How to Live With Your Braces

If you have misalignment, then braces can offer an option for correcting your smile and enjoying an even and healthy smile. But while wearing them, you should take care to keep your smile healthy and prevent complications from arising. Our Richardson, TX, dental team can discuss tips for living with your new braces!

Watching What You Eat

What you eat could become stuck in your orthodontics, which is why we recommend avoiding chewy foods, including gummy candy, bagels, licorice, caramel, or gum. Crunchy foods like popcorn could become trapped, and harder options like ice, nuts, and hard candies could potentially damage your orthodontics. Watching what you eat is important, because if options high in sugar become trapped, this could increase the risk of tooth decay and stained teeth. Speaking of teeth stains, try to avoid drinks with dark pigments in excess, such as coffee, tea, red wine, and soda. Healthy options include dairy products, bread and grains, meat and chicken, and seafood. Soft vegetables that are steamed or mashed are good, as are soft fruit products like apple sauces, fruit juice, and bananas. If you need a sweet treat, consider ice cream, Jello, milkshakes, or cake and cookies.

Brush and Floss!

You should take time to brush and floss thoroughly each and every day, working around and between your metal orthodontics. Cleaning your smile properly helps limit the risk of teeth stains when the braces are removed, and lowers the risk of cavities, which could not only threaten the health of your teeth, but your appearance too once the orthodontics are removed.

Wear a Mouthguard

If you play full contact sports, then consider wearing a mouthguard. We can discuss custom options, or you can purchase boil-and-bite selections from a sporting goods store. Wearing a mouthguard helps limit the risk of damaged braces or teeth should you sustain an injury while playing. If you do damage them, then let us know right away so we can repair them and your treatment can continue uninterrupted. Be sure you follow any instructions we have to the letter, and attend your scheduled checkups so we can monitor your progress.

If you have any questions about life with braces, or if you have uneven teeth you would like to see straightened, then please reach out to our team today to learn more about your options! Everyone deserves an even and healthy smile, and we can help with orthodontics like braces.

SPEAK WITH YOUR RICHARDSON, TX ORTHODONTIST ABOUT CORRECTING MISALIGNMENT!

Our team wants to make sure your orthodontic treatment is complication-free, which is why we always offer detailed care instructions for our patients. If you would like to find out more about correcting your uneven smile, please call our Richardson, TX dental office at (972) 530-6703.