Clear Dental Wax

Dentists use clear dental wax for many purposes. When they install braces in a patient, they use clear dental wax as a barrier to separate them from the lips and cheek.

Patients can even buy clear dental wax (also known as orthodontic brace wax) on their own and in all sorts of flavors, from the traditional mint flavor to flavors such as cherry-scented. Or, if they prefer, they can simply go with unscented dental wax.

Even the best fitted braces are uncomfortable to wear, especially in the first few weeks after they have been installed. The brace wax helps to make wearing braces more comfortable by decreasing the friction between them and the fleshy parts of the mouth like the lips, gums, cheeks, and tongue.

Clear dental wax comes in a couple of different ways. Dental strips usually come 5 or 6 strips to a package. To save money, you can buy case loads as well which will give you multiple packages per case. Alternatively, you can purchase dental wax in a gum form.

Using dental wax is simple. With your fingers, break off a small piece of the wax from the container. Roll it around with your fingers to soften and mold it.  Then put your fingers in your mouth and coat the portion of the brace that is causing the irritation.

Other Uses for Dental Waxes

The other type of wax commonly used by dentists is the one used by dentists to provide a mold for fillings, caps, crowns and bridges. While there are different manufacturers, many that use color to depict the hardness of the dental wax they produce, there are only three basic types; hard, medium and soft.

Softer dental wax is often used to provide better detail in an impression when false teeth are being designed to insure they meet the opposing set of teeth on an even scale. Taking dental impressions for identification purposes is typically done using dental wax as it can provide a clear picture of the appearance of the teeth. Although the wax is malleable and easily used to conform to various shapes, its typical use is to form a mold in preparation for dental materials to be formed into the proper shape.

When a dentist prepares to make false teeth, for example they can use dental wax to make a mold of the gums. Once this mold is designed, additional dental wax is used to make an impression of the opposite set of teeth to make sure that when the new artificial teeth is placed in the gum mold, they are properly aligned with the opposite set of teeth. Many times the dentist constructing the artificial teeth will design the piece one plate at a time, top and bottom, to insure the new ones align perfectly with the old ones.

Although clear dental waxes for braces and molding waxes are used for different purposes, they are basically the same wax. In fact, dental wax is so versatile that it is often used in industries as a modeling wax to create molds for prototypes.

Dental Braces Care
Many dental insurance plans don't cover orthodontic care such as braces, making dental braces care even more important since the expenses for brace replacement will be coming directly out of your pocket.

Smile Enhancement Dentistry
All forms of so called smile enhancement dentistry are on upswing as new dental procedures become easier and more affordable to the general population.