Planning to get a new orthodontic appliance? What’s that?! Relax, that’s just a fancy word for dental braces. Whether you’ve got a full-on metal mouth or you sport Invisalign “teeth straighteners”, it is extremely important to take proper care of those braces. A good oral hygiene regimen is vital throughout the procedure and long after. Here is a bit about how you can care for your braces the right way.
Clean your braces daily: This is the most important aspect of taking care of your braces, especially if your braces include spring, wires, and rubber bands. To get to the tiny spaces between your braces and your teeth can seem an irksome task, but if ignored this is a situation ripe for tooth decay, with all the food particles that get trapped there.
If you do not clean your braces regularly, food trapped between your teeth can react with the metal and can cause white spots on your teeth. These white spots can lead to cavities and further oral health problems.
Brush, brush, brush is what you should be doing. Brushing immediately after every meal will help remove the food particles before they stubbornly lodge themselves in those hard to get at spaces. Use fluoride toothpaste and a soft bristle brush. Flossing is also important; there are flossing threads in the market specially made for braces. To avoid white spots, ask your dentist to recommend a fluoride toothpaste that will help keep your braces clean and protect your teeth.
Watch what you eat: Do not worry – no need to go on a liquid diet just yet! Just be careful to stay away from hard (popcorn, nuts, ice, etc.), crunchy (raw vegetables) and sticky (candy, caramel, etc.) food. Also avoid food that you may have to bite into like apples, corn and so on. But take care not to use this as an excuse to skip your fruits and veggies servings. Prepared vegetables and sliced fruit are just fine to eat!
Visit your dentist regularly: Your dentist is the go-to person to monitor your oral health and give you the right suggestions.
Take good care of your braces. The perfect smile to bedazzle the world with is payoff enough for the little bit of grunt work you’ll have to put in now!