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Tips for Going to School with Braces

As the summer months are dwindling down, our patients are ready to head back to school, where they once again will move forward with a new year of higher learning. Wright Orthodontics’ staff wishes each of our school-aged patients the best of luck in their upcoming school year, and would like to offer some helpful back-to-school tips for those wearing braces.

Perfect Your Oral Hygiene Routine

The school year provides a structured routine that can benefit your oral hygiene. This is the perfect time to take it up a notch. Prepare to brush your teeth after each meal, and carry a small pouch to school that contains a toothbrush, a compact tube of toothpaste and floss. Quickly head to the bathroom to brush and floss your teeth after finishing your lunch. Adding this step into your school day will prevent tooth decay and other possible dental issues that could delay your orthodontic treatment or threaten your dental health.

Take Good Care of Your Retainer

If you are in your final stages of orthodontic treatment, and you are wearing a retainer, there are some considerations that we would like you to understand. This is the retention stage, and using the retainer is an important part of your treatment plan. A common mistake is losing your retainer at school or throwing it into the trash receptacle. Rather than placing your retainer into a napkin while you eat, place it into the retainer case. This one step could save you the expense of having to pay for a newly made retainer. If you place your removed retainer into its case, it will not be easily lost or discarded.

Visit Dr. Marc S. Wright, Your Atlanta Orthodontist, on a Regular Basis

You will need to continue to regularly see Dr. Marc S. Wright, your Atlanta orthodontist, every 4 to 12 weeks for continued treatment. Each of your monthly appointments is an important aspect of your orthodontic progress. Conventional braces have been permanently affixed to your teeth, and routine adjustments must be completed. Keeping each appointment is an essential part of your successful orthodontic treatment. Using a smartphone or a small calendar to log and track your appointments is a helpful option.

Stay Away from Those Food Items that Can Damage or Break Your Braces

When you wear conventional braces, you must stay away from crunchy, hard and sticky, chewy and gooey snacks and foods. Eating these types of snacks and foods could result in damaging or breaking your braces. Pack lunches for school that contain items such as soft fruits and sandwiches that can be easily cut into smaller sized pieces for safe orthodontic eating.

Returning to school wearing braces will prove to be easier and more pleasant if you follow these tips. Please do not hesitate to contact our office if you have any questions. It is always our pleasure to speak with you!

Invisalign® for Adults and Teens

Adult Invisalign® in Atlanta and Marietta, GA

Straightening teeth is easier than you think with Invisalign® treatment for adults and teens!

Invisalign® was designed as a removable, virtually invisible, comfortable, and fast way to straighten even the most crooked teeth. The clear aligners are fitted to your mouth and teeth, and you’re given trays that get switched out every 2 weeks, making the process painless and effective. The main benefits of Invisalign® include:

  • Invisalign® is invisible! Most adults and teens don’t want the metal braces look when considering straightening their teeth.
  • Invisalign® is comfortable. The aligners fit smoothly over your teeth, and can be worn all day without much discomfort.
  • Invisalign® is quick. Metal or clear braces can take up to 5 years to straighten out your teeth, where Invisalign® usually can straighten teeth in 1 1/2 years or less.
  • Invisalign® is removable! You can take out your aligners at any time to eat, drink, brush and floss without affecting your teeth or mouth in any way.

If you’ve been dreaming of a straighter, brighter smile, look no further than Wright Orthodontics! Invisalign®  is a great option for both adults and teens that desire a more attractive smile without the negative aspects of metal braces. Don’t revisit your childhood, come see us for a free consultation today for Invisalign® treatment.

Rubberbands and Braces

Braces in Atlanta and Marietta, GA

Rubberbands are the elastics used while a patient is in braces to train the jaw to correct the alignment of your bite, close an openbite, and reduce overbite/underbite. They are typically worn from top brackets to bottom brackets and are removed and replaced by the patient.

While brackets, archwires and ligatures are all keys for moving teeth, rubber bands pull the jaw forward or backward in order to line up your top and bottom rows of teeth making sure they fit together comfortably when you bite down and to help improve your smile altogether. Although rubberbands are mostly for aligning your jaw, they can also speed up the process of moving or straightening a tooth or teeth. Wearing your rubberbands as instructed by your orthodontist, can speed up the treatment time, and not wearing the rubber bands can prolong the treatment time. Unless instructed otherwise, wear the rubberbands as much as possible (up to 22 hours a day) and only take them out when eating, flossing or brushing. This is the best way to a beautiful smile and shorter orthodontic treatment time!

Here are a few more tips for faster and better results:

  • Please keep your appointments and arrive on time.
  • Be sure to keep your teeth and braces clean.
  • Avoid foods and behaviors that will damage your braces.
  • Wear your rubberbands as instructed. Carry fresh rubberbands with you and change them often.

Following these instructions will help ensure successful treatment, a functional bite, and a beautiful smile! The best results are a product of good patient cooperation!

Please call our office if you have a problem with your rubberbands, run low or lose your rubberbands.

Wright Orthodontics Retainer Plan

Orthodontic Retainers in Atlanta and Marietta, GA

Congratulations on your new, beautiful smile! Your orthodontic treatment has been a huge success, but you’re not completely finished. Wearing your retainer is a very important part of keeping your new smile straight for many years to come. Please follow our instructions for your best results!

1-6 Months:  

  • Wear both retainers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
  • Remove only for eating and cleaning

7-24 Months:

  • Wear both retainers every night

24 Months+:

  • Wear both retainers at least 4 nights a week

Additional requirements and information include:

  1. Call the office immediately if you break or lose a retainer. The sooner it is replaced, the less likely your teeth are to shift given the amount of time the retainers have not been worn.
  2. Store your retainers in the case provided to avoid damage or loss when not being worn.
    1. Keep away from heat.
    2. Do not wrap in a paper towel.
    3. Keep away from animals and small children.
    4. Brush your retainers at least twice daily using a toothbrush, clear liquid soap, and cold water. Do not use toothpaste to clean retainers!
      1. If you are unable to brush your retainers, rinse thoroughly with cold water.
      2. If your retainers begin to smell “fishy”, soak in solution using one part bleach and four parts cold water for 1 hour, then brush thoroughly as usual.
      3. Do not soak retainers in any colored mouthwash.

Your orthodontic treatment doesn’t stop after your braces are off your teeth. Keep your healthy smile in the best shape by following our best results above!

An Owners Guide to Braces

Braces in Atlanta and Marietta, GA

Keeping your braces on is the best way to make sure your teeth are straightened and beautiful. If your braces are not attached to your teeth, your teeth will not move into the proper place. Here are our tips and tricks for keeping your braces intact and functioning properly:

  1. Do not chem gum! Not even gum that “doesn’t stick to dental work”. Gum sticks to braces, pulls braces off, & bends wires.
  2. Do not bite into anything with your front teeth. Cut everything into small pieces & chew on your back teeth. Cut fruit into small pieces (applesauce is a good alternative). Pull meat off the bone (wings, chicken, ribs), cut corn off the cob, cut sandwiches & burgers into halves/quarters & chew on your back teeth.
  3. Avoid hard & crunchy foods. Do not eat popcorn, bagged pretzels, hard chips (Doritos, Tostitos, Fritos, Cheetos).
  4. Do not eat ice.
  5. Avoid hard & sticky candy. Do not eat/chew tootsie rolls, now-or-later candy, jolly ranchers, suckers/lollipops, starburst, skittles, etc.
  6. Do not chew pens, pencils, fingernails. 

Stay on a soft diet for the first week while getting used to your braces. Foods such as soup, chicken pot pie, creamed corn, macaroni & cheese, & mashed potatoes are good options. If your teeth get sore DO NOT BE ALARMED, this means they’re moving & that’s what we want! You may take Ibuprofen, Advil or Motrin for relief. If you experience an emergency not listed on our website, or feel that it is medically necessary, call our office for further instructions.

KEEP YOUR TEETH & BRACES CLEAN! Oral hygiene is very important. If not kept clean, the bacteria that you leave behind can cause discoloration/chalky spots, cavities, swollen & bleeding gums. Brush teeth thoroughly after every meal & floss every night.

Keep your appointments & take care of your braces to ensure the shortest treatment time! 

What Do I Do if I Have an Orthodontic Emergency?

Below are some of the issues and solutions in the event that an orthodontic emergency arises.

If your bracket is loose:

It is common for brackets to come loose during treatment. If the loose bracket is not causing discomfort, it is okay to leave alone. Dr. Marc S. Wright and his staff will treat it at your next appointment. If it is causing discomfort, cover it with orthodontic wax and contact the office.

If your wire is poking you:

Sometimes archwires move or slide during treatment. For wires that poke, cover the wire with wax. Swish with warm salt water to stimulate healing of any cheek or gum that has been irritated by poking wires. Contact the office to get the wire clipped.

If your teeth are loose:

Teeth become mobile during orthodontic treatment so that they can be moved. This is normal and you should not be alarmed.

If your teeth hurt:

Taking an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory pain relief medicine will relieve the soreness caused by moving teeth during orthodontics. Soreness comes and goes during treatment. What is uncomfortable today, will likely improve within a few days.

If you are having an emergency that you cannot treat yourself with the above instructions, please contact the office for additional assistance. Dr. Marc S. Wright and his staff are happy to help you with any questions or concerns about possible orthodontic emergencies.

What is SureSmile?

SureSmile, also known as “smart” wires is a modern innovation that literally takes the guess work out of orthodontics. Teeth don’t move faster but instead, move with more precision than with traditional arch wires, therefore, reducing treatment time. The SureSmile system of custom wires offers patients not only less time in braces, but with fewer visits to the orthodontist and higher quality results. The SureSmile system uses state-of-the-art advanced 3-D imaging, virtual simulations, and robotically bent arch wires that are customized for each patient’s personal and unique treatment.

How do I get SureSmile treatment? During treatment, Dr. Marc S. Wright’s staff performs what we call the “SureSmile Scan” appointment. During this appointment, a scan is done to make a 3-D duplicate model of the mouth. Dr. Marc S. Wright moves the teeth in the 3-D model to their ideal position. The wires are then robotically bent to move the teeth to their new position of ideal placement. These bends are customized for each patient based on their individual orthodontic needs. The wires are designed to deliver gentle forces to move teeth consistently and directly to the desired finishing position. Once the wires are tied into the patient’s brackets, their own body heat activates them. The teeth are constantly moving between orthodontic visits.

Call Wright Orthodontics to inquire about getting SureSmile custom wires for your treatment!

Please view the below video to learn more about SureSmile!

Before & After Smile Gallery

Visit us at one of our two convenient locations

Atlanta

3019-B North Druid Hills Rd NE Atlanta, GA 30329

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Marietta

990-B Whitlock Avenue NW Marietta, GA 30064

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SAO in Atlanta and Marietta, GA

Office Hours

Atlanta
  • Monday: 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
  • Tuesday: 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
  • Wednesday: 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
  • Thursday: 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
  • Friday: 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
MARIETTA
  • Monday: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
  • Tuesday: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
  • Wednesday: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
  • Thursday: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
  • Friday: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
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