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If you’re undergoing orthodontic treatment, it’s essential to be aware of some bad habits that can harm your teeth and overall oral health. And let’s face it; nobody wants to deal with that. But, even after the treatment is over, you need to keep an eye out for these habits because they can impact your overall dental hygiene.
Additionally, it’s essential to understand that our teeth aren’t as tough as we might think. Certain habits can lead to tooth displacement, poor oral health, or damage to braces, which can be costly and frustrating. That’s why it’s essential to avoid these habits and maintain good oral hygiene habits:
Using Your Teeth to Open Things
Using your teeth to open a bag of chips can cause damage to your teeth and the brackets on your braces. Moreover, it can disrupt the proper alignment of your teeth achieved through orthodontic treatment. It’s better to use scissors to open the bag instead of using your teeth to avoid any harm.
Chewing on Non-Food Items
Many of us habitually chew on non-food objects like straws, pencils, pens, and other things we find around us at school or work. However, this can be harmful as it may lead to chipping, breaking, or shifting of teeth or brackets. Braces are not designed to withstand constant pressure, which can cause damage. It’s better to limit your chewing to meals and snacks only.
Biting Your Nails
Biting your nails can cause wires to bend and brackets to break, damaging your actual teeth as well. Excessive nail biting can also disrupt the alignment of your teeth, which defeats the purpose of getting braces in the first place. So, let’s kick this habit to the curb and preserve our beautiful smiles!
Excessively Sucking on Your Thumb
Thumb-sucking is a habit that often starts at a young age and can continue until adolescence. This habit can lead to misalignment of teeth and may result in needing braces in many cases. To break this habit, you can try some remedies, such as applying a bitter-tasting solution to the thumb or wrapping it in a cloth to discourage sucking. These methods can help you or your child overcome this habit and prevent potential dental problems.
Brushing Your Teeth Way Too Hard
There is a common misconception that brushing your teeth with more force will make them cleaner. But brushing your teeth too hard can cause harm to the delicate gum tissues resulting in soreness, pain, bleeding, and receding gums. Furthermore, such bad brushing habits can also damage the brackets of your braces by causing them to come off. Therefore, it’s important to avoid brushing too hard and instead follow a gentle brushing technique to maintain good oral hygiene and protect your braces.
Eating Ice
We understand how irresistible it can be to chew on ice when you finish your cold drink. However, the hard and cold nature of ice can pose a significant risk to your teeth and braces. Ice can easily cause damage to the wires and brackets of your braces and can also be quite painful.
Using a Straw to Drink Beverages that Stain
Darker drinks like coffee, soda, red wine, and black tea have a tendency to stain the teeth around the brackets and elastic ties of your braces. To avoid this, we recommend using a straw when drinking these beverages or rinsing your mouth with water or mouthwash after consuming them. These measures can help prevent staining and maintain the appearance of your teeth and braces.
Having too Much Sugar Intake
It may surprise you to learn that the average American consumes three times the recommended amount of sugar per day. The presence of sugar in your mouth creates an acidic film that can damage your teeth and gums. Drinks like soda and fruit juices are particularly harmful due to their highly acidic properties. If you have braces, consuming such beverages can make it challenging to clean your teeth effectively, leaving you more vulnerable to cavities.
Eating Food that is Sticky
If you wear braces, breaking the habit of eating sticky foods is crucial. Sticky foods have the potential to bend your wires and even break off your brackets. Moreover, these foods can become trapped in your braces, significantly increasing your risk of developing cavities. Examples of sticky foods to avoid are gum, caramel, taffy, candies, and other similar treats.
Not Following the Schedule the Orthodontist Has Given to You
We recommend following the schedule set by your orthodontist for your treatment plan and making regular visits to your dentist every six months. Delaying these appointments could allow cavities to worsen or minor orthodontic problems to become more severe. Sticking to your appointments can help prevent significant dental work and unnecessary orthodontic procedures that may have been avoidable with regular checkups.
Consult your Orthodontist
Putting an end to these habits can help in straightening your teeth and enhancing your smile. If you are still unsure of what you can and cannot do with braces, it’s best to consult a professional and reliable Roseville Orthodontics like Kumra Orthodontics. At Kumra Orthodontics, you are to receive treatment and care from the most sought orthodontic clinic in Roseville because of the affordable yet promising orthodontic services they provide for all ages. With Kumra Orthodontics, you’ll definitely be smiling confidently after your treatment!
