It dawned on you the first time you looked in the mirror and saw what you looked like in your new braces: You not only look a little different, you feel different, too.

Moving forward, you may have good days and not-so-good days. But you can maintain your resolve and commitment to your orthodontic journey and maintain your identity by asserting a positive attitude, embracing change to the fullest, and engaging in healthy, constructive habits. Learning how to look good with braces can also help you feel more confident throughout the process. Get started today by:

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Protect Your Retainer

Your dentist or orthodontist probably told you all about braces. As you learned, you can’t do much with your braces on your own. Your retainer, in contrast, requires a fair amount of maintenance and care from the wearer. Learning how to care for retainers after braces can help you protect your retainer and keep it in good condition.

The first and most important thing to do to care for your retainer is to treat it gently. That means storing it in its case when not in use in a place where nobody will sit or step on it or knock it onto the floor. Ideally, you should store your retainer somewhere near your toothbrush since that’s where you’ll likely put it in before bed.

Check for Signs of Wear

Clean Your Retainer Regularly

There comes a time when it is apparent that a child should be checked to see if he or she needs braces. As children’s mouths form, genetics and habits like thumb-sucking can lead to crooked teeth and other abnormalities in the mouth structure that can have an impact on how they eat, their speech patterns, and their appearance. Dentists and orthodontists will look for common signs that indicate the need for orthodontic treatment.

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Many children and young adults wear orthodontic braces to correct facial irregularities, and the results are amazing. However, some patients discover stained teeth after braces are removed.

After all the time, effort, and expense put into braces, these stains, caused by plaque that accumulated on the teeth around the brace attachment points, can seem doubly frustrating.

The stains are usually white, and there’s often a slight indentation and roughness to the tooth. Although over time these spots fade slightly, the only way to remove them completely is through specialist treatment.

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Thanks to advancements in the science of orthodontics, there are now several excellent options for aligning crooked teeth and perfecting a smile with braces. If you’re considering getting braces for yourself or your child and wondering how braces work for crooked teeth, here’s a helpful primer on the different types and how they straighten crooked teeth.

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If you’re currently wearing braces, you’re no doubt looking forward to the day they finally come off, and you’re free of brackets, bands and food restrictions. When that happy day arrives and you’re finished with the active portion of your orthodontic treatment, you’ll enter the next phase — retention.

Once you’re in this critical phase, you’ll need to wear a custom-fitted appliance called a retainer.

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