Living a normal life with braces
After you have obtained your braces, living a normal life with braces can be difficult for you to know how to take care of them. Knowing how to properly care for your braces can help you prevent oral health problems and even minimize the amount of time treatment takes.
Eating With Braces
Life with braces doesn’t have to significantly impact your lifestyle. When you first obtain braces, however, you should take care to avoid foods that could potentially damage your new appliances. You should try to avoid chewy foods, which include things like bagels or licorice. You should also refrain from eating crunchy foods, such as popcorn and chips, and sticky foods, including caramel and chewing gum. Additionally, you should attempt to avoid hard foods, like nuts and hard candies, and foods that require biting into, including corn on the cob, apples, and carrots. You can, however, eat soft foods, like pancakes, pasta, mashed potatoes, bananas, ice cream, cake, and more!
Soreness Caused from Braces and Appliances
Your teeth and mouth will likely feel a little sore after you first get your braces. This is normal and should go away within a few days. For pain relief, you can dissolve one teaspoon of salt in eight ounces of lukewarm water. You will then want to swish this solution for a few minutes. Pain relievers can also be used to help manage pain from obtaining braces. Irritation of your lips, cheeks, and tongue are fairly common as your mouth adjusts to the braces. The use of orthodontic wax can be put over the braces to lessen the irritation.
Loose Teeth
It is normal for teeth to begin to feel loose after obtaining braces. After all, the braces must first loosen the teeth in order to move them into the correct position. Once they have become aligned, they will cease to be loose.
Loose Wires and Bands
Life with braces can be tricky. The wires and bands of braces can come loose. In these scenarios, it is important to contact us as soon as possible. It will be necessary to check and repair your orthodontic appliance. If any piece of your appliance falls off, you should save it and bring it in to your appointment.
A loose wire can be fixed temporarily by using the back of a spoon or the eraser end of a pencil to gently push the wire back into its proper place. If the wire is causing irritation or damage to the inside of your mouth, you can put wax or a wet cotton ball over the broken wire.
Proper Care of Appliances
Orthodontic appliances need to be in good repair to effectively work. Therefore, damaged appliances may result in increased length of your treatment process. It is important to follow your orthodontist’s correctly. Your teeth will only be capable of moving into the proper positions if you consistently wear all of the orthodontic appliances that are prescribed by your orthodontist.
Playing Sports with Braces
Braces don’t have to disrupt your life, you can enjoy everything as normal as before when you start you life with braces. You will still be able to play sports or pursue your ordinary activities while undergoing orthodontic treatment. It is recommended that you wear a mouth guard while playing sports. This will help you protect your teeth and your appliance. Consult your orthodontist if you need help finding the right mouth guard for the best overall protection.
You can contact us at Bailey Orthodontics if you have any further questions about your future life with braces today!
