Braces aren’t cheap – every parent of a teen knows that. With the high cost involved in ensuring your children get the perfect smile they deserve, it makes sense that they need to do all they can to maintain the health of their braces.
That’s why, here at Liang Orthodontics, we recommend you do the following things in order to ensure your braces last for as long as they should and act properly.
Certain foods and chewing gum can damage your braces. The brackets are attached to your teeth with a resin adhesive. Sticky foods can get stuck which can bend wires loosen bands or cause a bracket to come loose. At the same time you need to try to avoid crunchy foods and hard candy. This also extends to bad habits like chewing on hard objects like things like pencils, pens and ice.
Keep your orthodontic wax on hand in case something does come loose.
Keep in mind that your ceramic braces and the enamel of your natural teeth stain in different ways. Your natural enamel stains much faster from dark beverages and foods known to cause staining. This is especially prevalent if you use tobacco products on a regular basis. If you do have slightly stained teeth, don’t use teeth whitening products as they won’t be able to affect the enamel under the brackets.
Make sure to brush and floss at least twice a day. Your braces might have some hard to clean spots. Dental water jets, interdental brushes and floss threaders can help you clean these areas and maintain good oral health.
Cleaning your braces isn’t ever an easy task, but you have to be vigilant in your hygiene routine. Otherwise, you run the risk of wearing braces longer than you thought, causing permanent tooth damage, and costing you more money than you originally planned on.