Whether your child is young or old, caring for their teeth changes when they have braces, and that can be difficult to manage. As your child’s number one supporter, it’s vital to make sure they are still keeping up with the necessary steps needed to protect their teeth through braces. Here are our top tips to aid your child in caring for their oral health with orthodontics.
Skip Certain Foods
different kinds of foods can be harmful to braces in different ways. One type of food we recommend helping your child stay away from while having braces is any kind of hard nuts, ice, or candy. When biting down on these kinds of foods, your braces can become unglued due to these foods hard exteriors. It’s also a good idea to stay away from foods that are sticky. Food such as caramel can get stuck in your child’s braces, which can encourage plaque buildup. In order to protect their teeth from a scenario like this, these foods are best to be limited while your child has braces.
Monitor Biting Habits
Many of us subconsciously and habitually chew on things while either bored or stress. Our children are no different. If your child is one who choose on pen caps while in school or on their nails, you’ll want to make sure this habit is nipped in the bud. Like hard foods, chewing on hard surfaces like pen caps and your nails can also damage braces.
Maintain a healthy brushing and flossing schedule
Just because braces make it slightly more difficult to sufficiently clean the surface of their teeth, doesn’t make it any less imperative to do. Making sure that your child maintain a healthy brushing and flossing schedule, even during orthodontics, is imperative to their oral health for many years to come even after their braces are off.
If you’re looking for additional tips to protect your children’s teeth while having they have braces, give Dental Center of Mesa a call today to speak to one of our professionals today at (480) 834-9001!