Oral Care Tips for Kids with Braces

When permanent teeth begin to surface, they cause irritation to the gums, which urges little children to comfort themselves with their tongue or scratch the itch with their fingers. And since these teeth are still tender, tampering causes malocclusion or misalignment. Misaligned teeth are not only unpleasant to look at but, according to kids dentists in Katy, Darling Dental, the home of leading family dentists, if not fixed at an early stage, malocclusion can lead to many more dental problems.

Malocclusion can be treated with the help of braces that slowly reposition the teeth to their right place and correct the alignment. If your child needs braces, they must be aware of the level of commitment the maintenance and cleaning requires.

Taking Care of Braces and Teeth in Children

• Cleaning

The process of cleaning becomes a lot more meticulous when you have braces. Food can get stuck in the brackets and wires, which is hard to pull out and the sensitive fixtures make it even harder to brush vigorously. Orthodontists & pediatric dentists advise brushing teeth after every meal, since food can get stuck in the braces. You must use a toothbrush designed for sensitive teeth, since the finer bristles can clean teeth while being gentle on the braces. Besides brushing, another important step for oral hygiene is flossing, which becomes even more important when your teeth have braces on them. The likelihood of food getting stuck between two teeth is a lot less than it getting stuck between the teeth and brace wires. To prevent food from decaying between the braces and your teeth and worsening the situation, you must thread the floss from underneath the wire and gently pull it over the other side to get best results.

• Eating

Children’s dentists often hand out a long list of food items to be avoided. As a general guide, you should avoid sticky foods (like candy, sugar, caramel), crunchy foods (like cereal, chips, popcorn), chewy foods (like licorice) or hard foods (like nuts and hard boiled candy). Along with eating, there are also restrictions on chewing gum, hard things like pens or biting one’s nails.

• Protecting

The brace wires are tightened to keep a check on the alignment of the teeth and should not be tampered with manually. If you are uncomfortable with the tension of the wires, visit your dentist to get it fixed. If you play sports, you must always wear a mouth guard over your braces. Also remember to not jerk your teeth by biting on hard things all of sudden, it might loosen the wire and also cause injury to the teeth and mouth.

Following these tips will help you achieve healthy and perfectly aligned teeth, but it is also important to pay regular visits to your orthodontist to keep a check on your progress and fix any problems that might hamper it.