3 Tips For Anyone New To Wearing Braces
If you have decided to get braces, you're in for quite an adjustment period as you get used to having metal brackets on your teeth. This adjustment is not something that will happen overnight, but these tips will help you do it.
Step Up Your Teeth Brushing Routine
Your entire oral health routine is going to change while you are wearing braces. It is going to take longer, and you are going to have to take more care to make sure that all the spaces around your brackets are clean. This means having additional tools on hand in order to do this, such as a dental floss threader to get the floss between your gums and the brackets.
Always Have Extra Rubber Bands On Hand
You are required to wear rubber bands on your teeth to help move the braces into the correct position. The rubber bands are key to getting your braces off sooner since they are going to help move your teeth into the proper position faster. Have extra rubber bands on hand at all times, because they are going to break when you least expect it. This gives you the ability to put in a new one right away so that you do not have any time without rubber bands in place.
Watch What You Eat And Drink To Avoid Staining
One thing that people do not realize when wearing braces is that the bracket completely covers the surface of the tooth, and any teeth staining that happens during the process will be especially problematic. While certain foods and beverages naturally cause your teeth to become stained, usually it does it to the whole surface at once. When you have braces, it leaves a portion of the tooth that is unaffected by the staining.
The problem with this is that your teeth will be unaffected underneath the brackets, and when they come off you'll have notable spots on your teeth where the discoloration does not match. You can avoid this by watching what you eat and cutting back on dark liquids like sodas.
While it may seem weird to deal with wearing braces on a daily basis, know that in the end, it will be worth it. The treatment is going to leave you with straight teeth, which will give you the confidence in your smile that you may have been missing in the past.
For more information, contact an orthodontist.
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