Keeping your teeth clean is more important than ever when you have braces. Food bits have more spots than usual to hide in your mouth, so you must be diligent in order to avoid bad breath, swollen gums, discolored teeth and cavities. If you remove plaque regularly during treatment, you'll experience better results and shorter treatment time. Keep plaque at bay with these top ten tips:

One tooth at a time. When you brush, take time with each individual tooth – at least 10 seconds each – and pay careful attention to the spots where your teeth touch your braces.

It’s all about the angles. Brush the tops of your teeth and braces with your brush angled down toward where they meet. Brush the bottoms of your teeth and braces with your brush angled up.

The tooth, the whole tooth, nothing but the tooth. While the front surface of your teeth may seem like the most logical to clean, it’s equally important to clean the inner surface of your teeth (tongue side) as well as the chewing surface. And be sure to clean along your gum line – a key spot for plaque buildup.

Step 1: eat, step 2: clean. While you’re in treatment, it’s important to brush after every meal. Bits of food can easily get caught between braces and teeth, and these food bits interact with bacteria in your mouth to cause decay. The longer food is in contact with your teeth, the greater opportunity for plaque to form. If you are eating somewhere that you can’t brush, thoroughly rinse your mouth with water.

Like a Boy Scout, always be prepared. The easiest way to be sure you can brush after every meal is to get in the habit of taking a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss with you wherever you go. Designate a special container just for your teeth-cleaning tools and keep it in your purse, backpack, or laptop case.

Remove the moving parts. If you have elastic bands or headgear, remove these parts before you brush or floss.

Fluoride is your friend. Fluoride helps prevent cavities. Be sure to brush with fluoride toothpaste, and rinse with fluoride mouthwash.

Pointy brushes reach tiny places. Interproximal brushes (sometimes called proxa brushes or interdental brushes) are cone-shaped and come in very handy for reaching spots around your braces that standard brushes can’t.

Find the floss for you. Regular floss works for some patients, but others find it easier to work with a floss threader, which helps you get the floss into tight places. Other patients like an all-in-one product called Superfloss, which comes with a stiff end for easy threading, a spongy section for cleaning wide spaces, and regular floss for narrow spaces.

Make time for the pros. It’s your job to take care of the everyday cleaning. But make sure to visit your dentist regularly while in treatment, to get the deep, thorough cleaning that only a professional can provide.

Hope these tips help!


--Drs. Baby & Rojas

Placing a Temporary Anchorage Device

Check out how simple and painless the placement of a Temporary Anchorage Device is. In the first video, Dr. Rojas prepares this patient for their TAD, and then places it in the second video! At the orthodontic practice of Drs. Paula Baby and Jaime Rojas, we use TADs to achieve precise control over how your teeth move into place during orthodontic treatment. TADs are an effective and painless technology that has made orthodontic treatment easier than ever! Give our London, Wingham, or Goderich offices a call to learn more, or visit our web site!

Second Annual Doctor and Staff Appreciation Bowling Night

At the orthodontic practice of Drs. Jaime Rojas and Paula Baby, we have so much to be thankful for when it comes to our wonderful doctors and talented staff. So we wanted to show our appreciation of the team, along with all the local referring doctors who send us patients in need of orthodontic treatment to our London, Wingham, or Goderich offices. We held our second annual appreciation night at the local bowling alley, and have posted a ton of fun photos on our Facebook page, check them out here.

Each office picked a costume theme, and competed for prizes. We hope everyone had a great time and we at Dr. Paula Baby and Dr. Jaime Rojas' office look forward to next year!

Temporary Anchorage Device Removal Video

One of the coolest new technologies that we offer at our London, Wingham, and new Goderich orthodontic offices are TADs (Temporary Anchorage Devices). These are so useful because they allow us to create individual adjustments of teeth during orthodontic treatment, which can greatly affect your overall result!

TADs are tiny screws made out of titanium alloy that are attached to the bone between the roots of the teeth and can be placed in the bone in the roof of the mouth as well. Since there are no nerve endings in this area, there is typically little or no discomfort for patients. Ask us about TADs during your next visit!

Meet Nancy, Appointment Coordinator at our new Goderich Location

This week, we wanted to introduce you to Nancy Plumsteel, our appointment coordinator at our Goderich orthodontic office. She wanted to share the following with everyone, check it out!

I have been working in the dental field for 19 years. I graduated from Fanshawe College dental assisting program in 1991. I am the person who will greet you at our Goderich office, book your appointments and answer your questions. I live in Goderich and am happily married with 3 children. My spare time is spent enjoying the outdoors which includes hiking, camping and going to the beach or just relaxing by the pool.

Welcome Nancy!

More About Orthodontics From Drs. Baby & Rojas

There are so many questions about orthodontics that we never ask, so Drs. Jaime Rojas and Paula Baby took some time to explain the most common concerns.

At what age should orthodontic treatment occur?

Orthodontic treatment can be started at any age. Many orthodontic problems are easier to correct if detected at an early age before jaw growth has slowed. Early treatment may mean that a patient can avoid surgery and more serious complications. The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that every child first visit an orthodontist by age seven or earlier if a problem is detected by parents, the family dentist or the child's physician.

What is Phase I and Phase II treatment?

Phase I, or early interceptive treatment, is limited orthodontic treatment (i.e. expander, Herbst, Facemask, headgear, or partial braces) before all of the permanent teeth have erupted. Such treatment can occur between the ages of six and ten. This treatment is sometimes recommended to make more space for developing teeth, correction of crossbites, overbites, underbites, or harmful oral habits. Phase II treatment is also called comprehensive treatment, because it involves full braces when all of the permanent teeth have erupted, usually between the ages of eleven and thirteen.

Would an adult patient benefit from orthodontics?

Absolutely!! Orthodontic treatment can be successful at any age. Everyone wants a beautiful and healthy smile. Between 30-40% of our patients are adults.

How does orthodontic treatment work?

Braces use steady gentle pressure to gradually move teeth into their proper positions. The brackets that are placed on your teeth and the arch wire that connects them are the main components. When the arch wire is placed into the brackets, it tries to return to its original shape. As it does so, it applies pressure to move your teeth to their new, more ideal positions.

How long does orthodontic treatment take?

Treatment times vary on a case-by-case basis, but the average time is from one to two years. Actual treatment time can be affected by rate of growth and severity of the correction necessary. Treatment length is also dependent upon patient compliance. Maintaining good oral hygiene and keeping regular appointments are important in keeping your treatment time on schedule.

Do braces hurt?

The placement of bands and brackets on your teeth does not hurt. Once your braces are placed and connected with the arch wires, you may feel some soreness of your teeth for one to four days. Your lips and cheeks may need one to two weeks to get used to the braces on your teeth.

Will braces interfere with playing sports?

No. It is recommended, however, that patients protect their smiles by wearing a mouth guard when participating in any sporting activity. Mouth guards are inexpensive, comfortable, and come in a variety of colors and patterns.

Will braces interfere with playing musical instruments?

No. However, there may be an initial period of adjustment. In addition, brace covers or wax can be provided to prevent discomfort.

Should I see my general dentist while I have braces?

Yes, you should continue to see your general dentist every six months for cleaning and dental checkups, or more frequently as recommended.

Got more questions? Give us a call at our office! We'd love to hear from you.

Photo of our new Goderich, ON orthododontic office

A few weeks ago we announced our new office, but several patients have been wanting to see a photo, so here it is! We are so excited to begin serving the Goderich community!