By now, you’re very familiar with the basic building blocks of your braces. Brackets, wires, and ligatures are no mystery to you. But suddenly, you’re hearing a brand new term—“power chains.” What exactly are these power chains, and why does your orthodontist think you need them? Let’s see how power chains are *linked* to your…
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The alarm sounds in the morning, you wake up and realize "I forgot to wear my retainer!" If this only happened once, don't panic. Missing one night with a retainer is unlikely to cause significant teeth movement. However, if it has happened often, give our Durango, Bayfield, or Pagosa Springs office a call to make…
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One exciting part about wearing braces from Vaughn Johnson Orthodontics is getting to choose the colors of your rubber bands. Orthodontists place elastic bands, or ligatures, over each bracket to secure the archwire in place. These rubber bands may be individual or connected, depending on your mouth’s needs. From Dr. Vaughn Johnson, you have the…
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Well, of course you can chew gum and wear braces. But, should you chew gum and wear braces? That can be a sticky question. For many years, the answer was a firm “No.” Not only did our favorite chewables literally gum up the (dental) works, but they were filled with loads of the sugar that…
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