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 It’s Never too Late to Straighten Your Smile

Braces as an adult? No way. At least, that was what I thought when my dentist told me that I was going to have to see an orthodontist about my crooked teeth. But my teeth were so misaligned that they were causing me pain when I chewed, so I decided to at least look into it. Turns out braces today are nothing like the ones my friends had when I was a kid. Mine were practically invisible, and I didn't need to wear them that long. I started this blog to encourage other people like me who are nervous about the prospect of wearing braces as an adult. My straight smile is so worth the trips to the orthodontist, and wearing braces was nowhere near as bad as I thought. Read on to find out more about how you can straighten your smile.

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It’s Never too Late to Straighten Your Smile

Oral Rehab: What It Is, And Why It's Nothing Like Muscle Exercise

by Jacqueline Byrd

A full mouth rehab by your dentist is nothing like physical rehab or drug rehab. In fact, you could say that an oral rehab falls somewhere in between in terms of difficulty and pain. Here is more about what this set of procedures is, and why it is nothing like anything you have ever experienced before.

Pull All of the Dead Teeth

​A mouth that has been prescribed this level of treatment is often full of dead and/or rotting teeth. The first step the dentist will take to restoring your mouth to something functional will be to pull out all of the dead or rotting teeth, and then see if there are any teeth left that can be salvaged. If there are any teeth that can be restored through cavity fillings and/or crowns, that is what the dentist does next. 

​Restoring and Protecting Remaining Teeth

​In this step, the dentist will drill and fill all of the cavities in the teeth that can be saved. Then he/she will crown the teeth that have some damage, but are still living, functional teeth. When all of that is complete, your dentist will look at the jaws and the problems with missing teeth.

Jaw Issues

​If there are problems with poorly shaped jaws or malformations or cross-bites, the dentist might break your jaws in order to set them in ways that will reshape them. This is the most painful step of all, but you should know that not everyone has to have it done. If you have previously broken your jaw and it did not reset properly, then it may be broken again to reset it. It just depends on what the dentist determines is necessary for your mouth rehab.

​Replacing Missing Teeth

​Last but not least, the dentist will address all of your missing teeth — both the ones he/she had to remove, and the ones you had missing from before. Implants are certain, although you can opt for the cheaper partial dentures. If all of your teeth had to be removed, then you can get full dentures or a complete set of implants, depending on what you can afford and what your dental insurance will and will not cover. When all is said and done, it will take several weeks to a few months for all of your oral rehab procedures to heal completely and for you to eat and talk normally.

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