents bacterial plaque development that further reduces the chances of getting gingivitis and other gum diseases. 

• It helps our mouth oils like menthol, eucalyptol, methyl salicylate, and thymol to dissolve in a better way. 

• The overall rinsing with an alcohol-based mouthwash gives a positive impetus to your oral hygiene and refreshes your breath. 

The Downsides Of Alcohol Mouthwash-

• Ethanol’s concentration of up to 25 percent can cause burning sensations in the mouth and possibly kill every bacteria. And thus, imbalances the whole system. 

• Although, some people enjoy the sensation as it creates the impression of getting your mouth extra clean. However, in reality, ethanol provides a drying effect to your mouth. 

• Additionally, there are some alcohol mouthwashes having chlorine compounds as their substituents. Chlorine is a very acidic salt. It not just kills the germs but can cause tooth staining as well. If someone uses chlorine for long, there are chances of taste buds getting affected. 

Alcohol-Free Mouthwash

Since not hundreds but thousands of mouthwash options are available in the market. Now it is upon you to decide whether to use the old alcohol version or incorporate an alcohol-free version of mouthwash in your daily oral health care realm. People who like burning sensations can opt for the alcohol version. However, others can switch to alcohol-free mouth to have substantive medical benefits. 

However, avoid ethanol-based mouthwash if-

• You are experiencing Xerostomia- Xerostomia or commonly known as dry mouth causes due to low saliva flow. Using ethanol mouthwash will give impetus to xerostomia. Hence, it is advisable to use alcohol-free mouthwash regularly. 

• You have burning mouth syndrome- Alcohol mouthwash creates a burning sensation that can further exacerbate the symptoms of burning mouth syndrome. It may cause several other oral irritations as well. 

• Your gums are sensitive- If you are already using special toothpaste for your sensitive gums, ensure you choose a gentle mouthwash or as directed by your dentist. 

• You are pregnant- No quality of alcohol is safe for any pregnant woman or unborn baby. Hence, make sure to use alcohol-free mouthwash while you are pregnant. 

• You have diabetes- Diabetes causes dry mouth, gum inflammation, and mouth sensitivity which can cause swishing with mouthwash, a painful experience. 

• You share your mouthwash with a child- Alcohol-based mouthwash can be dangerous for children as it can cause extreme illness. Hence, the use of alcohol-free mouthwash would be the best choice for your child. 

• You are recovering alcoholic- Alcohol mouthwash can trigger a relapse for a person you have been recovering from alcohol abuse. It is better to choose an alcohol-free mouthwash for such people.

Types of Alcohol-Free mouthwashes-

Alcohol-free mouthwashes prevent our mouth from getting periodontal diseases, drying, tooth decaying, halitosis, plaque, and tartar growth. They can whiten your teeth as well. Whenever you are choosing alcohol-free mouthwashes, look for the following ingredients:

• Fluoride- It is a naturally occurring mineral. It strengthens our enamels and prevents our teeth from cavities and decay.

• Cetylpyridinium chloride- It is an antiseptic that kills plaque-causing bacteria and other microorganisms. 

• Chlorhexidine gluconate- It has antimicrobial properties that reduce plaque and inhibits gingivitis.

• Hydrogen peroxide- It is also known as carbamide peroxide. It is a bleaching agent that helps whiten the teeth. 

• Natural ingredients- Natural ingredients such as aloe vera have antibacterial and antifungal properties that help fight plaque. 

There is no denying the fact that alcohol-free mouthwashes help in improving the overall dental care regime. But that should never replace flossing and brushing. Always go for a mouthwash that would complement your regular oral health routine. Ask your dentist to get mindful of various alcohol-free mouth rinses options for improving your oral health.