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Great question! Tooth movement is your body’s natural response to light pressure applied by braces over a period of time (usually two years). Braces work by using brackets that are glued onto your teeth; these brackets have small slots, and that is where Dr. Max Mosslehi and our team insert orthodontic wires. These wires are held in place by small elastic ties that fit around the brackets. As time passes during your treatment, these wires apply pressure on your teeth, which sets in motion the movement of your teeth into their desired positions. Each of your teeth has a different size and shape to them, as do the brackets. Each bracket is custom-made for the particular tooth on which it’s supposed to fit.

Not long ago, orthodontists had stainless steel wires and that was about it. Today, however, we have a number of different high-tech wires at our disposal to move your teeth faster and more comfortably.

When you first get your braces on, the first wire or two will typically be very flexible, but still strong enough to apply a constant force on your teeth. As your teeth straighten out over time, however, Dr. Max Mosslehi will use progressively thicker and firmer wires to help move your teeth in place for an ideal bite.

Every time you visit our office for an adjustment, we will swap out the wires in order to keep putting pressure on your teeth, which is why it’s so important for you to keep your adjustment visits during your treatment. Most adjustment appointments are scheduled four to eight weeks apart to give your teeth time to move.

As for rubber bands and elastics, most of our patients will need to wear elastics or rubber bands at some point during their treatments. These elastics typically go from one or more of the upper braces to one or more of the lower braces, and pull on your teeth to move them in the direction they need to move in order to achieve an optimal bite.

If you have any questions about wires, brackets, or elastics, or have any general questions about your treatment, please give us a call at our Tustin office.

Patients have so many choices for straightening their teeth nowadays — clear aligners, ceramic braces, lingual braces, self-ligating braces — but who is best suited to guide them through orthodontic treatment? Well, an orthodontist like Dr. Max Mosslehi in Tustin of course!

This may seem obvious, but there’s misinformation circulating with regard to the roles dentists and orthodontists play in treating patients’ oral health.

Dentists are trained to clean teeth, fill cavities, perform certain dental surgeries, and examine overall oral health. Many dentists now offer braces to their patients, but according to the American Association of Orthodontists, it’s better to consult an orthodontist if you need to straighten teeth or fix a bite.

Why an orthodontist? Because they are...

• Specialists in straightening teeth and aligning jaws, even advanced cases
• Required to study an additional two to three years after dental school
• Trained to choose the correct treatment option because they have worked with all the available options
• Trained to recognize the potential pitfalls with certain treatments and cases, which means there’s less chance of problems after treatment has started or been completed
• Familiar with emerging treatments and technologies so they can make the best choice for a patient’s case

Some dentists claim to have taken enough continuing education or additional training to offer braces to their patients. But this can't compare to the advanced training an orthodontist receives during his or her education.

Ideally, dentists and orthodontists work hand in hand to make sure oral health and the alignment of teeth and jaws are the best they can be. Think of a dentist as the one who is there for a lifetime, to make sure teeth and gums are healthy.

In contrast, an orthodontist is the highly skilled teammate who helps the dentist by straightening teeth and aligning the jaws over the course of a few years. Instead of one replacing the other, they work together for the health and benefit of their patients.

Our teeth perform several vital roles for us. We use them to bite and chew, to help form words, to support our facial structure. And never underestimate the power of a smile!

But once you try to expand that job description, you are asking for trouble. Using your teeth for tasks they were not designed for is a game no one wins. What are some of the worst moves you can make? Putting your teeth into play as:

• Ice Crushers

Crunching hard objects like teeth and ice cubes together can have one of two results—the ice will give, or your tooth will. If your tooth is the loser, you can expect cracks, fractures, worn enamel, and even dislodged crowns and fillings. If you’re tempted to chew on the ice in your drinks, try asking for a straw or using slushy ice instead. (The craving for ice can also be a symptom of other medical conditions—check with your doctor for more on that subject.)

• Bottle Openers

If ice vs. teeth is a bad idea, metal vs. teeth must be a really bad idea. Those sharp hard metal caps can be difficult to remove even with a bottle opener. Don’t take a chance on chipped, fractured teeth and lacerated gums to get to that beverage faster/work around a lost opener/impress your friends.

• Nut Crackers

Just because nuts offer more protein than ice doesn’t make their shells any safer to crack with your teeth. Besides the danger of fractured teeth and eroded enamel, biting on whole nuts can produce sharp splinters of shell that can damage delicate gum tissue. By all means, enjoy nuts—they pack a lot of nutrition in a small package. But buy them already shelled, or invest in a nutcracker.

• Cutting Tools

Teeth aren’t meant to be scissors or utility knives. Even if you are trying to bite through the top of a relatively soft bag of chips, or a piece of duct tape, or a tag that just won’t come off your new clothes, you are putting pressure on your teeth in ways that they are not meant to handle. Don’t take a chance on chips and fractures.

• A Helping Hand

Using your teeth to hold the straps of your heavy bag, or the leash of your well-trained pet—what could go wrong? How about an awkward fall? Or a squirrel? Or something that might possibly be a squirrel? Any fall or force that applies violent pressure to your teeth and jaw is a potential for dental disaster.

• Stress Relief

You might grind your teeth or bite your nails whenever you feel nervous. Please find another form of stress relief! Grinding and clenching the teeth can lead to worn enamel, jaw pain, broken teeth and restorations, and a host of other problems. Biting fingernails is not only hard on your nails, but also introduces bacteria into your mouth and can cause damage to your tooth enamel.

If you grind your teeth at night, ask Dr. Max Mosslehi about a nightguard during your next visit to our Tustin office.

This is real life, and you really don’t want to be playing “Tooth or Dare” with your dental health. Use your teeth for what they were designed for, and you’ll take home the grand prize—a lifetime supply of beautiful, healthy smiles.

Whether it’s your first child or you’re an experienced mom, pregnancy is an exciting time—which you’ll be able to enjoy much more once the days of morning sickness are over.

Morning sickness affects most pregnant women, and can present in any number of ways. It might take the form of mild nausea, or cause frequent vomiting. It often occurs in the morning hours, but can take place at any time of day. It’s usually over with by the second trimester, or it can last weeks longer. Because of this wide variety of symptoms, morning sickness is more accurately referred to as NVP, the nausea and vomiting of pregnancy.

Your doctor can recommend safe and effective ways to deal with NVP, especially when symptoms are more severe. We have some recommendations to minimize the effect of morning sickness on your dental health.

Wait, dental health? That’s right. Besides its more obvious unpleasant consequences, NVP can cause problems for your teeth and gums. We have a few suggestions for getting you through the weeks of morning sickness with easy and effective strategies to protect your oral health.

Prevent Acid Damage

Vomiting and heartburn with reflux expose the teeth to stomach acids. Tooth enamel is the strongest substance in the body, but it’s not safe from acid attacks.

Normally, the pH balance in our mouths is neutral, around a 7 on a scale of 0 to 14. When acidic conditions lower the oral pH to 5.5 or below, the minerals in enamel begin to dissolve, leading to sensitivity and, eventually, cavities. The pH of our stomach acid ranges from 1.5 to 2.5. This is great for digesting food, but not great at all for enamel and sensitive gum tissue.

Whenever we vomit, the immediate (and understandable!) impulse is to reach for our toothbrushes. But this is an impulse we should resist. Because acids weaken tooth enamel, scouring the teeth with a toothbrush right away can cause more erosive damage. Instead,

• Wait half an hour or more before brushing to give your enamel time to recover its strength.
• In the meantime, rinse with water and perhaps a bit of toothpaste or diluted, doctor-approved mouthwash.

Keep Hydrated

Another consequence of frequent vomiting is dehydration. It’s always important to keep our bodies properly hydrated, and this is particularly true during pregnancy.

Hydration is also essential for oral health. Saliva helps wash away the bacteria and food particles which cause cavities and irritate the gums—especially important now, since pregnancy hormones can leave you more vulnerable to gingivitis and other forms of gum disease.

• Drink water as recommended by your doctor. It’s healthy, it hydrates, and it helps prevent cavities and gum disease. Win/win/win.
• Whichever fluids are your favorites, drinking them in measured amounts through the day will be more effective and more appetizing than drinking large amounts once or twice a day to catch up.
• You have a busy life, so make things easy on yourself. If you need to hydrate more, keep track of your hydration goals with an app or a phone notification. There are even “smart bottles” to track your intake. Or go old school, and fill a bottle marked with timed measurements to remind you to hydrate through your day.

When The Very Idea of Brushing Is Nauseating . . .

When just the thought of brushing is unappetizing, we have suggestions which might help.

• Postpone brushing until later in the day when you feel better. Rinse with water first thing in the morning instead.
• Trade in your regular toothbrush for one with a smaller brush head. This can help prevent the gag reflex.
• Brush slowly, using small strokes.
• If brushing the back teeth is particularly triggering, try deep breathing or sitting down to brush.

We want to help you enjoy a healthy pregnancy. Let us know when you first learn you’re pregnant. We have some valuable tips for the coming months, including suggestions for reducing the dental effects of NVP. Fortunately, morning sickness is temporary, and we’re here with ideas to help your beautiful smile last a lifetime!