Orthodontic care is an investment in a smile, however the orthodontic treatment itself isn’t the only important part. Preventive care and diligent home care during orthodontic therapy can help determine the outcome and esthetics of your patient’s smile. As dental hygienists we need to make sure the parents of children receiving orthodontic treatment understand how to avoid potential problems and help their children achieve the desired outcome. That means being able to explain to parents and patients what the challenges are and how good home care can help.
Helping Parents Understand the Challenges
Proper plaque control for teenagers tends to be a particular challenge. Regular brushing and flossing may not have been well-embedded in their personal routine prior to orthodontic therapy. Orthodontic appliances can also make good home care difficult. Start a discussion with parents about the challenges of good oral health and partner with them in helping to motivate, encourage and make it easier for their child to improve home care during orthodontic treatment. This is especially important for patients receiving fixed orthodontic therapy since this makes it more difficult to perform good oral hygiene, and places them at risk for gingivitis and dental caries. Parents should fully understand this before their child begins orthodontic treatment, and be reminded at each visit - as should their child. Being honest and upfront can promote collaboration with parents and responsibility on the part of orthodontic patients.
Caries Risk
In one study using quantitative light fluorescence (QLF), 97% of patients who had received fixed orthodontic treatment had white spot lesions at completion of treatment. This was a higher percentage than when only visual examination was performed. These orthodontic white spot lesions are early caries lesions, found adjacent to orthodontic brackets where dental plaque has been allowed to accumulate on the tooth and demineralization of the enamel has occurred. Discussing white spot lesions with parents ahead of time, and showing them and their child examples in images (provided HIPAA-compliant) will help them understand what can happen if extra attention is not spent on home care while receiving orthodontic treatment. We can then explain that effective brushing and fluoride use can make a difference in helping to provide a healthier environment, and help to prevent white spot lesions. In addition to regular in-office applications of 5% sodium fluoride varnish, Colgate PreviDent 5000 Ortho Defense provides prescription strength fluoride for twice-daily use at home during orthodontic treatment and helps to prevent white spots. Fluoride therapy can also be recommended to help reverse white spot lesions.
The More You Know: Effective Brushing
Brushing around brackets and wires can be challenging. It can be difficult to motivate teenagers in particular to brushing properly and to spend enough time to ensure full plaque removal. Knowing this and the benefits of a brush with an app for their child is helpful for parents in understanding how they can help their child brush better. Advances in detection for better brushing have come a long way. We used to rely on disclosing solutions and tablets to help parents and patients identify the areas where dental plaque remained after brushing. Now, technology has helped us to identify areas where we need to be brushing better using an app, without messy tablets and dyes. Colgate’s new hum toothbrush includes bluetooth technology with an app that gives immediate feedback allowing the brusher to apply more or less pressure, know which areas are being missed. The app acts as a virtual coach, guiding brushing and providing reminders on brushing. The hum brush has been show to improve the efficacy of brushing for individuals using it. That's important for all patients and especially during the challenges of oral hygiene during orthodontic treatment.
Take Aways
- Parents need to understand the challenges during orthodontic treatment and how they can support their child's home care
- Armed with knowledge, parents can partner with their child to mutually commit to investing time and effort in their smile
- A smart toothbrush such as the Colgate hum can help parents by helping their children improve their brushing with app-driven coaching and guidance on brushing
As with any new task, it takes time to adjust. As dental hygienists, we can educate parents of patients receiving orthodontic treatment on what is needed during this time. We can guide them towards solutions, such as the Colgate hum electric toothbrush. Parents can also review progress with their child by following progress using the app, and can also discuss this with us during appointments. This can help to support an understanding and agreement on home care at the beginning of orthodontic treatment, and to help prevent and address challenges.
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