Taking Care Of Your Braces During The Holidays

The Christmas bells are ringing, and the holidays are calling you. Holidays mean travel and family gatherings. Getting the family together means delicious food, BBQ, and much more. Unfortunately, for those undergoing orthodontic treatment, the concern is which foods they should avoid while in braces.

Taking Care Of Your Braces

All they want is to enjoy the treats while keeping their braces in perfect condition. Here at Dr. Maria Yazji Orthodontics, we want to help you enjoy these holidays while keeping your braces and orthodontic appliances right how they should be.

Before you go on vacation, you should also make sure you have enough elastic bands, interdental brushes, and carry some wax, just in case you get a poking wire. If you’re doing Invisalign® treatment, don’t forget your Invisalign® aligner case to keep your clear aligners safe. Also, if you’re having virtual checkups, keep scanning your smile so Dr. Yazji can monitor your treatment remotely while you’re in traveling the world. Keeping your oral hygiene on point takes more time while you’re wearing braces, and we know it’s even more of a challenge during the holidays.

That’s why we’ve put together a few tips to help you take care of your braces during the holidays.

Foods you should avoid

Hard chips and nuts are tempting snacks while on a road trip. Stay away from these as they can interfere with your treatment. Grabbing handfuls of buttery, delicious popcorn is a classic while enjoying a Christmas movie with the family. But if you’re wearing braces, you should avoid them because popcorn kernels can break your brackets. Popcorn hulls can press up against your gums when trapped under the wires of your braces. They can easily get caught in your brackets and wires and are difficult to remove. Plus, these tiny particles can cause pain and sometimes make your gums bleed.

The good news is that you can enjoy other snack options if you have braces:

• Ice-cream
• Cheese slices
• Baked (not fried) potato chips
• Berries, pear, banana, or other soft fruit slices
• Soft baked cookies, muffins, and baked goods like croissants and cakes
• Soft chocolate
• Yogurt
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Soft pretzels

Braces Care Tips

If you want to keep your braces in good condition, you must:

Brush your teeth: Ensure bacteria is removed from your teeth by brushing your teeth twice a day. If possible, brush after every meal to remove loose food from under brackets and wires to prevent the buildup of food leftovers in the mouth.

The American Dental Association recommends brushing your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste for two minutes each time.

Floss: Flossing is a must and should be done after every meal or at least twice a day. Flossing will help keep your brackets and braces are clean. If you’re wearing Invisalign® aligners, you can floss as you would normally do. If you have braces, make sure you take interdental brushes with you. These brushes serve as an alternative to flossing, and they can help you reach hard-to-reach places, such as underwires, between brackets, and in the back of your mouth.

Rinse: Don’t forget to rinse with a mouthwash solution.

Elastics: If your orthodontist instructed you to wear elastics, remember to wear them all the time. You can only take the elastics off during meals or while brushing your teeth. If you don’t wear the elastics, there could be an increased risk of shifting teeth.

Whether you are undergoing orthodontic treatment with braces or Invisalign®, the holiday season is that time of the year to be jolly, unwind from work, and spend time with the ones you care about the most while enjoying yummy foods. Just make sure you stay on track with your orthodontic treatment as planned by your orthodontist.

However, if you’re not wearing braces and would like to start your journey to a straight smile, request a complimentary consultation for regular braces, ceramic braces, lingual braces, or Invisalign® treatment with Dr. Maria Yazji at one of her offices in Broward County or Miami-Dade County: Weston, Downtown Brickell, or West Miami.