Braces are an adjustment for anyone who wears them, but especially for self-conscious kids. Whether you have a child with an expander in elementary school or braces in middle school, or anything in between, these tips will help them make their way easily back to school and navigate those halls with hardware on their teeth.
1. Create a Braces Kit
Don’t leave home without it! A braces kit should contain dental wax, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, and an appliance case (for retainer or Invisalign). Your child should keep one in their bag or locker and it’s a good idea to have one in your car too.
2. Make Manageable Lunches
People who wear braces have some food restrictions. It’s important to stay away from crunchy, hard, or chewy foods because they can damage brackets and wires. Pack a lunch that includes gentle foods like cheese, pasta, yogurt, soup, steamed veggies, soft fruits, and soft bread.
3. Get Fitted for a Sports Mouthguard
For athletic kids with braces, it’s necessary to get fitted for a customized sports mouthguard. Any fall or collision on the field, court, rink, or otherwise is bad for teeth, let alone brackets and wires. Painful, costly damage could result in any sports accident, but an orthodontic sports mouthguard made of high-grade protective silicone serves as a cushion and prevents cuts and complications.
4. Make Flossing Easy
It is very difficult to floss when you have braces of any kind. An orthodontic patient’s best friend throughout treatment is the easy-to-use water pik. This flosser has a powerful water jet that blasts food from between teeth and around brackets and wires.
5. Invest in an Electric Toothbrush
Brushing between brackets and wires is a challenge, but an electric toothbrush works harder than a regular toothbrush to find all the crevices and whisk them clean. Some kids might even be willing to brush along with an app to make sure they get every tooth every time.
6. Stock Up on Lip Balm
Braces can cause dry lips, especially as your child gets adjusted to brackets and wires. Keep lip balms everyone so they always have a soothing item ready. Medicated lip balm might even be called for at the start of treatment. This goes for kids in phase one of orthodontics too.
7. Pick Up a Cool Tool
If your child wears Invisalign Teen, they need to get their aligners out and back in at lunchtime every day. The trays are designed to fit snugly against the teeth and sometimes a little help is needed to remove them. An Invisalign removal tool is fashioned with a hook of sorts to pop out the trays – just ask your orthodontist if it’s okay first.
Get Orthodontic Treatment in Lawrenceville
Your Lawrenceville Orthodontist will arm you and your child with plenty of information so they feel confident about going back to school with braces. If you are interested in a consultation for yourself or another child, schedule an appointment and get that smile moving in the right direction.