At the commencement of your treatment and throughout, our team will provide you with advice and tools to maintain good oral hygiene. You will also be encouraged to continue seeing your general dentist for routine checks and cleans.
If the necessary steps are not adequately followed and your teeth or orthodontic device are not kept clean, your oral and dental health may decline, and this may cause bad breath, staining, tooth decay, gingivitis and gum disease.
Elastics are small clear rubber bands commonly used throughout orthodontic treatment to assist in various types of bite correction. Placed on small hooks attached to your braces (from the top arch of teeth to the bottom), they use gentle pressure to guide the upper and lower jaw into alignment.
Elastics are only temporarily attached and will need to be removed to eat and clean your teeth. As such, you will need to replace them when necessary and will be provided with small packets of multiple elastics. Instructions and a demonstration will be provided to you to ensure you have the correct technique.
Elastics will be prescribed by your orthodontist if necessary for your treatment, and may be required for Invisalign treatment. However, they are not necessary for all orthodontic cases.
Yes. The metal in braces (both conventional metal and clear) is a mix which includes nickel. Nickel allergies are often something that the sufferer is aware of from mild reactions to jewellery, eye glass frames, and other everyday items. The reaction is most commonly a dermatitis like rash of the skin nearby. We will ask you about allergies and your medical history at your first visit, and will plan your treatment to suit your needs.
Braces are designed to move the teeth through gentle tension. With each “adjustment” of your braces, Dr David Austin will be encouraging the teeth to make a movement according to your treatment plan. When the braces are first placed, and after the subsequent adjustment visits, they will feel tight, and you may feel tension in the areas where the movement is being encouraged.
This is normal and may only be noticeable for a short period of time. This feeling might be achey, but it should not be “painful”.
As with any new orthodontic appliance, there is a short stage of adjustment as your tongue and lips get used to having something new nearby. While you may experience temporary changes to oral movements and pronunciation, these are minimal with conventional metal braces and ceramic braces, and you will adjust to them very quickly. However, the adjustment phase and temporary changes to speech can be more pronounced with internal (lingual) braces, as they sit a little more in the way of your tongue.
You will likely come in every 4-6 weeks during treatment with braces, although this will depend on your treatment plan and the stage at which you are in the plan. At these visits, your braces will be “adjusted” in any number of ways to encourage movement and development in accordance with your treatment plan.
Orthodontic treatment (whether you have braces, Invisalign or another appliance) should not impact playing sport. However, we strongly recommend you use a re-mouldable sports mouthguard to prevent injury or damage to your mouth, teeth or the orthodontic appliance.
For more information, see Patients in Treatment.
If you have been instructed to use elastics for bite correction and one of the metal anchoring buttons has fallen off, please discontinue using the elastics for now. We can address this at your next appointment and the button can very easily be replaced, if necessary.
If you have been instructed to use elastics for bite correction and one of the metal anchoring buttons has fallen off, please discontinue using the elastics for now. We can address this at your next appointment and the button can very easily be replaced, if necessary.
If a bracket breaks, comes away or is loose on your wire, it is best to leave the braces as they are. If the bracket or wire is causing irritation, you can place wax over the area for now. When placing wax, use a cloth or face towel to dry the area, then gently press a small piece of wax onto the area using light pressure. This will create a smooth surface to minimise irritation, and it may also be used to stabilise a bracket that is loose on the wire until your next appointment.
Most of the time, a broken bracket can wait until your next appointment and can be managed at home using the above methods. However, please call us when this happens, to ensure you have the best advice for your situation and treatment.
If your wire is poking into your gums or cheeks and causing you discomfort, please call us as this is very easily fixed and we can arrange an appointment for you to have your wire trimmed in no time.
If attending the clinic is inconvenient for you or you are looking for a temporary fix, you can apply some wax to the area. Its best to dry the area with a cloth or towel to help the wax stick, roll a small amount of the wax and press it directly onto the area using light pressure.
If your wire is poking into your gums or cheeks and causing you discomfort, please call us as this is very easily fixed and we can arrange an appointment for you to have your wire trimmed in no time.
If attending the clinic is inconvenient for you or you are looking for a temporary fix, you can apply some wax to the area. Its best to dry the area with a cloth or towel to help the wax stick, roll a small amount of the wax and press it directly onto the area using light pressure.
Please do not panic, this is not a dental emergency and can wait until your next appointment with your orthodontist. If you are still feeling concerned or experiencing irritation of any soft tissue in your mouth, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Braces are designed to move the teeth through gentle tension. With each “adjustment” of your braces, Dr David Austin will be encouraging the teeth to make a movement according to your treatment plan. When the braces are first placed, and after the subsequent adjustment visits, they will feel tight, and you may feel tension in the areas where the movement is being encouraged. This is normal and may only be noticeable for a short period of time. This feeling might be achey, but it should not be “painful”.
You will likely come in every 4-6 weeks during treatment with braces, although this will depend on your treatment plan and the stage at which you are in the plan. At these visits, your braces will be “adjusted” in any number of ways to encourage movement and development in accordance with your treatment plan.