my son has braces. at his last appt. they said they couldnt tighten them because he has severe plaque build up. is this just their way of getting more money out of me? it sounds like a load of BULL to me. what do you think?
IANAD, but have had one child with braces. Severe plaque build up would be an issue that would have to be addressed by a deep cleaning before they could tighten the braces.
What I imagine is it would be like trying to secure a piece of wood sandwiched between two panes of glass with a vise. You can tighten the vise until the glass shatters, but then you still have glass powder under the vise jaws making for an insecure grip unless you really crank it down (ouch).
that was a good analogy but the braces are already cemented on the front of the teeth not banded around. the orthodontist took the wire off that connects all the braces together and left it off.
The first time I had braces, the orthodontist threatened to remove all the hardware until my brushing improved. There is an entire session dedicated to proper brush technique. I got to sit through it twice. it really is that serious.
Also, the plaque is likely between the teeth, making it difficult to move them, in tandem or to close a space.
Dentist here however not an orthodontist. I don’t think it is so much that they couldn’t tighten the braces but that they wouldn’t. Great hygiene is important with braces,**great not ** **good.**At best with poor oral care you end up with marks around were all the brackets were at worst a mouth full of cavities around the brackets.
I’m sure they were really saying that without improved homecare they weren’t going to procede with the treatment. Most likely trying to scare the child or the parent into better home care. I’ve seen cases where the orthodontist did remove the hardware do to poor hygiene. In the short run it is a bad thing but in the long run crooked teeth without decay are better than straight teeth with decay.
those are all great replies. hes been doing a lot better brushing and i’m going to get his teeth cleaned. You’ve helped me see the light. thanks