Getting braces is one of the best decisions you can make for your teeth. They can help enhance the appearance and alignment of your teeth significantly. But one wrong step can also cost you hundreds – even thousands – of dollars. That is why it is essential to know how to care for your braces after getting them properly. Scheduling an appointment with Fairfield, ME dental office can help you learn more about the aftercare for braces. 

The do’s of caring for your braces 

• Brush your teeth carefully at least twice a day 

It is more important than ever to maintain proper dental hygiene after getting braces. Food particles can easily get trapped between the wires or brackets. To prevent oral problems, brush properly after every meal – or at least twice a day. 

• Floss daily 

You must floss daily when you have braces. This step of dental hygiene is critical as it helps remove food particles and bacteria. 

• If you play sports, protect your teeth. 

You must use protective equipment to protect your mouth if you play any contact sports. Talk to your dentist about getting a mouthguard to protect your braces and teeth. 

• Rinse your mouth after eating 

After every meal, rinse your mouth thoroughly to make sure you are removing all the food particles that may be stuck between your teeth or braces. 

• Take painkillers 

After getting your braces fixed – or after every adjustment appointment – it is normal to feel pain and discomfort for a day or two. You can take mild painkillers to relieve the discomfort. 

• Use dental wax 

If your braces are rubbing against the inside of your mouth, such as your lips or cheek, you can apply dental wax over the bracket causing discomfort. 

The don’ts of caring for your braces 

• Eat foods that may cause damage to your braces 

You should avoid several foods after getting braces, as they can cause damage. This can include chewy, crunchy, or hard foods, sticky foods, sugary foods, or food you need to bite. 

• Bite your nails or chew on pencils 

Do not bite any foreign object with your teeth – such as your nails or chewing on pencils. Do not use your teeth as tools, as this can damage your braces. 

• Miss your dental appointments 

After getting your braces, you would need to visit your dentist regularly. You must not miss appointments to ensure that the adjustments are happening correctly, the way they are supposed to. 

• Remove elastic bands 

Do not touch the elastic bands of your braces at all. 

• Drink carbonated or sugary drinks 

Avoid sugary and carbonated drinks as much as you possibly can. 

• Self-adjust your braces 

Do not adjust your braces on your own. Let your dentist deal with that. 

Nowadays, everyone leads a busy life routine. No one has the time to do grocery shopping every other day. The best solution is to buy all items you need in bulk form. But the problem begins when you have to store them. Food spoilage is one of the growing problems because of the unsafe storage methods. Rotten food is the one cause that can participate in food poisoning. It is crucial to make sure that you appropriately store the food. Any error or ignorance from your end in food storage can cause big trouble for you by your side.

You can double up the problem when you have to store the veggies and fruits. Veggies and fruits are fragile items that require extra attention. On a commercial level, many restaurants and cafés use the freezing technique. Freezing can help you store the items in bulk form. You can also get a cold room for sale for commercial storage. Know that freezing is the best methodology to preserve food items. In freezing, you can slow down the growth of bacteria to a minimum level. It is better to opt for freezing when you want to store the food item for a long time.

Potatoes are one of the most loved staple foods. Many people think that potatoes are safe at room temperature. But know that you need to opt for freezing to ensure the long shelf life of potatoes. It is safe to freeze the potatoes to perverse the taste and texture. There are many ways you can freeze potatoes for secure storage. Below we are listing the safest ways you can keep your potatoes frozen. You can read the below methodologies to know the tricks.

Freezing raw potatoes: 

This one is the most common method to freeze the potatoes. All you need is to wash the potatoes under fresh tap water. This step is essential to remove any dirt from the potatoes. After washing them, you need to dry your potatoes. Take a clean and dry cloth piece. Now, let the potatoes dry on the cloth. After drying, take an airtight container or a sealed Ziploc bag. You can keep the potatoes in this Ziploc bag. You can also cut the potatoes into cubes if you do not have enough space in the freezer. Another thing you can do is peel the potatoes and then freeze them.

Freezing blanched potatoes: 

Blanching is one of the most known ways to save food items. Blanching will help you while you cook the potatoes. The potatoes will be half done and require less time in cooking. For blanching, take a pot and fill it with water. Put the pot on heat and let it simmer for a minute or two. On the other side, wash the potatoes and cut them into cubes. Not dip the potatoes pieces into the hot water. Let the potatoes boil for three to four minutes. Take the potatoes out of the pot and let them cool down. After cooling down, pack them in an airtight container and put them in the freezer.

Freezing mashed potatoes: 

Freezing mashed potatoes will also require doing some prep work. First, wash the potatoes. Now dice them in cube shape. Now mash the potatoes with salt to taste, butter and milk. You have to keep mashing the potatoes until they become smooth. You can also season the mash potatoes if you like. Now put the mashed potatoes in a Ziploc bag and store them in the freezer.

Freezing grated potatoes: 

Your hash browns will require some grated potatoes. For this, wash the potatoes and peel them. Now, grate the peeled potatoes. Drain the grated potatoes and make hash brown patties. Now, take a pan and add oil to it. Turn on the flame to heat the oil. After that, you need to shallow-fry the hash brown patties until they become light brown. Make sure the heat is medium. Now, take them out, and place them on a cooling rack. Cool the patties and let them pack in a Ziploc bag.

As the prevalence of hearing loss and impairment in babies increases, neonatal hearing screening has become crucially important. Research suggests that two out of every 1000 babies are born with permanent hearing impairment. Such hearing impairment can be in one or both ears, so getting a hearing assessment for your baby is essential in order to figure out the nature of the hearing problem(s). 

Hearing impairment in one ear of a baby is hard to detect because, typically, people confuse it with low hearing efficiency. Early management of hearing impairment can help a child adjust well in the future. Otherwise, hearing loss can impair a child’s development and adjustability in society. 

Why Is It important?

Neonatal hearing screening is essential both for physical and mental health. Hearing is directly related to all aspects of life. Children with hearing disabilities may have a comorbid communicational disorder that may lead to further mental health problems. 

When hearing loss is detected at an early age, the child gets a chance at learning language and communication through visual aids. A therapist can apply various programs and techniques to ensure the child learns to speak even if they cannot hear. They develop bonding with other children like them and understand how to interact effectively.

Your baby needs to be appropriately tested immediately after birth and throughout their childhood. If not treated in early childhood, hearing problems may become chronic and even incurable. Parents are recommended to seek hearing screening at Audiology Centre West or go for any other professional audiology services that are specialized in handling newly born babies. 

If you properly screen your child’s hearing in early childhood, your child will perform better at school, communicate well with others, and get along with their peers and society. 

Interventions

Intervention services regarding your baby’s hearing health should begin at or before six months. Some hearing interventions that parents should keep in mind and seek out include:

• Seeking the help of trained professional audiologists specializing in dealing with neonatal hearing problems.
• Seeking assistance from mental health professionals to help their child with communication. 
• Joining family support groups
• Joining family support groups.
• Other options include hearing aids, cochlear implants, and assistive devices.

Conclusion 

An impaired sense of hearing can deprive babies of many environmental cues. Early hearing assessment for babies is a must because they can’t express their hearing issues like adults. This inability to tell about their hearing efficiency makes the caregivers responsible for getting them assessed.

Hearing tests are a crucial part of children’s health evaluation. Hearing is a very important function that is related to the psychological development of a child in a very intricate manner. 

Children with hearing disabilities or abnormalities may develop certain psychological problems; however, this is not always the case.

This article sheds light on everything that you should know about hearing tests and evaluations for kids. Let’s begin!

Pediatric evaluation

Children’s hearing tests should be conducted right after birth and should be a part of their pediatric evaluation from nine months until four years. If problems persist, the evaluation should continue. 

In early infancy, children’s hearing abilities are assessed by audiologists who use visual reinforcement techniques or play-based techniques because children cannot understand language at this point. 

When they get older, the audiologists start using more advanced techniques and equipment. 

Common Misunderstandings Regarding Children’s Hearing Abilities

• It is commonly misunderstood that children with hearing problems are psychologically underdeveloped. If a child is deaf, he or she can still live a healthy life and communicate with others through other means. 

• People often assume that if children are having fun with toys that they are normal. In many cases, children are having fun with sound toys and yet have major hearing problems. 

Hearing Tests for Infants

There are two major types of tests that are used to assess infants’ hearing abilities.

• Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions (EOAE)

In this test, a small plug is inserted into the infant’s ear, which records otoacoustic emissions in the baby’s ear when exposed to external sounds. There is a normal level of these otoacoustic responses. If an infant is deaf, there would be zero otoacoustic responses. 

• Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR)

This is a neurological test where an electrode is connected to the baby’s head while the baby is sleeping. The electrode measures and records the brain activity of the infant in response to external sounds. This test is typically applied within three months of the baby’s birth.

Hearing Tests for Toddlers

• Play Audiometry 

This test involves sound toys that are designed in a way that a toddler can play with them, and it can measure the toddler’s aural responses at the same time. It relies on the level of engagement and interest from the kid’s side. 

• Visual Reinforcement Audiometry

In this type of children’s hearing test, hearing is assessed by how accurately a child can point out a source of the sound. The sound sources are often made in the form of toys or flashing lights that can grab the child’s attention.

Conclusion

Children cannot express hearing issues and if you suspect that your child is having hearing problems, go for a children’s hearing test right away. Experts at clinics like Audiologie can tell which hearing tests are best for your child depending on the nature of the suspected hearing problem.