How to deal with braces

Special brushes known as orthodontic brushes are available to brush your teeth over the braces. You need to take extra care of your oral hygiene to prevent any cavities or decay in your teeth. If the sharp edges of the braces are hurting your lips, you can place some cotton or soft chewing gum over the sharp points to avoid laceration of lips. These special brushes need to be changed every three months.

Braces cause a lot of inconvenience while eating and chewing.There can be food lodgement on all surfaces giving rise to cavities and tooth decay. This can be avoided by rinsing your mouth regularly with water or any mouthwash. Regular mouth rinsing keeps your oral hygiene intact. Tongue cleaning too goes a long way in maintaining a good oral health. It is extremely important to keep your mouth clean for long lasting oral health, since braces allow food to remain in between the teeth. The food particles then act as a potential nucleus for tooth decay.

Extra care should be taken, while eating, by a person who has braces on his/her teeth. Hard food can dislodge one or two brackets supporting the main component of the braces. This may result in the entire braces being misplaced with dire consequences. Avoid eating hard foods such as non vegetarian, hard fruits and nuts. Refrain from biting with the front teeth since they are undergoing alignment and may get weakened. If the braces are dislodged, contact your dentist immediately and follow the instructions till your next visit to the orthodontist.

Oral hygiene is most vital to prevent infections and also pain and inflammation. But it can be difficult because of the braces. However, brushing and flossing is important. So, do it as much as you can within the pain free limits. Brushing your teeth is possible in a gentler manner since your teeth and gums will be sensitive and also to make sure you do not damage the rubber bands. Flossing might as well be difficult with the braces but you must try. You may not be able to get all the way to the gums with the dental floss. Try to remove the food particles stuck between your teeth as much as possible without hurting your sensitive teeth and gums and make sure you use mouth wash regularly to prevent bad breath and plaque.

Try to avoid breaking the braces as they are quite expensive. Your braces are attached to your teeth for the long term; if you accidentally break them, then the glue used to attach the braces to the teeth will destroy the enamel on the teeth. In order to prevent this from happening, follow some tips:

1. Do not eat hard foods that you cannot easily bite and chew like popcorn, candies etc.
2. Avoid eating sticky foods.
3. Avoid chewing hard objects like pens, meat bones.
4. Do not eat hard veggies and fruits as these can break the braces.
5. Take extra care while playing sports; use a mouth guard to prevent injuries.