Posted on February 15, 2018
We know what you did last summer.
Just kidding. But we can take a pretty good guess at what you ate last night because it’s still stuck in your brackets. Is that kale?
There’s a lot that your orthodontist can see when they look inside your mouth. We’re not just poking around and tightening things in there – we’re taking notes and paying extra close attention to what we see in there.
Even though we might not notice when you’re feeling down or when you got a new haircut, you can be darn sure that we’re paying attention when you say “aah”!
Here are some of the unexpected things that your orthodontist can tell just by looking into your mouth:
And there’s no use lying about it, Pinnochio! If you do not floss regularly, the excessive buildup of tartar and plaque on your teeth are dead giveaways. And if you try to floss for the first time before your appointment, your gums will look like they cut up and bleeding. It’s not a pretty sight. We get that it’s difficult to floss with braces in. Navigating around the metal brackets can be a challenge. But if you want to have pearly white teeth to show off after your braces are removed, then you need to take good care of cleaning them! That means brushing AND flossing. For some tips on flossing, check out this article about quick tips for flossing effectively.
Bad breath might not just be an annoying inconvenience. This alone can be an indicator of some underlying health problems, such as diabetes, or problems with your liver or kidneys. So if your significant other is dodging your kisses and you don’t know why, then this could potentially be the reason.
Our friend Dr. James Park, a dentist in La Habra, notes that a major health issue that can reveal itself through your oral cavity is diabetes. Besides bad breath, other signs of diabetes are changes in your gums and the consistency of your saliva.
We’re a little concerned about your future spouse because they are not going to be able to sleep with all your SNORING. No, we don’t need to be watching you sleep to know this. A good orthodontist (aka these people) will notice a few different signs of snoring. It could be a tongue that’s too large for the mouth, signs of irritation on the uvula or throat, or any irregularities in your jaw.
It might seem harmless to just pop a blueberry in your mouth while you still have your aligners in, but when you come in for your appointment we can see it right away. When you attempt to eat with your aligners still in, the trays become slimy and stained.
This is how you break our hearts. Besides the fact that your teeth aren’t straightening out on schedule, the little blue marks confirmed what we already knew. Those marks should fade away as you wear your trays, but if they look untouched then we’ll know that you have not been wearing your Invisalign. In order for Invisalign to work effectively, you must wear them for at least 22 hours a day!
Here at Orthodontics LA, we take your smile very seriously. But we do more than just look at your teeth and poke around a little bit! Orthodontists and dentists alike are always paying extra attention to your pearly whites – so there are a few unexpected things that we’ll notice.
At the end of the day, we’re committed to helping you achieve the perfect smile. When you’re ready for your first consultation, check us out at our locations in Encino and Glendale!
