What to Do If You Have a Cavity with Braces?

To get the beautiful smile you always want, keeping your teeth healthy while on braces is essential. But unfortunately, sometimes cavities still develop even after maintaining good hygiene.

When a patient has braces for teeth correction, cavities and tooth decay is the most common issue. When you have your braces, it’s not that easy to properly brush and clean your teeth as you have braces and wires on them. In this article, we have discussed in detail “what to do if you have a cavity with braces?” So without delay, let’s dig into it.

Can you get braces while having cavities?

To give an excellent start to your orthodontic treatment, specialists recommend their patients visit the dentist for x-rays and thorough cleaning. This step ensures that you do not have any cavities or tooth decay. If you have cavities, it’s better to get the treatment first.

Any tooth infection or cavity makes your teeth weak and causes a problem in correct positions. Fillings benefit from stopping the further growth of bacteria and strengthen your teeth, and they will not hinder wearing braces or aligners.

Before getting braces

Photo Credit: Robustalive.com

Before the braces installation, you must have a thorough dental exam and treatment in case you need them. If any cavities are shown in X-rays, you can get fillings before braces. Gum issues or any other teeth issues. It avoids any further tooth damage after braces installation. If your teeth are healthy, you will get your desired results.

After the braces installation, follows the proper care plan of your orthodontist. While having braces, it gets very easy for the food to get stuck in hard-to-reach places and develop cavities. The trapped food particles can eventually turn into cavities and tooth decay.

So, if you start feeling sensitive to cold and hot beverages, immediately contact your orthodontist. It could be an early sign of cavities development.

What if you already have cavities and want braces?

If you have cavities in your teeth and are planning to get braces, you could have many harmful side effects. Here are a few of them.

Pain and discomfort

Cavities are always painful and uncomfortable, but avoiding the pressure on those specific teeth allows you to get by before filings. Being on braces, your teeth are constantly under pressure so having cavities and braces together means double pain and discomfort.

Broken teeth

In some cases of large cavities, the braces installation causes so much pressure on the teeth that the weaker teeth can’t tolerate it and break down with time. Sometimes, you must remove those teeth to get a replacement.

Possible bad results of braces

In some cases, cavities affect the way you smile. So taking into consideration how expensive and lengthy this procedure is, that would be the worst thing to do. Cavities can increase the period of your braces to overcome the damage. So try to get the complete examination first. So you don’t have to waste time and money on this expensive treatment.

Cavity treatment during braces

It’s common to develop cavities while you are on braces. Here are a few practical ways to treat your cavities during braces.

Proper Oral Hygiene

According to the America Dental Association, every patient must brush their teeth twice daily to avoid tooth decay. Brushing your teeth after every meal is beneficial to prevent plaque buildup, which is the leading cause of the cavity. Use fluoride toothpaste to keep your tooth enamel healthy and make a protective layer around the teeth to avoid food decay.

Floss your teeth daily. In addition, use mouthwash as it kills harmful bacteria that create plaque.

Braces’ care

Braces are very tricky to clean. However, their tough design is the best and quickest way to straighten your teeth. It’s the main reason behind the popularity of metal braces for many years. These days’ ceramic braces, metal braces, and lingual braces all come with bracket and wire designs.

Follow the following tips for the effective cleaning of your braces:

•   To reduce the bacteria buildup and staining brush after every meal. Brush from up to down positions with a soft-bristled brush. Then brush in all directions to dislodge the food.
•   Floss your teeth with threaded floss. Pass the floss through every space between your teeth. It can take slightly longer than the usual flossing as you go under the wire. During braces, it is among the most vital oral hygiene to follow.
•   Use beneficial tools like a proxabrush. It is a small braces brush that looks like a Christmas tree brush that benefits from unsticking food. A Waterpik is a valuable tool that blasts away your food particles with a water stream.

Invisalign braces

If you are worried about tooth decay possibility during braces or are cavity prone, consider the most popular alternative of braces, Invisalign. You can easily remove the Invisalign aligners before eating, lowering tooth decay chances due to trapped food. Besides, if you still get a cavity, you can easily remove it during your tooth treatment.

Conclusion

It’s easy for the food to get trapped using traditional braces. With time these food particles result in bacteria buildup to cause plaque and tooth decay. In case of a cavity, you will experience a toothache, tooth sensitivity to cold and hot beverages, and sharp and mild pain.

Filings are the best way to prevent any further damage to your teeth. When wearing metal braces, the cavity is quickly filled without removing the wire. But if the dentist cannot access that area, he will have to remove the wires.

Your dentist will temporarily remove your wires to fill the cavity; after treatment, he will refit it again. It is the best option if you have a cavity with braces. After this short interval, you will get your beautiful smile back.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about What to Do If You Have a Cavity with Braces?

How do you get rid of cavities with braces?

In the case of metal braces, you don’t usually have to remove the wires for filling. However, if tooth decay is difficult, your dentist will temporarily remove your wires to fill the cavity.

Can a cavity go away on its own?

During the early demineralization, cavities can be reversed, but it isn’t easy. To restore the lost minerals and stop further decay, it’s vital to follow strict oral hygiene. Unfortunately, most of us don’t catch cavities at this early stage.

Can you get cavities with braces?

Yes, the chances of getting cavities increases while on braces. It’s easy for the food to get stuck in wires and brackets, leading to plaque, tooth decay, and cavity. Proper oral hygiene is a vital part of the whole treatment plan.

References

https://www.belmarorthodontics.com/cavity-treatment-during-braces/

https://www.melbourneorthodontics.com/blog/cavity-and-braces/

https://nw-ortho.com/orthodontic-blog/cavity-braces/

https://www.greenmeadowdental.com/blog/braces-with-tooth-cavities