When you replace your old toothbrush every three or four months with a new model, you accomplish three things:

• You keep your teeth cleaner (frayed brushes don’t clean as well)
• You protect your gums (you won’t be scrubbing harder to get your teeth clean)
• You add another toothbrush to your growing collection of used brushes

If creative recycling is one of your talents, you might have already discovered how handy repurposed brushes are for cleaning delicate or hard-to-reach spaces around the house. But those old brushes don’t have to spend their entire existence cleaning! Here are some ideas from Drs. Cartsos and Zavras to give a new, artistic life to your old, uninspired toothbrush.

• Splatter Painting

As your bathroom mirror can confirm, toothbrushes are great for splattering. Why not put those bristles to creative use by adding color bursts to canvas, wooden picture frames or boxes, fabric, cards, gift wrap and more? Just dip the tips of the bristles into the paint, point them toward your surface, and brush your finger over the head. For more formal effects, splatter paint over your favorite stencils on paper or fabric. Or work your magic by splattering around a stencil for a dramatic silhouette.

• Children’s Painting

Your child might find it great fun to use an old toothbrush to create new works of art. The easy-to-grip handle and wide bristles are perfect for painting those first masterpieces. Splatter painting is also a wonderful art activity for children—but be prepared for some clean-up!

Texturizing Clay Pieces

Whether you work in potter’s clay, polymer clay, or Play-Doh, an old toothbrush can provide any number of interesting textures to your piece. Press the bristles into the clay for a sophisticated stippled background, or brush long gentle strokes for a striated effect.

• Carpentry

Wood glue creates strong bonds when you are joining edges, mitering corners, or fitting mortise and tenon joints. It also creates a sticky mess when you use your fingers, a wood or plastic spreader, or one of your good paint brushes. For any gluing jobs or joinery, try a toothbrush for greater control and easy application.

• Jewelry Making

If you work with jewelry pieces, you know that sometimes there are nooks and crannies that are almost impossible to clean or polish. Try a gentle brush with an old toothbrush and the recommended polish for your piece—but do keep brushes away from the delicate surface of pearls. And for the boldly creative, why not use your toothbrush itself as jewelry? There are online instructions out there for transforming that old brush into a colorful bangle bracelet.

In turns out that there’s a second career waiting for your toothbrush after all! Make sure to clean your toothbrushes thoroughly before using them in another role. After that, let your creativity run wild—including your creative recycling! It’s just another way you are crafting a more beautiful environment for all of us.

Drs. Cartsos and Zavras and our team recommend always wearing a protective mouthguard to participate in most physical sports. We especially encourage this if you have braces that can potentially cut your mouth or cause damage to your teeth. You have various choices to consider when you’re looking for a protective mouthguard.

One option is a full facial guard, which is often used for contact sports, such as football or hockey. This type offers full protection of the face from external impact. You should also consider an additional mouthguard to protect yourself from cuts inside your mouth, and avoid possible damage to your braces.

Boil-and-bites are another version of mouthguard that can be used for more physical sports. This type is used just the way its name implies: You warm the mouthguard in water to soften the material, then bite down gently once it’s at the correct temperature to form it into the shape of your mouth. These are fine to use temporarily, but they don’t always provide the best protection if they don’t fit properly.

Another option is to have Drs. Cartsos and Zavras make a custom mouthguard for you. The mouthguard will be designed with built-in layers to protect both your teeth and braces when it’s worn. Having Drs. Cartsos and Zavras create a custom-fitted mouthguard will ensure optimal protection and a comfortable fit whenever you participate in physical activities.

Protecting your teeth and braces is essential when you compete in sports. Accidents happen, and having a preventive mouthguard can potentially save you from oral pain and damaged braces. Our Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts office is happy to assist you in creating a custom-made mouthguard for any sports activities you want to pursue.

If you’ve experienced a mouth injury that has caused damage to your braces, please contact us immediately so we can fix the problem right away. Remember, prevention is key when it comes to your oral health!

February is Gum Disease Awareness month, a timely reminder that preventing gum disease is one of the best ways to protect our oral health. 

Gum disease is easily treated in its earliest stages. Left untreated, the progressive nature of gum disease makes it one of the leading causes of tooth loss in adults. 

And while we often think of gum disease as an older person’s disease, the fact is that teens and young adults can suffer from gum disease, too. Irregular brushing and flossing habits, hormone fluctuations, family history, and even orthodontic treatment can make people of any age more vulnerable to gum disease.

Let’s take a moment in this shortest month of the year to discuss how understanding, treating, and, above all, preventing gum disease can help us enjoy long-lasting healthy smiles.

How Gum Disease Develops

Gingivitis is the first, mild stage of gum disease. 

• Gingivitis begins with plaque. 
• Plaque irritates gum tissue, causing inflammation, which is the body’s reaction to injury or infection. 
• Typical symptoms include gums which are swollen or red. The gums might feel tender or bleed easily when you brush or floss. You could develop persistent bad breath. 

With proper care, gingivitis is reversible. Because gingivitis symptoms can be very mild, they’re sometimes overlooked. That’s why it’s important to keep up with regular checkups to discover and treat the disease in its earliest stages. 

Periodontitis is a serious gum disease which is destructive to the structures which support our teeth: gums, connective tissue, and bone. 

• Plaque, when it’s not removed, hardens into tartar, which can form on the tooth above and below the gumline. 
• The gums pull away from plaque and tartar deposits, creating a space between the gum tissue and tooth roots. 
• As the gums continue to recede, pockets form between the teeth and gums.
• Infection-causing oral bacteria thrive in these pockets. Gum infections can lead to painful abscesses—but gum disease is not just an infection.
• The body normally responds to bacterial infection with inflammation. With periodontitis, this inflammation becomes destructive chronic inflammation. 
• Over time, chronic inflammation and infection break down the gum tissue, bone, and connective tissue holding teeth in place. Teeth become loose or shift out of alignment.

The tooth’s support structure eventually becomes so compromised that extraction is the only option. That’s why prompt treatment is essential.

Treating Gum Disease

Several options are available to treat gum disease, depending on its severity.

Treatment for gingivitis can be as simple as paying more careful attention to your brushing and flossing and, if necessary, seeing your dentist for a professional cleaning. In some cases, your dentist might recommend an antimicrobial mouthwash or rinse.

Periodontitis requires specialized treatment from your dentist or periodontist, and this treatment will be based on how advanced the condition is:

• Topical, oral, or time-release medications treat infection.
• Non-surgical deep cleaning procedures called scaling and root planing remove plaque and tartar above and below the gumline, allowing gum tissue to reattach to the tooth. 
• Flap surgery treats more advanced gum infection by reducing pocket depth and re-securing the gums snugly around the teeth.
• If needed, bone grafts, gum grafts, and other regenerative procedures are available which help repair and restore damaged tissue.

Preventing Gum Disease

What many people aren’t aware of is just how preventable gum disease is! Because wearing braces can make brushing and flossing more challenging, it’s especially important during these months to stay on top of your dental hygiene and be on the lookout for signs of gingivitis.

• Brush twice a day for two minutes each time, after every meal, or more often if your orthodontist recommends it. 
  • Use proper brushing technique, angling your brush toward the gums to gently clean around and below the gum line. Be sure to brush around your brackets and under your wires. Use a soft-bristled brush to protect both gum tissue and tooth enamel.
• Floss once each day, after every meal, or as directed by Drs. Cartsos and Zavras. 
• There are specialized brushes and flossers available to make cleaning around brackets and wires much easier. Electric toothbrushes and water flossers can also be helpful in removing hard-to-reach plaque. Ask Drs. Cartsos and Zavras to recommend the flossing tools and techniques which will work best for you.
• See your dentist regularly. Gum disease can be invisible in its beginning stages. Discovered early, treatment is simple and effective. 
• Having your teeth cleaned every six months, or as recommended, will remove tartar buildup which brushing alone can’t handle. 

Your dental hygienist is experienced in cleaning teeth when patients wear braces. And you can get tips for better brushing and flossing techniques from the team at Convivial Dental in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, too!

Even when it seems like there aren’t enough days in the month or hours in the day, it takes just a few minutes daily to care for your gums and teeth. And when you’re aware of just how much those few minutes mean to a healthy smile, it’s time well spent!

Braces can be painful, but if you are a teen who loves being social, the worst part about them can be their look. They show up in your photos, and you will not be able to take braces-free photos for several months, or even years. The time will pass, though, and your teeth will be the better for it. In the meantime, consider the other people who have survived braces.

Plenty of People Get Braces

There are many reasons for getting braces:

• Correct an overbite or underbite
• Straighten teeth
• Fix poorly-spaced teeth

With so many possible ways to get braces, it’s no surprise that they are so common.

Find Out Who Had Braces

The long lists of celebrities who had braces as teenagers or even adults can give you the comfort of knowing you are in good company. Even better, these lists provide visible proof that there is life on the other side of braces. Actors and actresses on the Cosby Show, Scrubs, and Ugly Betty, as well as tennis star Martina Hingis and Miss America 1975, Shirley Cothran, had braces. Ask your parents. If they didn’t have braces, there is a good chance that some of their siblings did.

Benefits of Braces

Wearing braces can make your life a lot better in the future. Your teeth will be more attractive, and your smile will shine through in photos of you. Straight teeth are not just about looks, though. They can prevent a variety of health problems, such as caries, gum disease, speech impairments, and trouble chewing. Be patient, and the benefits of braces will come.