You want your journey to a straighter smile to be as smooth and stress-free as possible, right? If so, you might find it helpful to learn all of the things you can do to prevent an orthodontic emergency, like a protruding wire or loose bracket. Here are five easy ways to do so!
1. Follow the Dietary Guidelines
Whether you have traditional braces or Invisalign, it’s important to exercise caution with extremely hard, crunchy, and sticky foods (i.e., caramel candies, tortilla chips, hard pretzels). If you don’t, then there’s a good chance that you’ll wind up with a loose bracket, broken wire, or missing attachment, which are all considered orthodontic emergencies.
2. Protect Your Mouth During Sports
Do you play sports? Maybe you like to stay active by skateboarding, surfing, or riding your bike. Whatever the case may be, it’s important that you wear a mouthguard. That way, your teeth, gums, and braces are protected from harm.
Note: If you don’t have a mouthguard, or the one you do have doesn’t fit over your brackets or attachments, then contact your orthodontist so they can have one made for you!
3. Quit Unhealthy Dental Habits
Many habits seem harmless at first, like biting your nails, chewing on ice cubes, or using your teeth as tools to open things. In reality, they have the potential to break your teeth and your braces! For that reason, it’s important that you refrain from doing so, even after your orthodontic treatment.
4. Prioritize Your Check-In Appointments
At your check-in visits, your orthodontist and their team cover a lot of ground. In addition to adjusting your braces or taking new scans to make sure your teeth are tracking properly, they dedicate time to examining the condition of your brackets, wires, and attachments. If they notice that something is loose, they can quickly fix it, saving you from a stressful emergency visit in the process.
5. Commit to a Solid Oral Hygiene Regimen
Simply put, if you don’t take good care of your teeth and gums, you’re much more likely to experience problems like toothaches. So, if you aren’t already, make sure to commit to a solid at-home oral hygiene regimen. During your orthodontic treatment, consider investing in the tools you need to make cleaning your braces easier too, like an interproximal toothbrush.
About the Practice
At Willow Bend Orthodontics of Plano, we have not one, not two, but three passionate, talented, and caring orthodontists here to serve you. We also have a phenomenal support team that’s here to help you with everything from scheduling your first appointment to navigating the financial component of your care. If you’d like to talk to a member of our team directly, then visit our website or call (972) 732-1400.