In the Know for You to Know

You know how it is, the day is going great, everyone is happy and everything is going along smoothly.

Then you hear “Mom, my braces are poking me!!”

Now you’re thinking how did this happen and what can I do to fix it?

Today we’re breaking down the basics on how you can handle the pesky pokey braces wire to help give your child some relief.

Braces 101

Archwires, brackets and elastics are the 3 main components of braces.

Brackets are attached to teeth with a tooth colored material which is similar to (but not the same as) a tooth colored filling. Brackets have openings (aka slots) into which the wire fits. The elastics go around the bracket and hold the wire in place.

Why Are The Wires Called Archwires?

The wires are called archwires because your child top teeth make up their top jaw or upper arch, and their lower teeth comprise their bottom jaw or lower arch.

When the wire is placed into the orthodontic brackets on their top jaw this is their upper archwire, and when the wire is placed on their bottom jaw it is their lower archwire.

What Do Archwires Do?

The archwire is the metal wire which connects all the brackets on the teeth together and curves around the teeth from front to back. The wire corrects teeth alignment and other irregularities to reposition and make your child’s teeth straight.

My Child’s Archwire Is Poking Their Cheek, What Should I Do?

You can use a Q-tip to push the wire so that it is flat against the tooth.

If you can’t position the wire so that it’s comfortable position, place a piece of the wax your orthodontist gave you over the wire where it’s poking your child’s cheek.

Then call your orthodontist to let them know and see your child.

What Is Wax For Braces?

Dental wax is usually made from one or a combination of several waxes, mostly beeswax, carnauba wax, and/or paraffin wax.

Dental wax can also be found under a few different names, including tooth wax, braces wax, and orthodontic wax.

The wax can be applied to create a smooth protective barrier between your child’s mouth and the area of the wire that is causing discomfort.

Similarly, dental wax can be an excellent at-home remedy for relief and protection when a wire has come out of a place. Applying a small piece of dental wax can act as a protective barrier until your orthodontist can correct the issue.

How To Use Wax For Braces

First have your child brush their teeth (or you brush their teeth) to make sure the wire itself is clean, especially the part where you’ll be placing the wax.

After brushing, with clean hands gently pull their cheek away from the area where the pokey wire is. They can wiggle their lower jaw to the side where you’ll be placing the wax to allow you to see better.

Take off a new, unused piece of wax about the size of a small green pea and roll it into a ball. Place the wax where the wire is poking out or causing irritation.

The wax should reduce pain or irritation caused by the wire. Make sure to remove the wax when eating or brushing teeth and then reapply new, unused wax as needed or until you see your orthodontist.

Why Do Archwires Become Loose?

Sometimes a wire can break depending on the food your child eats, as their teeth are moved, if they get hit in the mouth while playing sports (and not wearing a mouth guard), or the wires might be too long in the back of their mouth.

Your child may feel a pokey archwire coming in contact with their gums or cheeks. If this happens. the wires can cause small mouth sores or cuts on the gums and cheek, so it’s important to take action right away.

Foods To Avoid With Braces

During the time your child is in braces it is important to use caution when eating certain foods and snacks which put their braces at risk.

So what are these foods that can pop off or dislodge an archwire?

• Anything that is hard, or sticky, or gooey, or chewy,
• Chewing gum,
• Nuts and seeds
• Popcorn
• Want to eat a bagel or an apple? Instead of biting in, cut the food into bitesize pieces and eat on their back teeth.

What To Remember

It is expected during the course of your child’s braces the wires will pull out and cause poking.

These are 3 steps to help you to help your child stay comfortable ~

1. Stay calm and check things out – look in their mouth to see what’s happening. If you can, with a clean finger try to move the wire away from their cheek back towards the teeth.
2. Always keep the small container of orthodontic wax handy. Take a small green pea size amount of wax and roll it with your fingers into a ball and place it over the end of the poky wire,.
3. Never hesitate to call your orthodontist, no matter how many times this may happen.

Remember to remove the wax before eating and brushing, and don’t reuse the wax. Once you remove it you’ll need a new piece of wax.

What’s been your experience with poking wires? Does wax do the trick for comfort until your child’s next orthodontic appointment? How often do poky wires occur? Tell Us, We’d really like to know! Send us an email at kidstoothhotline@proton.me Chat with us and Like Us on Facebook

More tips? We have lots. We’re here just for kids!

In the know for You to Know

As parents we love that cute adorable stage when our child’s teeth are white picket fence perfect.

Then they start losing their baby teeth and their adult teeth start coming in and they don’t look as perfectly positioned. 

When you talk with some other parents they’re saying the same thing but some are making appointments to have their child examined by an orthodontist.

You know your child’s dental check-up is coming up and you think to yourself that you’ll bring it up then. 

Today we’re breaking down the basics on when a child should be evaluated for possible braces. 

Braces Evaluation For Children, Helping Develop A Healthy Smile

For children (and adults) oral health is a window into their overall health.

Potential orthodontic treatment can be an important part of your child’s oral health care. Teeth that are correctly positioned make for confident smiles as well as eating and chewing properly.

Starting Early

The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) recommends children have their first orthodontic evaluation around the age of 7, or when a potential problem is recognized.

It’s important to remember there is a big difference between an orthodontic consultation and actually beginning orthodontic treatment.

So Why Age 7?

This is because around the age of 7 years old, children have a combination of baby teeth and permanent teeth.

An examination with an orthodontist at this age provides a lot of information. If a problem exists, or if one is developing, then the orthodontist can advise you on what treatment is recommended, when it should begin, and estimate how long it will last.

However, if you notice something, it’s not necessary to wait until your child turns 7 years old.

Should Your Child Be Evaluated For Braces? Signs To Check For

The first step is to look inside your child’s mouth.

A few things to look out for ~

• Crooked teeth,
• Too many teeth in a too small mouth,
• Difficulty flossing and brushing,
• Frequently biting the inside of their cheek,
• Jaw discomfort or a clicking sound when chewing or jaw pain upon waking,
• Losing baby teeth early or late,
• Adult teeth coming in early with no room or coming in late,
• Problems with chewing food,
• An underbite, An overbite, A deep bite,
• Mouth breathing,
• Thumb or finger sucking,
• Missing teeth or extra teeth.

3 Reasons Why This Matters

1. Losing Baby teeth either too early or too late can cause problems for the permanent teeth to come into your child’s mouth.
2. How teeth come together is important for the life of the tooth. In what is considered “a good bite” the outside surface of the upper teeth prevent the cheeks from getting caught between the chewing surfaces with the bottom and top back teeth. If the teeth aren’t matched up, this can cause constant cheek biting and prevent a child from wanting to eat.
3. Bite problems can over time also lead to jaw problems such as pain, clicking, popping, or locking.

What Is The Purpose Of Evaluating My Child’s Bite When They’re So Young?

Parents want their child to have healthy teeth and a good bite. To have this means that they need to have 2 things, good tooth alignment and good jaw position.

4 Benefits Of Early Braces Evaluation

1. Starting at an earlier age can help avoid more complicated and lengthy treatments when a child is older.
2. Most children will have a mix of baby teeth and permanent teeth, so the way their permanent teeth come in can be evaluated and potential issues can be addressed such as a cross-bite, crowding, or impacted teeth.
3. Proactive steps can be an advantage for younger children to correct issues as their jaws grow utilizing interceptive treatments such as palatal expanders.
4. A beautiful smile can boost a child’s self-esteem and confidence.

What Will I Learn From A Consultation With An Orthodontist?

The orthodontist will examine your child and discuss with you when it will be best for your child to begin treatment as well as the type of treatment they are recommending.

Each child has their own specific individual treatment needs. For some children starting early when they still have baby teeth may be best for them. Other children may benefit from some extra growing time and waiting until they’ve lost their baby teeth. Some children may wait until they have all their adult teeth to begin braces.

Depending on your child’s needs, they may be evaluated every 6 months or 1 year to watch their growth and development progress to take advantage of their natural growth.

Why Would An Orthodontist Recommend Early Treatment?

Early treatment is a proactive and valuable way to address some issues so they don’t become more involved long term problems.

4 Reasons An Orthodontist May Recommend Early Treatment

1. Create room in a child’s mouth to decrease crowding for adult teeth,
2. Help with facial growth,
3. Preserve space when baby teeth are lost early and adult teeth aren’t ready to come in
4. Decrease trauma risk for protruding top front teeth.

What To Remember

There is a big difference between an orthodontic consultation and actually beginning braces.

An evaluation when your child has a combination of baby teeth and adult teeth doesn’t always mean that they’re getting braces right away. If and/or when treatment is needed, it can begin at the appropriate time for your child.

Do you feel like braces runs in your family? Have you thought to yourself that since you had braces your child will also? Did you want braces as a child but didn’t have them and you want to make sure that your child doesn’t feel the way? Have you thought about getting braces as an adult? Do you have braces now? Tell Us, We’d really like to know! Send us an email at kidstoothhotline@proton.me Chat with us and Like Us on Facebook

More tips? We have lots. We’re her just for kids!

In the Know for You to Know

The 2 questions parents ask most often about their children’s teeth are about braces and cavities.

When asking about braces, we’ll often hear one of two types of questions. Many parents ask if “now” is the time to see the Orthodontist. While many more parents will ask “Isn’t my child too young to start braces?”

The answer is, there is a lot that goes into recommending when to first see the Orthodontist.

What Does The Orthodontist Say?

The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that every child have an orthodontic evaluation by the age of 7.

Does This Mean We’re Ready To Start Braces?

An evaluation does not mean that your child will start braces immediately. Depending on your child’s growth and development, braces may or may not be indicated for several years.

The evaluation gives the Orthodontist a chance to examine your child, and discuss with you their growth pattern, the next steps and when to begin treatment.

What is Early Treatment?

Early treatment is also called Interceptive Orthodontics or Phase 1 treatment.

In this phase, the emphasis is on growth; specifically your child’s growth pattern.

The Orthodontist is interested in the position and symmetry of the jaws, future growth, spacing of the baby teeth, breathing and other oral habits which can, over a period of time affect your child’s dental and facial development.

When Is Early Treatment Recommended?

Early treatment may be recommended for —

• Habits such as tongue thrusting or thumb sucking
• A constricted airway due to enlarged adenoids or tonsils
• Mouth breathing or snoring problems
• A bad bite
• Narrow or underdeveloped jaws
• Space maintenance (if there are any missing teeth)

Treatment in this phase of development does not necessitate or eliminate the need for future orthodontic treatment.

Remember this phase is all about how your child grows.

If There is Phase 1, Is There A Phase 2?

In the second phase, the Orthodontist will be looking at how your child’s teeth and jaws fit and come together.

Teeth will be straightened and their bite (aka occlusion) is properly aligned. Attention is given to their jaw joint (TMJ), their facial profile and gum tissues.

What To Remember

You want your child to have their best smile. While some children may need braces sooner than others, there is no exact age on when to start; and each child needs their own distinct treatment protocol.

An evaluation by an Orthodontist is valuable because it helps identify and address dentofacial issues early, putting your child on the path to their healthy beautiful smile.

Did you have braces? Does your child have braces? or, Are you about to start braces? What questions do you have? Tell us, We’d really like to know! Send us an email to kidstoothhotline@protonmail.me Like Us or Chat with us on
Facebook at facebook.com/kidstoothhotline

More tips? We have lots. We’re here just for kids!