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Thrifty Crafty Girl

Thrifty Crafty Girl

Health and Wellness · November 18, 2020

Wearing Braces? 5 Habit Changes You Need to Make

Having a beautiful smile is important for many people. Aside from indicating good oral health, it can also boost a person’s confidence. This is why cosmetic procedures that improve one’s smile have become so popular.

Some cosmetic issues like staining and chippings can often be solved with veneers in Fort Lauderdale. People also have other options for these concerns, like teeth whitening and composite bonding. But if you have malocclusion and other teeth or jaw alignment issues, what you need are orthodontic braces.

Considered as the go-to for the majority of alignment concerns, these devices should be maintained well to ensure effective treatment. Because of this, you may need to make the following five changes to help dental braces get you that beautiful smile you want:

Brush more thoroughly

Everyone needs to brush their teeth regularly at least twice a day. It is an essential part of good oral hygiene. But the task becomes even more vital when you are wearing braces.

It’s not unusual for plaque to build up around the brackets of this orthodontic appliance, especially in hard-to-reach areas of the mouth. However, this is not an excuse to just let the plaque lead to tooth decay as you can make adjustments to your brushing habit to ensure that even these parts of the teeth are clean.

Instead of sticking to twice a day, experts recommend brushing your teeth after you eat (whether it’s a meal or snack) to get rid of food debris that may get stuck to your braces.

Pick the right tools for teeth cleaning.

In all honesty, almost everything related to your teeth changes when you have braces, including teeth cleaning. This means you’ll have to adapt and make sure that your brushing habits apply to the situation.

Keep your braces in mind when brushing. Instead of rushing through the process, take your time to ensure that you get to clean even the tightest spots.

You should also consider changing how heavily you handle your toothbrush to avoid breaking the brackets and wires that comprise your orthodontic device. Brushing too hard would be much more painful when you’re wearing braces, so make sure to do it gently and at a 45-degree angle.

Don’t use your teeth for purposes other than eating.

Your teeth are made for chewing food, so you must not use them for purposes other than eating. Avoid biting your nails and gnawing on ice (more on this later). Do not bite anything hard, for that matter.

You must also never open things using your teeth. Besides introducing germs into your system, opening food packs, candy wrappers, bottle caps, or can lids with your teeth can cause your brace brackets to break. It may also change the position of your arch wires, which can be detrimental to your orthodontic treatment.

This habit may also apply pressure that will counteract the intended target of the braces. Even if you don’t wear such orthodontic appliances, biting items other than food is already harmful to your teeth; and much more so when you have wires and brackets on.

Choose what you eat wisely.

Your teeth are made for chewing food – this has been established in the previous item. But after you have braces installed in Fort Lauderdale, you would need to be picky about what you eat. Certain foods should be avoided, some of which are listed below:

Sticky Foods

Chewing gum and other sticky foods are some big taboos for brace-wearers. Aside from getting stuck in between the braces, these types of food can also dislocate your arch wires and brackets as you try to get rid of what’s left of them.

Ice Cold Foods

Frozen foods like ice cubes and ice cream can cause your teeth to become too sensitive. Since the braces are moving your choppers to their proper alignment on purpose, it’s the worst time to have sensitive teeth. Plus, prolonged exposure to cold food may also cause gum rashes and cold sores, so remember to keep off the ice.

Hard Foods

Aside from being cold, ice is also a hard food, which is another food category you need to avoid with braces on. Besides ice, chewing, or biting shells and nuts can cause painful oral injuries because these apply unwanted pressure that may counteract the correct direction your choppers should be moving towards.

If you try this too often, you might break your brace wires and brackets, not to mention injure your tongue, inner cheeks, and gums.

Acidic Foods

Lemons are rich in Vitamin C that is essential for your health, but you still need to steer clear of them when you have braces. This is because lemon is an acidic food that can corrode the outer layer of the teeth. When this happens, you may see some discoloration on your teeth that will be noticeable once the braces are removed.

Sugary Foods

Braces or no braces, you must be wary of sugary foods as they feed plaque-causing bacteria that lead to tooth decay problems. This becomes even more crucial when you do wear braces.

Slice your food into smaller pieces.

Still on the subject of food, cutting it down into smaller pieces before eating is another habit you may need to acquire when you have orthodontic appliances.

Although it may seem like a childish thing to do, slicing food into bite-sized pieces before consuming it helps to ease pressure on your teeth that are undergoing alignment adjustment.

Plus, doing this also helps you have more food choices. For example, food items like apples are hard and could break a bracket or two but are healthy enough to remain in your diet. To avoid writing off such nutritious snacks, you can slice them up into tiny pieces to reduce the strain on your orthodontic device.

Of course, this practice doesn’t just apply to apples. You can also use it for softer foods like bread so that your brace brackets won’t have to work so hard.

Brace-Wearing Best Practices for the Win

When wearing braces, following these best practices, and adjusting your previous habits could impact treatment efficiency and length. If you want to optimize your treatment and prevent dental injuries, make sure you practice the habit changes listed in this article.

 

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