If your child has braces, you likely have thought about what their smile will look like when the process is over. You envision perfectly straight teeth that catch the light with a perfectly timed glint. Have you thought about cavities or tooth decay that might have developed while they wear their braces. Maintaining their smile while wearing braces can be tricky, but it can make a huge difference in how the results turn out. This February, which is National Children’s Dental Health Month, take the opportunity to learn these three ways you can promote your children’s oral health in Glenpool while they are in braces.
Brushing and Flossing Regularly
If your child didn’t maintain healthy oral habits before getting braces, now’s the time to make sure they step it up. After all, plaque has many more places to accumulate with those metal brackets, wires, and little rubber bands. It can be difficult to keep it all free to from cavity-causing bacteria. Also, taking care of your teeth and gums while wearing braces can improve their effectiveness, potentially shortening the time they need to wear them, and improve their comfort, making the time your child wears them more enjoyable.
Brushing at least twice a day is critical to your child’s oral health, especially with braces. In fact, they may want to brush and floss after each meal because food particles can get stuck in the wires. Just remember to be gentle in your brushing and flossing so that you don’t damage the brackets or wire.
Avoiding Certain Foods
With braces comes a list of foods to avoid and with good reason. In orthodontics in Glenpool, most practitioners recommend steering clear of sticky, chewy, or hard foods, which can specifically cause damage to your braces. But even without braces, these foods can facilitate the formation of cavities or lead to dental emergencies. With braces, your child should also avoid crunchy foods like popcorn or pretzels, which can get lodged between their brackets and teeth or, worse, cause their braces to snap when they bite down.
Wearing a Mouth Guard
Having braces on their teeth does not mean that your child should stop being active. You just need to be smarter about protecting their smile. With or without braces, they should wear a sports mouth guard, especially if they participate in a contact sport. To make sure they get the best fit, you can get a custom-made mouth guard from your dentist.
By doing these three simple things while wearing braces, your child can ensure that their smile will be just as healthy and beautiful as it is straight by the time their braces treatment is completed. Implementing these protective and preventive measures now are worth the effort in the end. For more information about taking care of your child’s braces, contact your dentist in Glenpool.
About the Author
Dr. Dalia Georgy has over seven years of dental and orthodontic experience at Glenpool Braces. She and her staff can offer flexible payment options as low as $99 a month at low interest rates through CareCredit. She also uses advanced technology like the Planmeca Emerald Intraoral Scanner, which replaces unpleasant putty impressions to help make accurate, personalized treatment plans. To contact her, you can call (918) 201-1414 or click here.