The purpose of braces is to straighten crooked teeth and boost your oral health. They are not meant to create more problems in your mouth. However, if you do not properly care for your braces, you are at risk of experiencing more problems and more pain. How do you care for your braces? Start by avoiding these 7 sins.
Sticky foods
Sticky foods are difficult on the wires. Eating gummy snacks, sticky candy, caramel, gum, etc. puts your braces at risk of pulling apart. Sticky foods are also hard to remove from your braces. If the food isn’t properly removed your teeth will experience tooth decay, which leads to cavities.
Chewing ice
Whether you have braces or not, chewing ice isn’t good for your teeth. The hard texture of ice wears down the enamel of your teeth putting it at risk of chipping or cracking. Chewing ice can also cause the brackets to break.
Not wearing a mouth guard
To protect yourself, your teammates and the opposing team, you should always wear a mouth guard when participating in sports. Not wearing a mouth guard may cause bruising and cuts inside the mouth in addition to accidental run-ins with those you’re playing with.
Biting your nails
When you know you need braces, it’s time to kick the habit of nail biting. Biting your nails can cause damage to the braces themselves and also to your fingertips.
Missing your appointments
Braces require maintenance. At Burg Children’s Dentistry, we want to make sure that your teeth are healthy and your smile gets straighter. As a patient, this requires attending periodic schedule appointments. In these appointments, we’ll be able to check on the progress of your teeth as well as perform a maintenance check on your wires.
Using Your Mouth as an Opener
Often times when something is difficult to open, you naturally use your teeth to try and pry it apart. Doing this puts you at risk of dislodging your braces from your teeth.
Pen Bitting
Whether you’re a middle-schooler taking an exam or an adult in an office meeting, you might be a pen-bitter without even realizing it. That’s why it’s important to be aware that this habit can be damaging to your braces. Make sure to help your kids be aware of this and to avoid broken wires.
To straighten your smile the best way possible, be sure to take care of your braces. Care for your mouth and teeth by brushing, flossing, eating the proper foods and by following your this list of things to avoid. We look forward to helping make this process is as easy and comfortable as possible. For any questions or if you need an appointment contact us today!
