Dental braces are a very common treatment offered to children to correct crooked teeth. The natural teeth are pulled into correct places using brackets fixed on to the teeth and wires to tighten them over time. The process often takes a long time, years in some cases, but is a very effective treatment method for straightening teeth. Although braces are typically done for teens and children, today there are braces available for anyone choosing to realign their teeth.
Orthodontics – How does it help?
Wearing braces not only improve an individual’s appearance, but they also take care of issues caused due to crooked teeth or a bad bite. Misalignment of teeth while growing up can cause dental issues like premature enamel wear, excessive tooth decay, crowded teeth, occlusions, and jaw misalignment.
Although the discomforts caused by wearing braces make children dislike them a lot, it is the most effective way to treat the unevenness of one’s teeth.
Since we have now established that an orthodontic treatment for your teeth is a highly recommended procedure for aligning the teeth, let us take a look at the dos and don’ts to consider in order to make the experience of dental braces easier for children.
Make some food controls
Sticky food items like gum, popcorn kernels, caramel toffees, and taffy can get stuck in braces, making it difficult to clean them. The presence of these sugary sweets can cause cavities, especially if your child wears braces and can further damage them and the elastics. On the other hand, eating soft food like jello, soup, eggs, rice or oatmeal will minimize any pain and discomfort caused by the braces without causing them any damage.
Biting onto hard food items like apples or carrots, peanuts or hard pretzels can cause the braces to get damaged. Take care not to bite directly into such food items. You can always cut them into smaller pieces before eating them.
Cleaning the braces
Keeping your teeth clean is very important, even more so with braces. Take special care to remove food stuck on braces and floss even with the braces. Brushing the teeth two times a day is crucial to remove stains from appearing on the teeth after the braces are removed. Using mouthwash with fluoride will help keep the gums and cavities free of an disease and offer plaque protection.
When our child is wearing braces, he/she will have to visit the orthodontist regularly for tightening the braces. So it is a good idea to professionally clean their braces and teeth whenever possible.
Dealing with discomforts
Wearing braces often causes discomfort to the wearer. Often something might be too loose or tight, or simply break off and move around a bit. In such situations, never try to make any adjustments by yourself. This may cause injuries inside your child’s mouth from sharp edges of the braces. Take your child to see the orthodontist at the earliest to rectify the issue. It is important to remember that proper maintenance is required to realign the teeth within minimal time and for a reasonable cost.
It is very common for your child’s teeth to be sore for a few days after getting the braces on or whenever they are tightened. Using an oral anesthetic gel can help numb the pain in case it is unbearable. If the pain is severe and doesn’t stop, consult your orthodontist for a pain medication.
