How Does Invisalign Work?

Many of us aren’t born with a perfect set of teeth. Maybe there are gaps in between teeth, or they are misaligned. While they want straighter teeth, they do not want the unsightly metal braces, thank you very much.

Thankfully, the times are gone when the only way to get straight teeth was to wear those painful metal brackets for years. Today, we have clear aligners that can get the job done more effectively and quickly. Invisalign is transparent, so your friends won’t even be able to tell if you’re wearing anything at all. In about a year, you will have the ideal teeth!

Sounds too good to be true? Understand how it works, and you will further consider ditching those metal braces and turn to clear aligners forever.

How Invisalign Helps You Get Straighter Teeth?

Invisalign isn’t a miracle. It is crafted with care and is extremely effective – more so than metal braces, we would say. It even solves more dental problems than traditional braces. It doesn’t hurt at all, it lets you see the results beforehand, and there are no regular dental visits. Does it get any better than this? Let’s see how this works.

First, you get a consultation with an Invisalign-authorized dentist. Not every dentist or orthodontist is equipped with the knowledge and experience to deal with Invisalign, so you must go to one who has attended Invisalign training sessions. Ascertain whether Invisalign will work for the problems you are looking to fix. You can also ask about the price of Invisalign treatment as well as the timelines of the treatment.

If your consultation goes well, the orthodontist will order a dental scan that is used to map out your teeth and the problems you have. Invisalign braces are custom-fit; the dental scans help them make special Invisalign aligners for you specifically.

You will be issued multiple trays of the invisible aligners. Each will be manufactured to make your teeth a little straighter than before. Your teeth will gradually move towards the perfect position 0.25 mm at a time per tray. When you run out of trays, and your treatment plan comes to its end, your teeth will be as straight as you want them to be.

How to Use Invisalign?

Using Invisalign is a hassle-free experience. The Invisalign-approved dentist will issue you trays of aligners that you can simply pop into your mouth. The aligners will fit perfectly as they are literally made for you. You can also pop the aligners out when you’re eating, so the nightmare of getting food stuck in your braces will never be an issue anymore.

You need minimal interference from your dentist during this time. You can simply visit the dental office when you need to refill your trays. Since the entire process is so easy, you can change your aligners at home. The changing process is convenient and effortless.

However, the onus of the treatment working is on you. Since the aligners are not stuck permanently to your teeth, you are responsible for putting them in and letting them work their magic.

Holistic Dentistry in Durango, CO specializes in providing Invisalign treatments to their patients. If you want straighter teeth and a more beautiful smile, get Invisalign aligners today.

Everything You Need To Know Before Getting Braces

Getting braces is a big decision. Braces can work wonders to correct and straighten your teeth, but they are not a quick fix. They take time and gently push the teeth into the correct or desired position. If you are going to get braces, you must know that they are going to be your companion for a long time. This could range from between 6 months to multiple years, depending on the condition of your teeth. Your dentist could better guide you about how long your braces would need to stay on.

Getting braces fixed can be a daunting thought. Even as adults, the thought of getting wires and brackets attached to your teeth can seem scary. Even with the use of anesthesia and pain killers, the pain is considerably reduced, the fear of the braces remains.

One way to prepare yourself better and beat the fear of getting braces is to read up on it. The more you know, the less you’ll fear.

Get Dental Work Done Beforehand

You might have a dentist visit due before getting braces. Get your teeth cleaning done, and make sure any wisdom teeth are out of the way, so they don’t mess with your braces.

Expect Some Pain

We’re not going to lie – the process will hurt. But don’t worry, your dentist will give you something for pain management. The pain will subside in a few days, though.

Brushing Your Teeth Will Be a Task

The hardest part about having braces is perhaps the effort you have to put into brushing your teeth. Your regular toothbrushes won’t work now, and you will have to be very careful not to disturb the braces while brushing. Ask your dentist to guide you about how to brush.

Adjust Your Diet

Oh, the horror of getting food stuck in your braces. You will have to avoid certain types of food for the duration of the braces. Food that can get stubbornly stuck in your braces must be avoided at all costs, including sticky foods like candies and caramels. Other foods that require you to yank should also be avoided as they can dislodge the braces.

Improves Your Oral Health

Braces don’t just improve the appearance of your teeth but also your overall health. It can help align jaws, helping you achieve greater oral health.

Be Committed To the Progress of Your Teeth

Getting braces is a commitment. You will have to diligently avoid foods, keep a check, and clean your teeth responsibly meanwhile. You will also have to keep up with dentist appointments and follow their instructions to get the optimal results.

If you are ready to get your braces done, get in touch with the professionals at Holistic Dentistry Durango, CO and get a beautiful new smile today.

The Choice Between Invisalign and Traditional Braces

Not everyone is born with a straight, perfectly photogenic set of teeth. In fact, most people have crooked or uneven teeth. Though this in no way diminishes your beauty, if you want to have ideal teeth, there are many options available today to let you get those results and transform your teeth. Though the results are not instant, they are pretty great. Two such methods of teeth straightening are traditional braces and Invisalign.

What are metal braces?

Traditionally, braces were used by many to straighten their teeth. They are still widely used today, but there are other options available too now. Braces are metal brackets of wires that go on your teeth. They are glued to the teeth and encourage movement so the teeth can naturally move into the desired position and angle. Traditional braces are sturdy and give great results when worn for the recommended duration of time.

What is Invisalign?

Invisalign is a more modern orthodontic solution for teeth straightening. Invisalign is a clear teeth aligner and is quickly replacing traditional braces. These aligners are removable and clear, making them perfect for adults. Invisalign is gaining more and more popularity as it offers many other benefits over traditional metal braces.

Invisalign vs metal braces

The day is not far when all traditional braces will be replaced by Invisalign because of its superior quality and greater aesthetics. Here is how the two compare:

Metal braces hurt. They are painful to install and remove. Often, a wire pokes out of the metal bracket and pokes into the gums and mouth, making it a very unpleasant experience for most. Invisalign, on the other hand, is custom-made for each patient and is fitted perfectly on their teeth. There is absolutely no pain involved, and that in itself is what gets most people sold on the idea.

Replacing or readjusting metal braces cannot be done on your own. You need to visit a dentist who can do it for you, which is inconvenient. On the other hand, the patient can change Invisalign aligners on their own. A tray of the aligners is provided to the patient, and they can change the aligners themselves as recommended by the dentist, resulting in fewer dental appointments.

Many find metal braces unappealing. Traditional braces do tend to be prominent, and many hesitate to get a set of metal brackets on their teeth. With Invisalign, you don’t have to worry about hiding your smile. Since Invisalign is clear and custom-fitted to your teeth, others around you probably won’t even be able to tell there’s anything different.

Invisalign, however, is costlier than traditional braces, and that is perhaps one of the biggest reasons people are still opting for metal braces. It requires initial appointments, x-rays, and a custom-made set of aligners just for you, driving the price up.

If you have the budget, you must try out Invisalign. You will get straighter teeth without getting unattractive and distasteful metal brackets on your teeth. Contact Holistic Dentistry in Durango, CO. There you will get the Invisalign treatment so that you can start on your journey towards getting the perfect set of teeths.

Benefits Of Wearing Dental Crowns

Problematic or damaged teeth may need repairing and would require crowns to restore them. Dental crowns are cap-like prosthetic restorations made out of composite resin or dental ceramic material. For teeth that suffer from damage or breakage, crowns act as the perfect remedy to restore shape, size, and mouth function. It covers the entire teeth protecting your restored teeth from any further damage.

By using the latest technology in the market, our dentists would craft customized porcelain crowns that would suit your needs.

Dental crowns restore dental damage

Both adults and children are equally susceptible to suffering from dental damage. Often such injury may not be severe, but in cases when they are, your dentist may advise teeth-replacing options such as crowns.

Dental crowns don’t stain

Your custom-build crowns are shaped and designed to look just like your natural teeth. Generally, natural enamel stain when patients often consume coffee or tea. However, ceramic or porcelain crowns don’t stain. To ensure that the color of restored enamel precisely matches the shade of the remaining teeth and appear uniform, the dentist may advise a teeth whitening procedure.

Dental crowns are metal-free

Holistic Dentist in Durango, CO always ensure to use a special non-metallic, durable, and enamel-mimicking material to design and manufacture your custom-crowns. Metal-free crowns are known to be more successful than those with metal.

Crowns last a life-time

Dental crowns are built to last. However, in some instances, crowns may break or chip away due to constant use. Hence, in the long run, they would need to be replaced.

Dental crowns can be embedded with implants

Missing teeth may reduce your confidence preventing you from consuming food that you enjoy. With implants and crowns, they can replace missing teeth structures. Dental implants are the most effective method of replacing your lost teeth as they act as strong roots. Implants can be used with crowns or with dentures.

Are your child’s teeth protected on the cricket field?

This back to school season, kids are excited about new classes and subjects. With Cricket World Cup going on, kids are more likely to play cricket both in school teams or outside their houses. With all this in the picture, it is just the right time to consider mouthguards. Wherever they play, protect your children with mouth guards. The dental institutions in collaboration with cricket academies have introduced a new mouthguard safety scheme for school-going children, keeping in mind their safety, for use within schools as well as cricket clubs.

This policy aims to promote advanced safety practices in cricket for children by encouraging the use of mouthguards for all cricket events that are to take place. The schools and clubs that have implemented this policy will be following a strict ‘No Mouthguard, No Play’ policy and thereby, children who do not use the mouthguard, will not be permitted to participate or play in any of the cricket events.

While schools and cricket clubs are at liberty to adopt the policy, dentists across the country are encouraging the rest of the educational and cricket institutes to embrace the policy so as to mitigate the risk of dental related injuries and prevent any serious harm from occurring to children.

Children who do not wear a custom-fitted mouthguard while playing cricket are at potential risk for damaged and dislodged teeth, broken jaws and cut lips, causing painful, expensive and possibly life-long dental injuries. To minimise the potential damage that can occur to the mouth or face when playing these sports, wearing a mouthguard during training and game time is highly recommended.

Since boil-and-bite mouthguards tend to offer less protection from contact on the field, it is highly recommended that your child is given a custom-fitted mouth guard to ensure maximum protection. Over-the-counter mouthguards are acceptable for use within the policy guidelines.

Dental injuries could cost you a great expense, a lot of time due to their prolonged treatment time, and in some cases, might cause permanent damage to the person. Hence, it is essential that you invest in a mouthguard for your child, which promises to offer complete protection to their teeth, gums, and jaw.

You will be able to buy the custom-fitted mouth guards through your dentist, who will first take an impression of your kid’s teeth to mould a mouth guard that fits their teeth perfectly. If you are planning to get your child a custom-made mouthguard, then you can consider Holistic Dentistry in Durango, CO so that you will receive the best care for all your oral hygiene-related issues from their experienced doctors.

Teeth Grinding – Causes, Effects, And Management

https://modernsmiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Do-Clear-Aligners-Actually-Work.jpeg — Teeth Grinding – Causes, Effects, And Management

Have you ever found yourself clenching, grinding, or gnashing your teeth without even realising? Yes, that is what is commonly known as Teeth Grinding or Bruxism. Most of us do this from time to time. While some do it in their sleep, others do it when they are wide awake.

People do not usually realise that they are grinding their teeth as they are in deep sleep. Their partner is the one who hears the grinding noises in the night and is often the first to notice the condition. And for children who sleep with their parents, their parents may see this grinding manoeuvre in their child. Teeth grinding is in many cases a result of stress. For example, you may find yourself grinding or clenching your teeth when you are anyways trying hard to focus or anxious about something or someone.

What Are The Symptoms of Teeth Grinding?

Signs and symptoms of teeth grinding include:

Headache, jaw joint or ear pain
Grinding sounds while the person is asleep
Aching or stiffness in the jaws while chewing, especially during breakfast
Aching teeth, particularly just after waking up
Aching or stiffness of the face and forehead just after waking up
Tooth indentations on the tongue
Clenching the jaw when angry, concentrating, or anxious
Teeth sensitivity to temperature
Cracked or chipped tooth enamel
Raised tissue on the inside of the cheek due to friction from excessive biting
Loose teeth

What Are The Effects Of Teeth Grinding?

The following are the potential effects of Bruxism:

Cracked or fractured tooth enamel at multiple spots
Wear and tear fn the teeth which are far above normal rates
Strain on the jaw joint (temporomandibular joint)
Broken teeth or broken restorations such as fillings
Sore jaw muscles
Pain in the jaw joint with restricted jaw movement
Enlargement of the jaw muscles
Tooth loss; in advanced stages
Tooth sensitivity to hot and cold things

What Are The Causes Of Teeth Grinding?

The cause of Bruxism may either be due to biological (e.g. genetics), psychological (e.g. personality traits), or external factors such as caffeine, smoking, alcohol and some drugs. Your dentist or other oral health professionals can examine the influence of these factors.

Bruxism is also common in children. However, it is not generally a damaging habit which would require treatment as their teeth and jaws are in the development stage. Further, most kids outgrow the condition by the time they reach their teenage.

What Is The Treatment For Teeth grinding?

You should consult with Holistic Dentist in Durango, CO if you find yourself often grinding or clenching your teeth. They will take a thorough look at your teeth and recommend you the possible treatment options that may include:

Repair of Tooth Damage.
A custom-made mouthguard (‘bite splint’) is fabricated which is to be worn at night while sleeping so that you grind on the mouthguard and not the teeth.

However, in most cases, this technique will only help with the symptoms and will not stop you from grinding altogether.

Is Dental Flossing Essential?

https://citizensustainable.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/woman-using-dental-floss-2000x1200.jpg — Is Dental Flossing Essential?

Most people consider flossing an option when it comes to oral health habits. It sounds like an addition to brushing your teeth. Although flossing is an addition to brushing, it is definitely not optional. On the contrary, you might have heard your dentist recommending you to brush twice a day and floss every day, every time you go for your checkup. While most people neglect to floss, some understand its importance and make sure to floss daily. Flossing after a meal can help improve your oral hygiene and also clean your mouth.

Benefits of Flossing

Flossing reduces Bad Breath

For those who have bad breath, you might have tried all the common tricks in the book. Well, the easiest way to get rid of it is to floss every day. Although brushing your teeth twice a day or using mouthwash helps, bad breath is usually caused by the soft & hard tartar that builds up. Brushing helps remove tartar deposits mainly on the flatter surfaces, but flossing helps remove tartar from the gums and in between the teeth. Those people with bad breath who start flossing regularly will be able to notice the changes in the smell of their breath soon and would realize that the bad breath has reduced.

Flossing reduces the risk of Respiratory Diseases

Your mouth is directly connected to the organs of your body, which is the gateway for food going to the digestive system easily. However, it can turn out to be a serious issue when the bacteria from your mouth travel to the respiratory system. Flossing regularly can eliminate bacteria that cause pneumonia and bronchitis.

Flossing can prevent Heart Diseases

One of the major problems that occur without regular flossing is bleeding gums, which is a sign of Gingivitis. This leads to attacks on organs due to bacteria entering your bloodstream. This can eventually lead to blood clots or heart diseases. Hence, flossing is an effective solution to reduce the risks of heart diseases.

Flossing is one of the easiest and highly effective ways to get rid of the food-stuff stuck between the teeth. Furthermore, flossing regularly can help reduce respiratory ailments, heart diseases, diabetes, bad breath, and gingivitis as well. It also keeps your teeth clean. At Holistic Dentistry in Durango, CO, you will receive the best care for all your oral hygiene-related issues from their experienced doctors.

Why does my dentist ask if I smoke?

Smoking impacts your oral health more evidently as compared to many other habits. There are a number of issues which are related to smoking. Dentists often ask if you smoke because

Smoking can influence the outcomes of various dental treatments
It may be the reason behind certain diseases in your mouth
Smoking, in general, is not a healthy habit to practice. But it first upsets your oral health before it starts disturbing your general health

Some of the common concerns if you smoke are:

Smoking is one of the Leading causes of tooth loss: Smoking is a leading cause of tooth loss. It reduces the flow of saliva in the mouth. Reduced saliva means dry mouth which means less fluid to flush clean the food and bacteria from the mouth. When there is reduced saliva, there is an increased number of gum diseases and decay which inevitably leads to tooth loss.

Delayed healing: Smoking impacts blood flow and normal function of the mouth. When there is reduced blood flow, there is a lesser availability of clotting factors. When a person who smokes has any kind of oral surgery like tooth extraction, gum surgery or implant surgery. The healing of the injury takes a longer period. Sometimes it may not heal properly and the dentist needs to prescribe aids to heal it. For Implant surgeries, smoking can influence the success rate of implants.

Increased tartar builds up: Smoking leads to increased buildup of tartar and plaque on the teeth. Even regular brushing doesn’t reduce hard tartar deposits. Increased tartar in the mouth causes bad breath and also impacts the appearance of the person.

Gum diseases: Due to increased tartar build-up, there is increased vulnerability of gums to bleed. Bleeding gums is the first stage of gum disease. If the person doesn’t stop smoking, it furthers the disease process and multiplies the destruction of gums around the teeth. When gums are destroyed, the tooth becomes mobile. If not attended timely, mobile teeth are usually routed to extraction.

Oral cancer: Smoking doesn’t only cause lung cancer, it is also a leading cause of oral cancers. Oral cancer is the deadliest of cancers because there is an increased number of people who die due to it. It is one of the most common cancers in India due to a large number of people who smoke.

White lesions: Smoking also causes other oral diseases such as leukoplakia which are white patches or lesions of the skin or the soft tissues. Leukoplakia and other oral diseases can also change into cancer cells.

Yellow teeth: Smoking changes the teeth color and causes yellowish to brownish stains on the teeth which makes a person highly conscious of their smiles.

Holistic Dentist in Durango, CO can always tell when you are lying about smoking, after seeing the condition of your mouth. It is always better to quit smoking for good health and a brighter smile.

Why should I replace my missing teeth?

A person can lose teeth due to many reasons. Decay, trauma, injury, loosening of the teeth, gum disease, etc are the major factors contributing to tooth loss. When a single tooth is lost, no one thinks of the consequences. But it can lead to loss of other teeth as well if it is not replaced timely.

Why should I replace my missing teeth?

Reduced chewing capacity: A single missing tooth can reduce your chewing ability. Also, when you chew, the bone under your teeth gets stimulated. When this stimulation is lost, there is shrinkage of the bone as well as supporting muscles. When bone under one tooth shrinks it also affects the overlying gums. This again manifests as shrinkage affecting the support system of the adjacent teeth too.

Change facial appearance: Reduction of bone affects the appearance of the face. When bone shrinks, the skin over it becomes loose and the formation of wrinkles at the corners of lips begins to occur. The greater the number of teeth missing, the greater the bone loss and the greater its impact on your appearance.

Spacing in teeth: The fact that a common man doesn’t notice, is that teeth have some innate potential of movement in them. When space is left behind by a missing tooth, then the adjacent teeth start tilting towards the space to cover it. This movement is not noticed until it progresses to the development of visible spaces between related teeth causing food accumulation. When there is no stop to the tooth opposite of the missing space, then it starts growing and moving downwards making it weaker.

Food buildup: Nextly, as the food starts accumulating in the spaces created by the movement of the teeth and missing space it becomes less amenable to routine brushing. Food accumulation means greater bulk of the bacteria to attack and cause cavities and gum diseases in the mouth leading to bad odor.

Nutritional deficiency: Development of space and missing teeth leads to difficulty in eating all types of food. It may lead to reduced consumption of the necessary nutrients and affect overall health.

The mouth is the gateway of the body. When your oral system is disabled, your body follows suit. To avoid all such concerns, replacing a missing tooth as early as possible is advised. One missing teeth can pave a way to other teeth being decayed, loosened and eventually lost.

How can I replace my missing teeth?

When you visit our dentists at Top Notch Dental clinic, we will advise you on the best options for your missing teeth. We will examine your oral health and general health before doing the treatment best suited for your teeth and health.

Some of the treatment options to replace a missing tooth are:

Dental implants: the most popular and significant treatment option for replacing missing teeth. It is suited for all age groups ranging from a single tooth implant to a complete prosthesis.

Fixed partial dentures: it can replace single or multiple teeth and often viable for many years. It takes support from the adjacent teeth.

Dentures: When few or all teeth are missing in the mouth of an individual, removable dentures can also be used to replace them.

Visit Holistic Dentistry in Durango, CO to get the best advice and treatment for your missing teeth from their efficient dentists.

Braces for A Better Smile

A lovely smile knows no age limit. Many adults today are reaching out to dentists for braces or orthodontic treatment because they have missed a beautiful smile as children. They now comprise 50 percent of the orthodontic patients — a significant jump from earlier decades. Today’s orthodontic patient has a lot more choices for braces than he or she ever had. Get familiar with your alternatives for orthodontics as an adult and why you shouldn’t put off treatment because you are a grown-up.

Braces Help – Your Oral Health

Many people recognize that braces help in transforming irregularly aligned teeth into an aesthetic arrangement for a pleasant smile. But not every person knows that braces can help improve your overall oral well-being. If your teeth are crowded, they become a lot more difficult to brush and maintain. There are places on such teeth which will not be amenable to the reach of a toothbrush. Thus, it becomes hard for a brush to clean all surfaces of your teeth. Resultantly, flossing is considerably harder for misaligned teeth. If plaque is not properly cleaned from the tooth, it can lead to some type of tooth decay or gum disease.

Straighter teeth are a lot simpler to clean and they take less time. As our experts have suggested brushing your teeth at any rate two times every day to expel plaque which has the potential to erode your tooth enamel. Patients ought to likewise floss once every day. So, all these tasks are easy to do when your teeth are straight and they can be cleaned without an additional effort.

Correcting Bite – Alignment

Having well-founded bite and alignment is basis for speech and function. We frequently treat children for bite and arrangement issues, as these are more quickly and effectively correctable when an individual is young and the jaw is forming. For youngsters, we take extraordinary consideration to make sure that the upper and lower jaws line up with each other in maintainable and muscle-joint friendly states.

An off base alignment can put you in danger of chipping or breaking teeth later throughout life and can negatively influence your capacity to talk, eat, chew and bite accurately. If not treated, it can injure surrounding tissues of teeth like gums and periodontal ligaments; or the supporting structures which include muscles and jaw joints. Excessive force while biting can make teeth lose, painful and prone to fracture.

Invisible braces like Invisalign

There are around 4.5 million people that get orthodontic treatment by braces every year. 25% of those patients are grown-ups. Truth be told, every year an ever-increasing number of adults opt for braces. The main reason for this uptrend is the increasing knowledge about good oral health, hygiene and the availability of options like Invisalign. Invisalign, as the name suggests is an invisible or transparent brace that can be removed by the patients if and when required. With Invisalign, your colleagues may never know that you are using braces. They will only notice your changed smile after the treatment.

There are numerous advantages of getting adult braces. You can improve your oral well being and decrease your incidence of tooth decay and gum infection while getting the perfect smile. Visit Specialists team at Holistic Dentistry in Durango, CO for the prompt and best treatment for an appealing smile!