Whether you are a teenager about to get braces or whether you are the parent of an orthodontic patient, it’s time to find out how to adjust to life with braces thanks to brackets and wires. The changes aren’t as bad as you think, but there are some important lifestyle edits that need to be made to keep your orthodontic investment safe and working properly.
Eating with Braces
Yes, the rumors are true – there are some limitations to what can be eaten when wearing braces. You don’t want to damage hardware with chewy, crunchy, sticky, or hard foods. Avoid biting into anything that could take a bracket or wire with it too, like apples, carrots, or corn on the cob. Friendly foods when you have braces? Dairy, breads, pasta, soft meats, seafood, cooked vegetables, soft fruits, and cold treats like smoothies and ice cream. Not bad, right?
If you’re an Invisalign Teen patient, you can eat whatever you want if you remove your trays first.
Going to School with Braces
One of the most daunting things for teens is going back to school and debuting their new mouth full of braces. Ideally, you have plenty of peers in the same situation who appreciate your circumstances. The most important thing for school time with braces is keeping a bag of teeth-cleaning supplies at the ready: toothbrush, toothpaste, flossers, and the all-important dental wax in case of irritation or a broken bracket or wire during school hours.
Playing a Sport with Braces
There is nothing about braces to hold you back from going full speed ahead with your athletic pursuits. Talk to your orthodontist about the sports you play and whether you need a mouthguard or other type of appliance to keep your braces and teeth safe should you experience a collision or fall. A customized appliance is the safest route to protect you from damage or pain.
Socializing with Braces
Patients get used to their braces hardware very quickly. Before you know it, brackets and wires are part of your daily life and you smile, speak, and take selfies without worry. In the beginning, you may struggle a little with your new look, but many patients eventually land in the camp where they might as well show off what’s going on, and choose to enhance their braces with colorful rubber bands.
Embarrassed about the appearance of braces? Find out from your orthodontist if you’re a candidate for Invisalign Teen, the nearly invisible trays.
Sleeping with Braces
There isn’t much to worry about where braces are concerned when you go to sleep. Clean your teeth well before hitting the hay, and add orthodontic wax to any annoying areas so you don’t suffer from cuts or abrasions while you sleep. If you wear Invisalign Teen, you know you must sleep with the trays in. Clean them and your teeth well and make sure everything is where it’s supposed to be before the lights are out.
Ready to talk about life with braces? Schedule an evaluation at Mariana Orthodontics in Monroe, WA.
