Braces are the most effective solution for straightening and realigning your teeth, but it’s important to care for them properly. When you’re undergoing orthodontic treatment, there are a few precautions that can help keep your braces and teeth clean, and ensure they remain in a great condition throughout the duration of treatment.
Caring for your braces isn’t very complicated. It just requires a bit of practice and awareness about what you should and shouldn’t do, to get better results.
Let’s look at the top 5 do's and Don’ts that you should follow during orthodontic treatment:
1. Don’t – Eat Brace-Unfriendly Foods
In the first few days after getting your braces, eat soft foods that are easy to chew and cut your food into small pieces before eating. Avoid hard candies and nuts, raw fruits or vegetables as well as tough meats that can damage the wires or elastics in your braces. You should also avoid chewing on pen caps, nails, and other hard items.
Hard or sticky foods can also dislodge the brackets and wires of a dental appliance, extending your treatment time unnecessarily. Foods that are chewy, sticky, sour or sweet raise the risk of tooth decay since it’s more difficult to clean between your teeth and gums while wearing braces.
2. Do – Practice Good Oral Hygiene
You need to brush and floss your teeth regularly while wearing braces since food particles can get stuck in them. Use a smooth sawing motion to floss between your teeth twice a day, preferably after lunch and before going to bed. Remember, be gentle and extra careful near the archwires of braces.
Use a soft-bristle toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste to brush your teeth, moving both upward and downward on each tooth. Then use an interdental brush to thoroughly clean the spaces between wires, bands, and brackets. Use a fluoridated mouthwash to rinse your mouth as well.
3. Don’t – Remove Elastic Bands
The elastic bands used with braces apply gentle but continuous force to realign your teeth, and leaving them on continuously may help speed up the orthodontic treatment process. Unless you’ve been given specific instructions by your orthodontist, only remove them while brushing your teeth.
It’s normal to feel some discomfort from the pressure they exert, but the longer you keep them in, the faster they will work. Removing them for even one day increases the chances of your teeth moving back into their original position!
4. Do – Consult Your Orthodontist
You should get regular checkups from a specialist during your orthodontic treatment, and consult your doctor the moment you notice broken wires and brackets or loose brace bands. Not only could these slow down the realignment process, but loose or broken orthodontic appliances may injure your tongue, teeth or gums as well.
If you notice a popping or grating sensation in your jaw, excessive pain, or stiffness while opening and closing your mouth, remove the elastic bands from your braces and visit your orthodontist right away.
5. Don’t – Put Your Braces at Risk
Avoid activities that could damage your braces and cause injury to your mouth, as far as possible. If you’re playing contact sports or working in a hazardous environment, make sure to use a dental mouth guard to protect your braces as well as your teeth and gums. In case your braces get damaged, don’t delay visiting your orthodontist.
Precautions to Take during Your Orthodontic Treatment
Here are some simple precautions that will help you deal with loose, bent or broken parts till you can visit your orthodontist for a checkup:
- Loosened Brackets – While your orthodontist is putting in the braces, they will provide you with orthodontic wax. Use this to protect your mouth by covering loosened brackets and temporarily reconnecting them till they can be repaired.
- Loose/Detached Spacers & Bands – Spacers and bands need to be replaced or reattached if they loosen or get detached from the structure of your braces. Use orthodontic wax to temporarily reattach them if needed.
- Broken/Bent Wires – Broken or bent wires can damage soft tissues inside your mouth, such as your tongue, gums or inner cheeks. Use a pencil eraser to gently move them away from soft tissue and cushion the ends with orthodontic wax.
In case you do face an injury caused by damage to your braces, use warm salt water or an antiseptic mouthwash to rinse the affected area, and visit your orthodontic specialist without delay!
Emily found the perfect fit for herself as the Online Marketing Manager at Thurman Orthodontics in Fresno CA as she believes that a great smile does more than just make a person look great – it makes them feel great as well. The power of a smile has always been a mystery to Emily that she solves by researching and writing about. She loves to write about everything to do with a healthy bite and beautiful smile - whether is it ways to achieve it or the importance of it in the various aspects of life. What brings a big smile on Emily’s face is her family and surfing. She also likes to bake and her children and co-workers call her the cookie fairy!
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