Maintaining Your Braces

Four Essential Tips for Better Braces

Having braces is something that many children dread, however, between 50 and 70 percent of children ages 16 to 18 wear braces. Braces are used to correct a number of different oral issues, including crooked teeth, over spacing, overlapping, or crowded teeth. Most children wear braces for between one and three years or longer depending on the severity of their issue and also how they care for their braces. During the time that children are using braces, it is important to keep them – and their teeth – clean and in tip top shape. Here are some special maintenance tips to help give braces and the teeth they’re on healthy.

Keep Your Braces Clean

Braces are magnets for food – after eating, it can be easy to find food particles in every crevice and corner of your braces. Because of this, it is so important to make sure to keep your braces and teeth clean to prevent any further problems. While brushing and flossing after every meal may seem like a hassle, it is essential for keeping your mouth healthy. If you are having trouble flossing between your braces, ask an orthodontist for some tips – they may have a special flossing tool just for braces.

Stay Away from Cavity-Causing Foods

Since it is so easy for food to get stuck in braces, it is important to avoid cavity-causing foods as much as possible. These foods include sugary drinks, sweets, chewy or sticky foods like taffy, caramel, and dried fruits. If these types of foods get stuck somewhere that cannot easily be cleaned, the sugar will sit on the tooth and cause decay. Additionally, stay away from hard foods like hard candy, ice, jerks, and nuts that have the ability to break the wires and brackets of your braces that will need to be replaced.

See Your Orthodontist and Dentist Regularly

Much of maintaining your braces and your teeth has to do with seeing your orthodontist and dentist on a regular basis. Your orthodontist will be able to fix any broken wires or brackets on your braces and make sure everything is progressing as it should. Seeing the dentist is also important for regular cleanings as well as checking for additional issues such as tooth decay. Dentists will be able to easily remove any food particles you may have missed, stopping bacteria from causing decay and other problems.

If you have children with braces but do not have dental coverage, consider using the New Hampshire family dental plan from Wellness Dental Plan. Our alternative dental insurance can offset as much as 20 percent of your annual and emergency care dental bills. For more information, please click here.

*Photo Courtesy of Monica y Garza via Creative Commons License