Orthodontics Blog | Dr. Jared Lee

When Do I Get My Braces Off?

By Jared Lee | July 28, 2022

Deciding to get braces is one of the best choices you can make for your oral health. Braces have many life-changing benefits beyond just the aesthetic and can help reduce pain, increase confidence, and reduce the risk of future dental problems. However, if Dr. Jared Lee just applied them, you’re probably asking the question: When Read More

Sports Safety & Orthodontic Emergencies

By Jared Lee | June 30, 2022

Living an active lifestyle is one of the best ways to stay happy and healthy throughout your lifetime. Whether you’re playing basketball, running cross country, or doing gymnastics, you’re getting endorphins and improving your life. If you’re wearing braces, you need to be a little more cautious when it comes to physical activity. It’s important Read More

Tips for Brushing With Braces

By Jared Lee | May 7, 2022

It’s probably no surprise to you that keeping up with your oral hygiene routine is essential for keeping a happy smile. However, when you finally make the decision to get braces from Dr. Jared Lee, brushing your teeth consistently and effectively becomes that much more important! Let’s paint a picture for you. Imagine you move Read More

Can Orthodontics Fix Facial Asymmetry?

By Jared Lee | April 16, 2022

It is no secret that we live in a world of filters, FaceTune, and false facades. From TikTok to Instagram, Snapchat to Vsco, social media trends are constantly changing and affecting the way we view ourselves. One filter, in particular, has spread like wildfire: the facial symmetry filter. By copying one side of your face Read More

Questions to Ask When Choosing an Orthodontist

By Jared Lee | March 31, 2022

A successful orthodontic treatment experience isn’t just about receiving professional and gentle care. You also need to trust that your doctor and your orthodontic team have your best interests in mind and at heart. At the office of Dr. Jared Lee, we treat our patients like we would treat our own families. That means our Read More

10 Braces Myths You Need to Know

By Jared Lee | February 25, 2022

If you are looking into the prospect of getting braces, it’s normal to be a little apprehensive. You’ve likely only heard the worst possible things about the metal apparatuses of old and, like a game of telephone, the legends grow with each report. Here at the orthodontic offices of Dr. Jared Lee, we believe an Read More

Invisalign: Fact or Fiction

By Jared Lee | January 10, 2022

Are you considering orthodontic treatment? Our Oxnard and Santa Paula offices have great news for you! Our patients dealing with misaligned smiles now have more options than just traditional metal braces. Dr. Jared Lee has the expertise to offer a variety of orthodontic treatment options for patients of all ages, including Invisalign clear aligners. Have Read More

Your Guide To Adult Orthodontic Treatment

By Jared Lee | October 25, 2021

Although teens still make up the largest percentage of orthodontic patients, more adults than ever have been improving their oral health with orthodontics at the office of Dr. Jared Lee! We’re proud to create beautiful smiles for patients of all ages in Oxnard, Santa Paula, and the surrounding communities. So, if you’ve spent years of Read More

How To Identify And Treat Your Child’s Misaligned Jaw

By Jared Lee | September 16, 2021

Seeing your child show signs of jaw pain can be concerning. Whether you’ve noticed them rubbing their jaw or digging into their meals with less gusto, seeing your child hurting is never easy. Jaw pain is fairly common in both children and adults, and in younger kids, it can often stem from a misaligned bite. Read More

The team at the office of Dr. Jared Lee hands out a lot of advice to patients, ranging from what treatment is best to how long treatment might take to caring for your smile between orthodontic visits. In fact, the question of caring for your smile between orthodontic visits comes up so much that we put together this short guide on maintaining your oral health and getting the most out of your treatment between visits to our offices! It doesn’t take much to care for your smile between visits, but the tips below might not be common knowledge to everyone. Let’s explore our top tips for caring for your smile between orthodontic visits, especially when you might have to wait longer than usual to see us! Maintain your dental hygiene Keeping your teeth and gums healthy is always important, but did you know it’s an essential part of your treatment plan too? Tooth decay and gum disease may lead to complications in your orthodontic treatment, and can even affect your final results. Whether you’re currently undergoing treatment or finished your braces or Invisalign years ago, there are some basics of dental hygiene that you should always follow! These guidelines will help you maintain clean teeth and a healthy mouth, and can help keep your treatment on track: Brush at least three times a day, ideally after each meal and once before bed. Use fluoridated toothpaste and a toothbrush with soft bristles. Brush gently at a 45-degree angle toward the gum line, moving the toothbrush in a circular pattern across the teeth to effectively remove bacteria and any trapped food particles. Floss at least once per day to remove bacteria and any food that has accumulated throughout the day. Replace your toothbrush every 3-4 months, or sooner if you have a cold or any other illness. Use antimicrobial and fluoridated mouthwashes to help further improve your oral health. If you have braces, you already know that it can take some skillful maneuvering to clean around the brackets and wires. For the best results, we recommend: brushing around every part of your braces brushing every surface of every tooth brushing until your brackets are clean and shiny flossing every night before you go to bed using tools like floss threaders and Waterpiks to clean hard-to-reach areas If you wear Invisalign, you should be following the same basic guidelines for dental hygiene, but you’ll need to care for your aligners too. Always rinse them off before putting them back in your mouth, and remember to clean them well with soap and water at least twice a day. If you notice any build-up, you can soak your aligners in an oral apparatus cleaning fluid to remove it. You can clean them with toothpaste too, but this increases the risk of scratching, dulling, or otherwise deforming them; soaking them is your best bet for safely and thoroughly cleaning them. You should never clean them with or soak them in hot water, and remember to keep them away from heat sources so they retain their shape. Limit your sugar intake Cavities can negatively affect your treatment, which is unfortunate since most orthodontic procedures tend to increase the risk of cavities. To combat this, avoid sugary snacks and drinks as much as possible. Food that is high in sugar and starch encourages plaque growth, which can lead to tooth decay or gum disease. Sugar is also a carbohydrate, and carbs fuel the acidic compounds that cause cavities to form. This is bad enough on teeth without braces, but add in brackets and wires and you’ve got multiple places where bad bacteria can hide and multiply! Swap sugary drinks for water instead—it’s good for your body and can help flush food particles out of your braces and from in-between your teeth. Make a travel kit We recommend that all of our patients stay prepared for unexpected orthodontic emergencies by keeping a “care kit” with them at all times. Some of the items we recommend including are: a soft-bristled toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste for brushing wherever you are floss or ortho picks to use after eating if you have the time and space to do so orthodontic wax, which can be used to cover any areas causing you irritation extra rubber bands lip balm for dry lips resulting from braces a small cup for rinsing with water, which helps dislodge any trapped food particles an unsharpened pencil (you can use the eraser end to push stray brace wires back into place) Throw these items and whatever else you think would be useful into a small, portable bag and you’ll have everything you need in a pinch! This can end up saving you quite a bit of time, trouble, and discomfort if you need to perform unexpected care, you end up having to wait longer than expected for your next appointment, or if you simply want to keep your teeth and appliance clean on the go. Follow your orthodontist’s guidance! At the risk of sounding cliche, doctor knows best! By closely following Dr. Jared Lee’s instructions, you’re giving your smile the best chance at success. If you’ve been given elastics to wear with your braces or aligners, make sure to wear them exactly as directed. If you’ve recently completed treatment, continue to wear your retainer as instructed by your doctor. Invisalign patients will normally be provided with several weeks’ worth of aligners at a time, but if you run out of aligners before your next scheduled appointment, we can arrange curbside pick-up for the next set. Dr. Lee is also available for video or telephone appointments if you have any questions or concerns. Socially distanced options like these mean that all of our patients can continue their treatments safely, conveniently, and without delay. If we’re unable to provide you a new set of aligners right away, you can continue wearing the last set you were given. However, you should only wear them 10-12 hours each day instead of the usual 20-22 hours. This shortened wear duration will help extend the life of your aligners until an appointment is available. This way you can keep your treatment plan on track and ensure that you don’t lose any of your hard-earned progress! Your smile is a team effort at the offices of Dr. Jared Lee We’re rooting for you, even when you’re not in our Santa Paula or Oxnard offices! Our expert team is always available to answer your questions or address any concerns you might have about your treatment plan, your smile, or anything else. Caring for your smile is a lifelong process, and it’s never a bad time to make sure that you’re doing all you can to keep your treatment on track. For more ways to be proactive with the orthodontic process, get in touch to ask our knowledgeable team any questions you may have, or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Jared Lee.

Caring For Your Smile Between Orthodontic Visits

By Jared Lee | August 30, 2021

The team at the office of Dr. Jared Lee hands out a lot of advice to patients, ranging from what treatment is best to how long treatment might take to caring for your smile between orthodontic visits. In fact, the question of caring for your smile between orthodontic visits comes up so much that we Read More