6 Dental Care Tips for People with Braces

There are so many reasons why you should wear braces. First of all, this goes to help prevent gum disease, tooth decay and cavities. Other than this, they can prevent injury and bone erosion, as well as straighten your teeth, which can give you a serious self-esteem boost. The list of perks goes on and on, however, living with braces is far from simple.

Taking care of your dental health becomes somewhat harder and there are some dietary restrictions that you will have to honor. All in all, here are the top six dental care tips that people with braces will have to take into consideration.

Brush regularly

Brushing your teeth properly and regularly is probably the best way for you to protect your dental health. The fact that you’re wearing braces doesn’t change this fact. Ideally, you should brush your teeth early in the morning and before going to bed, as well as after every meal or snack.

Keep in mind that the duration of your teeth-brushing session shouldn’t be shorter than two minutes. Try to clean the surface of every tooth and ensure that you can reach underneath the wires. Lastly, you shouldn’t ignore the roof of your mouth or your tongue either.

Visit your dentist more regularly

Sure, visiting a professional dental lab may be the first thing that comes to mind when discussing life with braces, however, this doesn’t mean that you can afford to ignore making regular visits to a dentist. Having your teeth and gums examined and regularly cleaned at least twice per year is a bare minimum.

Ideally, you would go for a regular checkup every four or even three months. Keeping your teeth healthy is what this is all about and having professional assistance is a way for you to get it.

Replace your toothbrush every three months

The next thing you definitely need to hear is the importance of replacing your toothbrush on a regular basis. In fact, when you have braces, you might want to change your toothbrush a tad more frequently. Waiting for about three months before a replacement sounds optimal.

Other than this, you might want to go for a special toothbrush that’s specifically designed for people with braces. Only this way will you be able to remove all the particles of food that are trapped under your braces. This doesn’t take much active effort but it does make the world of difference.

Habits to avoid

Improving the health of your teeth and pulling off your braces period without any problems is something that will require you to invest a no small amount of commitment into the project. For instance, if you’re the type of person that likes to chew on hard objects like pens or pencils, chances are that this sort of behavior could damage your braces.

Also, biting nails is definitely not advised in this period (nor is it a healthy habit to have even for those without braces). Therefore, this might be the time (and the additional motivation) for you to quit.

Maintain a healthy diet

One more thing worth mentioning is the impact of your nutrition on your dental health. First of all, it is known that sugar increases the odds of developing dental cavities. Normally, this is something that you would easily be able to resolve by brushing your teeth right afterward but, as we’ve already mentioned, brushing with braces is somewhat more difficult.

The best piece of advice that we could offer here is that you might want to avoid snacks (well, at least the majority of traditional snacks). Yogurt, fruits, vegetables and similar snacks are not something that you should avoid.

Know and avoid problem foods

Lastly, you need to start thinking logically, not just about the composition of your foods but also their texture. It is only logical that foods that are sticky or chewy won’t go that well with your braces. In other words, by just thinking about your situation, it will become abundantly clear that you are to avoid foods like popcorn, candy or caramel.

These foods pose a threat to your braces, seeing as how they can bend or break them, as well as get stuck. Also, keep in mind that you might want to change your eating habits, as well. For instance, instead of just outright biting into an apple, why not just cut it into pieces and make life easier for everyone?

Sure, abiding by all these rules is not easy, so, in order to endure this hardship, you need to stay motivated by reminding yourself of two important facts. First, the fact that this will not last indefinitely and second, the fact that the benefits, by far, outweigh the hardships. All in all, with these several dental care tips in mind, your job of taking care of your braces will suddenly become a lot easier.