If you kiss with braces your teeth will get locked together…do you know in 25 years of practice we have never had an emergency call for that!  But on a serious note, unless you are really mushing your faces together there is a very very very slim chance of a permanent connection since the modern brackets that we use at MOG are very slim line.

Will braces set off the metal detectors in the airport?  The lightweight materials and small quantity of metal actually in your mouth (even though it seems like lots to you!) will not affect metal detectors.  If you beep at the airport don’t blame us!

Can braces rust? Absolutely not!  Your braces are made from hospital grade rocket science tested materials – really it’s true!  Your archwire technology was invented by NASA .

Will braces interfere with radio signals or other electrical devices? No.  Radio-loving gadget fanatics can rest easy, just don’t stand too close to the microwave oven….JOKING…it’s all good – there is nothing to fear AT ALL.

Will braces increase the possibility of me being struck by lightening? No. Whether you have braces or not your chances of getting struck by lightening remain the same. Which according to National Geographic, is a one in 1.6 million chance in Australia.

You see when you reach the end of your braces journey your teeth have been subtly shifting over the final few months into their delightfully perfected resting place.  However, if you have read my previous post on “How do Orthodontic Appliances Create Tooth Movement” (click here) you will know that the osteoclasts start to break down bone to make space for the tooth to move and the osteoblasts stabilize the new position.  This however takes many months to complete which is why it is important to wear your retainers after your braces are removed!

Yes yes we know that it is all horrid and slobbery and feels huge after your newfound freedom.  However, and we mean this sincerely, you WILL get used to it!

You wouldn’t want to invest all that time and money only to behave like a whiney baby and not wear your retainers and risk some of your teeth relapsing to their former and probably at this stage still more comfortable resting place would you?

Let those lovely osteoblasts and osteoclasts do their job and give them all the support you can and you will enjoy your gorgeous new look for life!

• Bad breath – when you have braces, there are just more areas for bacteria and contaminants to loiter.  So smoking with braces often leads to more severe odor.
• Tooth discoloration – smoking stains your teeth, when you have braces it is harder to brush increasing likelihood of obvious tooth discoloration following removal of your braces.
• Inflammation of the salivary gland openings on the roof of the mouth
• Increased loss of bone within the jaw – which can compromise your treatment time and stabilization.
• Increased risk of developing gum disease, a leading cause of tooth loss
• Delayed healing process  – making your mouth ulcers (that we all get when we first have braces) more painful and taking longer to heal.

Do yourself a favour and use your decision to invest in braces an opportunity to quit.  There are plenty of resources and support groups out there willing to help.

(primary source QuitNow & WebMD)

Working in at the school dental service, in private practice and here at MOG, Amalia gets plenty of opportunity to follow her passion…”I love clean mouths and I love educating people on how to prevent oral disease. I also really love teaching people/kids how to cope through tricky dental appointments.”

Amalia also loves travelling and learning Portuguese and is excitedly waiting for the next World Cup in Brazil!

So we asked Amalia a few personal questions to find out what makes her tick!

• What was the defining moment that lead to your decision to work in oral health?

Apart from having everyone tease me about my gappy teeth nearly my whole life….I was in the career advisors office on year 12 and we discussed type of work I’d like to do and the subjects I like.  Which were with my hands and sciencey subjects and maths!!! She suggested dentistry.. .And here I am!!

• What is the worst part of your day?

The worst part of my day is traffic and waking up!!!!

• What gives you the biggest buzz about your work?

I love seeing people smiles and faces change… Gorgeous!!

• Looking back if you could give your 13 year old self one piece of advice what would you say?

I’d tell myself to not worry too much about the future or about anything, to work harder in high school and to stop dressing like a gangster!!

• Current fave band and why? Love Justin Bieber!!!! Because he’s amazing!!

What is the whole ‘getting braces off’ thing like?  Well you need to be able to sit patiently with your mouth open and your tongue out of the way for a while…but generally you will arrange a ‘I really need to swallow or move now’ signal with your dental auxiliary first – so it’s all good.

Removal of the braces is not difficult.  Braces bonded directly to the teeth are removed by slightly deforming the base of the bracket.  When the base of the bracket is squeezed, the bond releases and the bracket will come off, leaving adhesive on the tooth surface.  This means that time must be taken to remove the adhesive left behind.

This is done with a high-speed dental hand piece.  Now, those among you who are (like me) scared of high speed anything whizzing around your mouth, rest assured that there is usually very little discomfort with the removal process.  In fact, most people describe the feeling more as a “tickle” on the teeth than pain or discomfort.  The removal is limited to the adhesive only, and the enamel remains in its normal condition.

After the braces and adhesive are removed, most patients describe their teeth as feeling slimy, since the rough feel of the braces is no longer on the teeth.  It is really really strange for the first few hours.  Also, the gum tissue may be slightly puffy and inflamed from all that activity.  This will usually subside within a few days with good brushing and flossing.

So there you have it.  Hopefully you have watched the video on the previous post and seen my excitement on deband day.  This is the more technical overview.  Good luck with your deband…I thought it would be fun not to tell my family – guess what?  In spite of smiling hugely because I just couldn’t help it, they still didn’t notice for a few hours!  Go figure.