{"id":1143,"date":"2019-04-24T09:02:50","date_gmt":"2019-04-23T21:02:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.citydentists.co.nz\/dental-blog\/dental-treatment\/do-you-need-to-visit-the-dentist-when-you-have-braces\/"},"modified":"2025-03-01T16:14:55","modified_gmt":"2025-03-01T04:14:55","slug":"do-you-need-to-visit-the-dentist-when-you-have-braces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.citydentists.co.nz\/dental-blog\/do-you-need-to-visit-the-dentist-when-you-have-braces\/","title":{"rendered":"Do you need to visit the dentist when you have braces?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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When you have braces, you may be visiting your orthodontist every six weeks or so. Since you're seeing an oral health professional so regularly, you might think you don't need to maintain regular visits to a general dentist<\/a>.<\/p>\n

However, your dentist and orthodontist are responsible for different aspects of your oral health. It's therefore vital that you keep seeing your dentist even when you have braces.<\/p>\n

Why do you need to see a dentist when you have braces?<\/h2>\n

An orthodontist is a highly specialised dentist. They deal specifically with the diagnosis, prevention and correction of misaligned jaws and teeth. This means they can help guide your teeth to be straight or reverse issues like an overbite. But it doesn't mean they're assessing your overall oral wellbeing during your appointments.<\/p>\n

An orthodontist may refer you to a dentist if they notice decay during an assessment, but the health of individual teeth and gums is less of a concern to them.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, your dentist is focused on ensuring your whole mouth remains healthy. When you have braces, there's more surface area in your mouth for plaque and tartar to build. Food particles may also get caught beneath the wires of your braces. Your dentist will help to keep this in check<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In addition to hygiene issues, a dentist might be required for:<\/p>\n