For some people, braces can be a drastic change from your normal daily routine. Braces have the potential to have an impact on your eating, brushing, and flossing habits. Because of this, it is important to take certain steps to keep your teeth healthy during this time. Follow this oral health guide for braces to ensure that while your teeth are straightened you can prevent cavities and other problems from arising.
Brushing and Flossing
There are many different parts that come with braces including wires, rubber bands, springs, retainers, expanders, and more. Each of these have the potential to attract food and plaque. When not properly taken care of, this plaque will begin to damage the teeth, causing cavities and other problems. Make sure that while brushing your teeth, you take care to brush at every angle, ensuring the bristles reach between each bracket. Use a Proxabrush in addition to this to effectively clean between each space.
Flossing is a bit more difficult with braces.To start it off, put one end of the floss through the space that has formed between the arch wire and the top of your teeth. Be gentle when flossing, taking special care not to bend the wire in any way. Regular brushing and flossing is the best way to keep your teeth white with braces.
Food
Your eating habits will need to be slightly adjusted when you have braces. Most of the normal foods you eat on a daily basis can still be consumed so long as they are cut down into smaller pieces. Even so, there are some foods that should be avoided at all costs while you have braces. The damage they will sustain are not worth the temporary taste they deliver. Among these include:
- Hard or tough foods, especially apples. If you do consume apples, they should be in bite sized pieces.
- Foods that are chewy such as caramels should be avoided with braces as they will get stuck between the brackets and cause damage.
- Bubble gum is one of the worst foods in terms of sticking to the braces.
- Corn on the cob will get stuck between your teeth even without braces, make sure to avoid eating corn in this way.
Use common sense with the foods you eat, avoiding those that will cause obvious damage.
Sports
While you can still play sports when you have braces, be aware of the possibility of being hit in the mouth. This has the potential to deliver more damage than it otherwise would. For those with braces, a mouthguard designed for such instances can be worn to better protect the teeth. These are comfortable, and deliver a peace of mind when engaging in physical activity.
If you have braces, think a little longer when you are brushing, flossing, eating, and playing sports. By taking the proper precautions and care, you will ensure successful orthodontic work.