Your new set of braces are designed to effectively realign your teeth through the course of regular adjustment sessions. This represents a serious investment in improving your long-term oral health and the cosmetic appearance of your smile. Tooth decay and damage to your braces have the potential to increase the total treatment time with braces.
With that in mind, your orthodontist, Dr. Wendy Chen, offers these basic tips to help you maintain your braces and the overall health of your mouth.
Brushing and flossing your teeth twice a day and thoroughly cleaning your braces will go a long way toward preventing cavities. Using interdental brushes or a floss threader with waxed dental floss might help you clean around some of the hard-to-reach places in your mouth.
It’s also wise to avoid eating sticky foods and chewing gum because it can loosen brackets, bend wires or dislodge spacers. At the same time, braces can also be damaged by biting down repeatedly on hard and crunchy foods.
It’s also a good idea to curtain any bad habits like nibbling on pencils, pens or your fingernails. These habits can apply abnormal pressure on parts of your teeth and braces, which could chip tooth enamel or damage a piece of hardware.
If any part of your appliance hardware is damaged and is threatening to injure your mouth, you can cover any sharp points with orthodontic wax or move it back into place with a pencil eraser. This will help protect your mouth while you are waiting for your repair appointment.
If you have questions about how to maintain your good oral health and braces in Colleyville, Texas, you can always call Wendy Chen Orthodontics at 817-581-4031 to ask a question.