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Dr. Kathleen Chan and Dr. Ivy Chen and our team at Chan & Chen Orthodontics know that for some of our patients wearing braces, it can be difficult to weave through those wires and brackets as you brush and floss during your treatment.

Some of our patients use a water pick to flush out food and other particles and bacteria stuck between their teeth as the water can reach behind the metal wires and hit spots where your floss simply cannot reach. People suffering from gum disease also find water picks quite effective because of their ability to flush out bacteria from inside the deep pockets.

Water picks are friendly to braces and are also gentle on the gums. They are less likely to cause bleeding for people with sensitive teeth or gums. But as many benefits as they may have, Dr. Kathleen Chan and Dr. Ivy Chen and our team want you to know that water picks should never be used as a substitute for flossing. Though they are great tools for helping improve oral health while you are in treatment, they are just not a good enough tool on their own to keep your mouth and gums gingivitis- and decay-free. Water picks are also incapable of removing plaque from teeth as effectively as floss can. While water picks rinse the sticky bacteria off your teeth, flossing is actually more effective as it actually scrapes the bacteria off of your pearly whites.

If you have any questions about water picks or any general questions or concerns about your orthodontic treatment, we encourage you to please ask us below or give us a call!

If you’ve been hiding your smile because you have crooked teeth or gaps between your teeth, it’s time to consider orthodontic treatment with Dr. Kathleen Chan and Dr. Ivy Chen. Preparing for treatment is an important part of getting the smile you want.

Basic exams

The first step of preparation is the examination. An oral exam and X-rays taken at our office are necessary to identify potential problems and ensure the right steps are taken to prepare for orthodontic treatment at Chan & Chen Orthodontics.

Dr. Kathleen Chan and Dr. Ivy Chen will first examine your teeth and take X-rays to determine if it is necessary to extract any teeth or additional work is necessary before braces are possible. You will be prepared for the next step of treatment after your exam is complete and potential problems are identified.

Model for bite

The next step in preparing for orthodontic is taking a plaster model of the mouth. With the model, Dr. Kathleen Chan and Dr. Ivy Chen will be able to determine how the jaw is aligned so that appropriate adjustments can be made to the mouth and jaw with braces.

Depending on the situation, the model may be used to help evaluate your jaw and make decisions about appropriate treatment for your specific needs. Dr. Kathleen Chan and Dr. Ivy Chen can create a model of your mouth with the bite indentation that is taken during preparation.

Extracting teeth

If it is determined that a tooth extraction is necessary, then the final step of preparing for orthodontic treatment is the removal of teeth. Only Dr. Kathleen Chan and Dr. Ivy Chen can determine if it is necessary to remove any teeth before moving forward with the procedure to put on braces.

When your teeth are crooked, have a gap, or otherwise make you unhappy, orthodontic treatment at Chan & Chen Orthodontics may be an appropriate solution. Although it may take time to prepare for the actual procedure, making the decision to seek treatment can provide the opportunity to show the world a beautiful smile.

For more information about orthodontic treatment and its benefits, or to schedule a consultation with Dr. Kathleen Chan and Dr. Ivy Chen, please give us a call at our convenient Andover office!

If you play a contact sport, you know about mouthguards. You know about the cushioning protection they provide for your teeth. And not just your teeth—mouthguards also help protect your lips, tongue, and jaw, helping you avoid or minimize many of the injuries caused by collisions.

But you don’t have to be part of the defensive line or face off on center ice to wear a mouthguard. It pays to be proactive with your oral health in any activity where impact is a possibility. Whether you play a team sport, practice gymnastics, ride a bike, ski, skateboard, or participate in other athletic pastimes, there’s almost always the risk of impact—with a ball, with the mat, with the sidewalk, with another person.

So, how do mouthguards protect your teeth and mouth? It’s a combination of materials and design. Mouthguards are made of a strong, cushioning material such as plastic or silicone which helps absorb and distribute the force of impact, usually in the form of a horseshoe-shaped piece which fits over your upper teeth. The specific design can be tailored to the sport or activity you’ll be using it for.

And now that you’re wearing braces? Working toward an attractive, healthy smile doesn’t mean you can’t be active or find a mouthguard which will work for you. In fact, when you wear braces, mouthguards do double duty—they protect your mouth and teeth, and they protect your braces, too!

Even minor impacts can damage wires and brackets, and damaged braces means more time at the orthodontist and lost treatment time. More important, your guard not only helps protect your brackets and wires from impact injury, it protects your delicate mouth tissue from trauma caused by impact with your brackets and wires.

Because you probably have braces on both upper and lower teeth, the usual mouthguard design might not work for you. To make sure you’re completely protected, you may need a guard which covers both upper and lower arches.

There are over-the-counter mouth guards designed for braces, and even for covering both your upper and lower teeth. These might be one-size-fits-all or fit-it-yourself guards, or models which should be used only after a fitting at our Andover orthodontic office. While some of these guards are better than others, the best option for your teeth—and your braces—might be a custom mouthguard.

What are the benefits of a custom guard for orthodontic patients? They:

• Provide a perfect fit around teeth and braces
• Protect better because they fit better
• Are designed for easy breathing and speaking
• Are less bulky
• Are more durable
• Fit more comfortably
• Can accommodate orthodontic adjustments
• Can be tailored to your specific sport or activity.

Custom mouthguards are more expensive, because they are individually crafted for your teeth and braces, but in terms of effectiveness, they are the best guards out there—because they are individually crafted for your teeth and braces. If cost is an issue, Dr. Kathleen Chan and Dr. Ivy Chen can let you know whether an over-the-counter option might work for you.

An active life should mean proactive dental care. Wearing a mouthguard when you’re wearing braces protects both your body and your orthodontics. Whichever guard option you choose, it’s a good idea to check out the fit with Dr. Kathleen Chan and Dr. Ivy Chen to make sure you’re getting all the protection you need for both when your mouthguard is doing double duty.

This month, the Chan & Chen Orthodontic team is celebrating National Orthodontic Health Month!

Taking care of your teeth even when you are undergoing orthodontic treatment is incredibly important. We tend to see that teeth move best in a healthy environment. Maintaining excellent oral hygiene during your treatment is necessary to ensure the best results. Not to mention, you’ll want well aligned teeth because they are easier to keep clean and function without wearing your teeth down.

Additionally, your gum and bone health are just as important! That is why maintaining your oral hygiene is necessary. And in order to start orthodontic treatment at any age, you must have healthy gums and bones.

We also suggest staying away from anything sticky, chewy, and gooey as well as anything hard and crunchy. Those types of food can break off braces and interfere with treatment progress.

When it comes to treatment, we offer a few different options. However, the question we are always hearing is, “what is the difference between clear aligners and braces?” Well to begin, there are two types of braces, ceramic and metal. Then you have clear aligners. Both braces and aligners are methods to straighten your teeth. With aligners, it is the patient's responsibility to wear them at least 22 hours a day for optimal results. You can eat anything you want since you take them out to eat. With braces, they are always on the teeth.

If the aligners are worn as instructed, the time should not be different. Braces can be more predictable because they are always attached to the teeth. So, pick the option that works for you because the desired results will take time either way.

We hope you were able to learn more about orthodontic treatment and of course if you have any questions or want to discuss the next step for your smile, please contact our team!