With the move to a larger home life, many of our day-to-day routines have had to change to accommodate the shift. If you’re wondering if you should change your oral care routine as well, we’ve compiled this quick reference blog post to help you take care of your braces while you Stay At Home.
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Keep Avoiding Damaging Foods
While you’re spending more time inside, you might be tempted to start snacking more. You should still be steering clear of the same foods to avoid damaging your equipment and negatively impacting your treatment plan.
Those wearing braces should avoid foods like:
- popcorn
- nuts
- ice
- chewing gum
- hard candy
- chewy candy (like caramel)
- pizza crust
- bagels and other hard rolls
- crunchy vegetables and fruits
- hard crackers
- pretzels
- chips
Hard foods like chips, nuts, and ice can damage your braces through your bite force, while chewy foods like gum or caramel can latch to your hardware, making it difficult to remove. Any food where you must tear to bite into it also poses a threat to your braces, as the tearing action could put averse force on your appliances as well as your teeth, causing soreness if not broken hardware.
While it does not pose an immediate risk, it’s also advised that you avoid food with a lot of sugar, such as sugary soda. The excess sugar will mix with your saliva and cause extra plaque build up, which itself is not a good thing, but it especially isn’t if you are wearing braces.
Brush After Every Meal
It’s recommended that you brush your teeth after every meal. This is to decrease the amount of time leftover food remains trapped in your appliances and stuck to your teeth. If you’ve struggled to pick up this habit, Stay At Home is the perfect time to start! You know you have the time and, if you happen to forget, it’s a quick trip to the bathroom once you remember. Not sure how to brush with braces? Check out one of our other blog posts for 7 Tips for Brushing Your Teeth with Braces.
Be Aware of Your Supply Level
It may be hard to forget to care for the hardware inside your head, but you should also be aware about your external supplies. You should still be wearing your elastics as prescribed, so make sure you have a healthy supply. Additionally, keeping wax on hand can ease any oral discomfort you feel.
Don’t Ignore Oral Discomfort
On that note, if you begin to experience any sort of pain or discomfort, don’t ignore it. Try to identify the source of your discomfort. Many minor issues can be handled at home, however we are able to see you in our office if you experience severe pain or an orthodontic emergency. Call our office if you have any questions about this: (703) 773-1200
As you can see, overall, caring for your braces day-to-day doesn’t change much when you Stay At Home. However, it’s important you follow your care instructions diligently as the consequences may have a more serious impact.
