Because the holidays can be a rather hectic time of year, making room in your plans for an emergency appointment with your Greeley, CO orthodontist might be a little stressful for you.
That’s why your friends at Richter Orthodontics want to help you get through the holidays without damaging your braces with some advice on preventing potential mishaps.
Easy Ways To Take Care Of Your Braces
Here are some helpful tips that will help you take great care of your braces so your treatment isn’t disrupted by an orthodontic emergency:
Use Good Tools To Clean Your Teeth
While a quality toothbrush will clean your teeth pretty well, brackets and wires are harder to work around with a standard brush. Choosing one that has bristles small enough to clean around your orthodontic equipment might be necessary, and you can talk to Dr. Richter about which ones will work for you.
A threader might also be needed to make flossing easier and more effective.
Avoid Problematic Foods
It can be a tough adjustment at the start of your orthodontic treatment, but it’s necessary to limit or restrict certain foods to prevent damage to your braces and keep your risk for dental problems low.
Here are some common foods you should try to avoid if you want to take extra special care of your orthodontic equipment:
- Crisp apples are healthy and delicious, but any hard fruit you have to bite into the way you do when you eat an apple can damage your braces. If you can’t resist, it’s better to cut them into bite-size pieces.
- Sticky substances like toffee and caramel are really hard to clean from your teeth and even tougher to clean from brackets.
- Like apples, eating corn-on-the-cob can do the same kind of damage. Again, cutting the kernels off the cob is a better way to enjoy this healthy vegetable!
- Almonds, pretzels, and other hard snacks can ruin brackets and wires if you’re not careful. That’s why it’s best to avoid them until your braces come off.
- Sorry, but chewing gum is a sticky mess when you have rubber bands, brackets, and wires in your mouth. Freshen your breath in other ways with minty mouthwash, dissolving strips, or drops.
Schedule Those Invaluable Appointments!
Part of your orthodontic care involves routine maintenance.
In other words, make sure you schedule appointments with Dr. Richter for checkups so he can monitor your progress and make any adjustments or changes necessary to keep your treatment moving forward effectively and efficiently.
To schedule your next appointment in Greeley, CO, call Richter Orthodontics today at 970-500-5928 to contact us online.