Navigating Orthodontic Care During the Holidays

If you or your child is undergoing orthodontic treatment, then your holiday dental care will entail more than brushing and flossing diligently after enjoying festive meals and holiday treats. You'll also need to take special care to protect your orthodontic appliances - whether you have a spacer, braces, or something else - while keeping up with your oral hygiene routines. Consider the following tips to ensure a fun and festive holiday season that doesn't hamper your orthodontic treatment.  

6 Orthodontic Tips for Navigating the Holidays with Orthodontic Appliances

1. Avoid Sticky, Chewy, and Hard Treats

If you have orthodontic appliances like metal braces or a metal spacer, then you should avoid certain kinds of foods that can damage these appliances or be extremely difficult to clean. This includes all hard, sticky, and chewy treats in addition to popcorn which is notorious for getting stuck in the wires and brackets of braces. Other treats to avoid include taffy, bubblegum, licorice, nuts, peanut brittle, and fudge.  

2. Enjoy Orthodontic-Friendly Holiday Treats

While you should avoid the foods listed above, there are still plenty of treats available that you can enjoy while wearing braces. These include puffed rice snacks (like Pirate's Booty) instead of popcorn, soft cheeses, fresh seasonal citrus fruit, soft pie, soft cookies, hot chocolate (without marshmallows or candy canes), cinnamon applesauce, and pancakes.  

3. Keep up With Your Oral Hygiene Routine

With the elevated intake of sugar and snacks during the holidays, it's important to keep up with your oral hygiene routines to minimize your tooth enamel's exposure to sugar, bacteria, and acidity. Be sure to rinse your mouth with water after indulging and continue brushing and flossing regularly.  

4. Use the Right Oral Hygiene Tools

Talk with your orthodontist about which tools you should be using to keep your teeth and gums clean beneath your orthodontic appliances. You might find that the use of an interdental brush and/or a water flosser can help you blast away bacteria, plaque, food, and other debris quickly in addition to your normal oral hygiene routine.  

5. Drink Plenty of Water

Staying hydrated by drinking lots of water during the holiday season helps to ensure a healthy saliva flow, and your saliva is integral to the health of your teeth and gums. Saliva helps to prevent tooth decay, cavities, and periodontal disease. It washes away harmful bacteria, plaque, and food debris from the surfaces of the teeth and gums while also topically remineralizing your teeth with vital minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, and fluoride.  

6. Remove Invisalign Aligner Trays for Treats (But Wear Them Long Enough Each Day)

One of the main benefits of orthodontic treatment with Invisalign is that patients are not restricted from eating any foods. However, you must remove your aligners when consuming anything other than water - and you need to wear your aligner trays for at least 22 hours each day for treatment to be effective. So, you'll need to keep track of the amount of time you have your aligners out and schedule your holiday snacking, accordingly. Plus, be sure to brush and floss your teeth before putting your aligner trays back in your mouth.  

Comprehensive Orthodontic Treatments to Help You Smile No Matter the Season

At Fleming Orthodontics, we're proud to provide comprehensive orthodontic care and treatments to patients of all ages, and we're here to help you navigate your orthodontic treatment - even during the holiday season. To learn more about taking care of your teeth, gums, and orthodontic appliances during the holidays and throughout the year, we welcome you to request an appointment with our orthodontist in Richardson, TX.  

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