As an adult, it may be more difficult for you to juggle oral care with all of your other responsibilities. Still, if you’re looking into braces, it’s important to maintain a consistent schedule of checkups with your general dentist. During these checkups, your general dentist will make sure that your teeth are well and healthy, and discuss what changes may need to be made to your checkups or your routine based on your needs.

Good hygiene is an integral part of the process for adult braces! You’ll have to brush and floss somewhat more regularly to ensure that your mouth is properly cleaned. Traditional braces also require extra attention and care to your diet; you will not be able to eat sticky or hard foods that can damage or get stuck in the braces, so be prepared to put away the gum and candy and get more used to slicing into foods rather than biting directly into them (e.g: corn on the cob).

TLC for Smiles is dedicated to setting you up for success at every step of the turn! We’ll walk you through every nook and cranny of your braces journey and teach you how to care for them. We give all of our new patients with braces a complimentary goody kit, including detailed instructions, a dietary guide, an oral hygiene kit, and more! We generally check in on patients with braces every six weeks, but your schedule will ultimately depend on your specific needs!

If you want to avoid the metal and wires of traditional braces, it may be worth it to look into newer alternatives such as clear aligners. To treat a wide variety of common dental and alignment problems, we offer Invisalign; these aligners are clear and removable, making them perfect for those who wish to avoid food restrictions and for people who wish to avoid social stigma from metal braces during adulthood.

Additionally, invisalign clear aligners greatly reduce time missed at work or from family time. Whereas braces require visits as often as every 4-6 weeks, adults with invisalign clear aligners have office visits about every 12 to 20 weeks. This is a great convenience and relief to most adults who cherish their time outside of the dental office!

Interested in learning more about adult braces, orthodontics, or Invisalign? Our Chatsworth office can be reached at (818) 739-0182 and has private rooms for each individual patient. Our Granada Hills location can be called at (818) 360-2131 and boasts an open bay area in which parents can sit with more than one child at a time, making it perfect for larger families and perfect for parents who have their teeth straightened at the same time as their kids!