What is dental wax, and why should you be using it? Are there any procedures that greatly benefit from applying dental wax?
Orthodontic Treatment
Most people familiar with dental wax remember it from their days of wearing braces, retainers, and other headgear or inserts. It is an edible, safe, and sanitary product recommended for people who need lubrication to prevent the wires and brackets from scraping and grinding against their mouth's interior, especially the sensitive inner lining. Some patients end up using the product for the entire procedure, to help soothe the foreign inserts.
At Home Care
It shouldn't be a surprise then that one of the main reasons to invest in keeping wax around the house, is for your own oral sensitivity. If you use other products to prevent wear and chaffing from occurring during routine chewing, consider tearing off a piece of wax and rolling it on your fingers to warm it, then gently smearing it over the surface.
Denture Adhesive
Another clever use for dental wax is for people who wear partial or full dentures. Improper care and simple age can cause them to get damaged or no longer fit correctly, necessitating expensive replacements. As an interim measure, you can use dental wax as a "soft” adhesive that won't damage the oral prosthetic, while helping it bind to your mouth, lubricating it to prevent pain, and even holding damaged parts together while you see to a replacement.
Of course, if your dentures need replacement, or your jaws and mouth ache when chewing, you should promptly call us to get an appointment so we can discuss the details of that with you, make sure there aren't any other issues needing addressed, and then go over the proper usage of wax and ensure you are comfortable and safe while using this product.
Dentist Bend, OR • Dental Blog • Aesthetic Dentistry of Bend Dr. Thomas E. Wold has created this blog to help educate the community. Like a Post? Please use the "share it" button to post to Facebook, Twitter, or Google+. Aesthetic Dentistry of Bend, LLC - Thomas E. Wold DMD, 124 NW Hawthorne Ave. Bend, OR. 97703, (541) 389-0261, wolddmd.com, 11/28/2023, Related Terms: dentist Bend OR,
What is dental wax, and why should you be using it? Are there any