I have braces with puffy gums and havent been to the ortho in over a year??

im 16 and I havent been to the orthodontist in over a year b/c my mom switched jobs and didnt have the money to take me anymore. well im getting a job so that I can take over the monthly bill for my braces cuz its either that or I get them off with gaped messed up teeth. well im a sophomore and there is about a month and a half left of school. I got my braces december of 8th grade and stoped going march of 9th. my braces are a kind that my ortho says are only suppose to be on for a year and a half. well if I start going back in late may mayber june will my braces be off by senior year...possibly the summer before senior year when we have to take the senior pictures? Oh and I have small teeth and so when my gums get puffy it looks really bad. I started flossing and using salt water...what else should I do?

I have braces with puffy gums and havent been to the ortho in over a year??
Hydrogen peroxide rinses. Tastes bad but is an antibacterial which will help and bubbles well beneath the gums. Before bed, swish, spit, do not rinse/eat/drink, just go to bed. Just swish it straight. You only need to dilute if you are going to do it several times a day. Also, use proxy brushes aka interdental brushes. The orthodontist may have given you some. They are next to the floss at the store and look like pipe cleaners. 1 time a day run them under your wires and around your brackets to remove food and bacteria. Put the tip under the wire and poke it up under and into the gumline. This will help clean everything off and help decrease puffiness. Poking it into the gums, gently, will help the gums understand not to grow that way. You can also dip it in peroxide first and then do it to help push more antibacterial under the gums. You can use the brushes for 1 week, rinse it after use, and get a new one after 1 week. Electric toothbrush. They make the new Sonicare toothbrush for teens. It is $20 and great. Also, if your mom is making less money she may be able to apply for medicaid for you which may pay for your braces. Or, you need to at least get a checkup to make sure you are not getting huge cavities from the braces which can ruin your teeth and then straightening won't matter much.
Reply:Only your Orthodontist can tell you how long you will have your braces. Once you start up with your braces again don't miss appointments. Missed appointments prolongs treatment. It also depends on how fast your teeth move and how healthy your gums are. Keep brushing and flossing. My Orthodontist has all his patients rinse with Peroxide 4 times a day after meals and at bedtime. Peroxide is cheap and comes in small bottles that fit in your purse or locker. The peroxide will clean your mouth, give you better breath, and make food taste better.
Reply:I'm so in the same boat is you.


But I'm passed the fact that my parents are gonna start paying again so I'm calling my ortho on monday to see about them getting removed. But keep on flossing and brushing.
Reply:Your mom needs to get you to a dentist that will accept payments, you have inflamed gums, which probably means you have an infection. Rinsing with Listerine is a good idea, it has antibacterial and antiseptic qualities which you need. A water pick is a good way of removing plaque and food particles when you have braces.



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