My job is to concentrate on the maintenance of my lingual braces day-to-day, keep them clean and my teeth healthy. If you’re considering braces, you’re in good company: The American Association of Orthodontics reported a 92.5% growth in orthodontic patients in 2021) . “My practice has had more adults come in for teeth alignment issues than orthodontists have seen in past decades. It's a trend that has been rising for the past ten years,” says Bruce Tasios, DDS, MDSc, and an orthodontist in private practice in Ontario, Canada. This part of the guide is in case something is wrong, whether it be the sharp edge of an aligner poking into you, broken aligners, etc.. Both the toothpaste and mouthwash are designed specifically for those with orthodontic appliances. They care for your teeth and come in a mint and apple flavour, which is designed to taste and feel mild so that they don't sting sensitive gums or any sore areas on the tongue. Anything which can damage teeth or aligners if applied for too long: As for what this might be in particular? I don’t know. But don’t drink anything which could damage teeth or aligners with prolonged exposure, as your aligners will capture and hold some of whatever you drink, holding it in your mouth on your teeth and as a pool in the aligners.

Just had some lingual braces put on my bottom row. Have the same issue with the 1mm of spare wire catching the side of my tongue and causing little cuts. Does the tongue 'toughen up', oral version of calluses or just learn to avoid that part of the brace? When you are wearing your aligners you should never eat. This can break your aligners, hurt your teeth, or damage your aligners in other ways. And with your aligners on you are recommended to drink nothing but water, but not hot water, as hot water can deform aligners, too “warm” of water may even,too. So be carefulAnd a thing to note, sometimes when I drink things like certain juices, they really irritate my gums due to what I can assume to be citris, or acids from the juice being trapped in my aligners. So be careful with that. But that may just be me. And the most important thing. Know your options, and make sure SDC is a good fit for you. Your life probably doesn’t rely on getting your teeth as straight as possible as soon as possible and for the cheapest price. You do not want to make whimsical decision when it comes to potentially life altering choices like this. SDC is most probably revertible without problem. But it does cost money in the first place. And you want to make a choice you will be happy with. And while it’s not my place to say, if your issues are purely self-conscious. Then maybe work on that without having to spend the cash. One thing to note is that you can also certainly get an SDC plan if you have a bite, or other issue (dependant), just do not expect it to be fixed more than crooked teeth. Alcohol: I don’t drink, nor have I heard of any cases of someone drinking with their aligners in, so I wouldn’t know. But I’d say probably not, though this probably varies on the alcohol itself.

Gishy Goo! is expensive, so I wouldn't recommend using it all the time, but when you have a really sore spot, it offers incredible relief. Use breath freshener spray

Customer reviews

Are you a good fit for SDC? Well, that isn’t necessarily up to me. However, I can give you information to help you decide for yourself. Keep in mind that if you don’t mind not getting the most out of your money, you can feel free to use SDC regardless of how minor the straightening issue. There are many products available that you will come across and even though we only recommend these few. The above listed have however been tried and tested. Trust us, we have tried and tested many products for alternative to orthodontic wax, and unfortunately they are not as user-friendly or as long lasting as we would have hoped them to be.

I haven't had a lot of pain with lingual braces, but there is sometimes an issue with them catching on my tongue and causing little cuts and sores, especially in the first few weeks. Chewies: These, similar to my outie tool, I have only used about one time. They are these cute little cylinder-esc shaped pieces of...chewable things. Anyways, you would generally slip your aligners on over your teeth as best you can, and then pop your chewies into your mouth and chew on them (who would’ve guessed it), this is to make sure your aligners are fitting their tightest. Although I only really suggest using them the first few times, because afterwards you can just learn to press down hard enough on your aligners to the point where they make them fight as tight as they can go. You save your chewies after every use, after, you rinse them off with water, I suggest only putting one in your mouth at a time though. If you are not a fan of wax or you have run out of orthodontic wax, there are some clever substitutes you can use for the time being until you can get your hands on some orthodontic wax. You'll need to use a good quality toothpaste with the correct fluoride content according to your orthodontist's advice. Once you've completed your dental cleaning routine, it's usually best to finish off by rinsing with a mouthwash to remove any loose particles and give an extra dose of fluoride.

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Sugary foods can damage your tooth enamel irreparably and what's the point of working so hard to get straight teeth, only to have them full of cavities. Emily Leary. Chef. Multi-award-winning food writer, presenter and photographer. Author of bestselling book, "Get Your Kids to Eat Anything". My dentist advises against having any fizzy drinks at all and suggests that if you must have a sweet treat, that you try to have a piece of cheese afterwards to neutralise it, and brush your teeth soon after, as normal. Take your time to clean your teeth properly

It will hurt. The first time I put on my aligners I thought to myself “I really can’t do this if it’s all going to be like this”. However, I waited a few hours and the pain all but disappeared. From that point on all my new sets still applied a lot of pressure, I was just less surprised, and it did hurt a lot less. My point is. When you start. It may be intense. However it really isn’t too bad. Just be prepared. There are also remedies for the discomfort. But also, as goes with putting your aligners on for the first time before bed, you can always do this with any pair which is causing you discomfort. Just wait until you're going to bed, and take some Tylenol beforehand if you need. Tylenol. because it is not Anti-Inflammatory. Anti-Inflammatory medications can slow tooth movement. ( https://orthodonticassoc.com/braces/pain-relievers-effect-tooth-movement/)

Being specially trained, and with advanced equipment, they can provide an intense clean of my teeth and the lingual braces, removing any plaque build-up. Simply squeeze a pea-size amount from the syringe, mix for 10 seconds, and place over the appliance. There is no messy cleanup and Gishy Goo material will stay in place for up to 12 hours! You don't have to live on a diet of soup (although you might want to in the first week when your teeth feel wobbly!) but you do have to be sensible and that means changing your diet for the duration of your treatment. Don’t be afraid to consult the subreddit. We may not be as big as some other aligner based subs, but we’ll get the job done. Don’t be afraid to make a post asking any questions which you may have, giving us some updates, and so on. We’re a little white-knighty and strange, but we’re here for you.