Parenting Tips for Children with Braces

Parenting Tips for Children with Braces

By admin June 28th
If your child is about to start orthodontic treatment, or already has, there can be a bit of a learning curve as they adjust to life with braces. While your child may be nervous or excited about their braces, there’s no need to worry; millions of kids and teens around the world have braces, and if they can get used to it and transform their smile, then there’s no reason why your child can’t, too! Here are some ways you can help your child adjust to braces and make their treatment process as quick and easy as possible:
1. Help Them Keep Good Dental Cleaning Habits
  
  A clean mouth is a happy mouth. Braces create more crevices and areas where food can get stuck and be difficult to remove, so good cleaning habits are essential for anyone with braces. Be sure to brush and floss at least twice a day, but it’s preferable to brush and floss after every meal. For food that gets stuck in between brackets and wires, an interproximal brush works great. Floss threaders and floss picks can make sure that they can get in between every tooth, and antimicrobial mouthwash will kill bacteria and germs in even the hardest-to-reach places.
2. Provide a Healthy, Braces-friendly Diet
  
  Just because your child has braces now doesn’t mean they need to stop eating their favorite foods. While it is true that hard, sticky, or very chewy foods can get stuck in braces or even damage them, the fact is that the majority of foods are still safe to eat with braces. Some braces-friendly foods include:
  - Milk, yogurt, pudding, and other soft dairy products
  - Soup, stew, and other liquid foods
  - Soft fruit (or hard fruit cut into bite-sized pieces)
  - Cooked or steamed veggies
  Some foods to avoid with braces are:
  - Nuts and popcorn
  - Hard bread, pretzels, corn chips
  - Sticky candy like gum, taffy, jelly beans, etc.
  - Don’t chew ice cubes!
3. Help Them Manage Pain and Discomfort
  
  With metal wires, brackets, elastic bands, and other things pushing, pulling, and shifting teeth, gums, and facial bones, it’s normal to feel discomfort or slight pain, especially after just having braces put on or adjusted during an appointment. Some ways to help your child alleviate any soreness or pain are:
  - Cold food and drinks can help relieve soreness by slightly numbing the discomfort
  - Orthodontic wax is great for covering any poking wire ends, brackets that are rubbing the inside of lips or cheek, etc. Rub a small piece of the wax in between your fingers to soften it and apply it to the part of the braces that is causing discomfort. You should always keep some ortho wax on hand.
  - Rinsing with salt water can help with mouth sores. Mix half a teaspoon of salt into one cup of warm water and rinse for 30 seconds.
  - Over-the-counter pain relief products can help with pain, soreness, and inflammation for a few hours
4. Make Sure They Are Always Prepared with a Braces Care Kit
  
  Keeping braces clean is an all-day affair. Putting together a braces care kit is a great way to make sure their teeth and braces stay clean, even at school, going out, or staying over at a friend’s house. A good braces care kit can be put together for pretty cheap; you can also easily find complete kits to purchase online. Whether you put a kit together piece by piece or buy it all together, make sure it includes:
  - A carrying case to easily store in a backpack, purse, or even a jean pocket
  - A travel-size toothbrush and tooth-paste
  - An interproximal brush to get those hard to reach areas
  - Floss threaders or floss picks
  - Orthodontic wax to take care of poking wires or brackets rubbing too rough
  - Extra elastic bands in case they need to replace them on the go
  - A small dental mirror so they don’t miss any food particles in hard-to-see areas
  - Travel-size mouthwash so they always have fresh breath
5. Get Your Child Back in the Game with an Orthodontic Mouthguard
  
  Having braces doesn’t mean that kids have to sit out of their favorite sports or activities. If there is a chance they could get hit in the mouth while playing, wearing an orthodontic mouthguard will keep their braces, teeth, and lips protected. Orthodontic mouthguards are made specifically for braces and other orthodontic appliances.
6. Focus on the Benefits of Braces
  
  When they first get their braces put on, your child may feel self-conscious about their looks or be worried that they may get made fun of at school. Take time to listen to their concerns and feelings, and reassure them that how they’re feeling is normal. Try to get them to remember why they are getting braces, and focus on how beautiful their smile will look once their braces are off. Taking pictures of their smile after every appointment as they go through the treatment process can help them to really see how much their smile is improving over time.
Having braces is an important milestone in many children’s lives. We hope that these tips will help your child adjust to their braces, and make sure that their treatment goes as smoothly as possible. Our awesome team at Paquette Orthodontics has been helping thousands of patients transform their smiles over the years, and with advanced treatment options, we can work with any budget and lifestyle to create a beautiful smile that lasts a lifetime. Give us a call today at (704) 799-3777 or contact us online to schedule a free initial consultation.
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