If you’re thinking about getting braces for whatever reason, it is important to realize that properly taking care of your teeth will be more difficult once you get them. Braces have many tiny gaps where food can easily get stuck and cause plaque and cavities. Also, braces are very delicate, so you have to change your hygiene habits to make sure they don’t break. Here are a few tips that will help you take care of your braces.
Brush Frequently
You should be willing to brush your teeth as frequently as possible if you have braces. Ideally, you should brush your teeth after every single meal. This includes any snacks you eat throughout the day, no matter how small they are.
You should also brush your teeth after drinking sugary drinks like soda and juice. While this may be seem overly excessive, this will help you prevent serious oral health problems that could not only ruin your teeth, but force you to keep your braces for a longer period of time.
Change Your Diet
If you eat candy and drink soda on a daily basis, you’re gong to have to transform your eating habits dramatically once you start wearing braces. You won’t be able to eat any chewy or sticky foods, such as caramel, gum, and taffy candy. In many cases, you won’t even be able to eat dried foods.
Sticky and chewy foods tend to stick to braces and can be very difficult to clean off your braces. In some cases, these foods can actually break your braces.
You should avoid biting down or chewing hard foods, such as nuts and crunchy fruits. In order to eat crunchy fruits like carrots and apples, you should cut them into bite-sized chunks. If you bite into a whole apple or carrot, you can damage the wires of your braces on the front teeth. When it comes to other hard and crunchy health foods like nuts and popcorn, it’s best to avoid them altogether.
While taking care of braces as a huge commitment, it isn’t as hard as it may sound. In fact, you will likely get used to these changes in hygiene habits very quickly.
