What can your child do to improve their experience with braces? These five tips from Kangaroo Smiles will help to answer your questions.
Active, playful children and semi-permanent oral corrective devices: it doesn’t seem like a perfect match. Without developing good habits and exercising proper care, braces can create problems for kids – and kids can create problems for braces.
That’s why it’s important to learn about the best ways to care for pediatric orthodontist braces. After all, your child’s braces are an investment. You want to ensure that they are successful and long-lasting. And, of course, you want to do everything possible to improve your child’s oral and orthodontic health.
Health, comfort, and durability are all critical to a positive experience with braces. Let’s take a look at some of the simple steps that can be taken to optimize your child’s experience with pediatric orthodontist braces.
Top 5 Tips for Kids with Braces
What health tips do experts offer for kids with braces? What about care and maintenance of braces? Listed below are five simple tips that experts recommend parents teach kids who are about to have braces installed (or have begun wearing braces).
- Active kids? Invest in a mouthguard.
If your child is an athlete or independently active, wearing a mouthguard is an important safety feature to protect their braces and their mouth. An impact to the mouth with braces can damage the fixtures themselves, but they can also increase the chance that a tooth will be damaged or cracked. The American Dental Association recommended having your child fitted with a mouth guard that protects both rows of teeth. - Pass on the chewy, sticky foods.
Is your child a sweet tooth? If so, make sure you have a conversation about foods to avoid while wearing braces. Caramels, hard candy, gummy candy, and anything sticky or chewy is prone to getting stuck in braces and may cause damage. - Crunchy foods? No thanks!
Crunchy foods are another common culprit of damaged braces. If a piece of hard or crunchy food becomes stuck within the braces, the force of impact may cause the brace wires to snap. When your child is fitted with pediatric orthodontist braces, ask your orthodontist for a list of specific foods to avoid. - Take EXTRA care brushing and flossing.
Because bits of food can become stuck in braces and certain areas become harder to reach with a toothbrush, diligent brushing and flossing becomes doubly important for your child when they are wearing braces. Brushing gently with a soft-head toothbrush is especially important–rough brushing can damage braces. - Leave the braces maintenance to your orthodontist.
If braces become damaged or a wire is snapped, don’t attempt to fix the problem yourself. Incorrect fitting can damage your child’s teeth. Instead, visit your orthodontist.
Developing good habits can ensure long-lived and successfully effective pediatric orthodontist braces for your child. Following these five simple tips is the perfect place to start.