All your friends use the orthodontic appliance or are you the first to have it? If your answer is yes, this article is for you! Learn how to take care of your teeth and have a bright smile using orthodontic braces.
Steps
Step 1. Gather everything you need (see "Things You Will Need" section)
Step 2. Brush your teeth for at least two minutes
Be sure to clean under the wire.
Step 3. Use the floss, inserting it and pushing it down under the floss between the brackets
Remember to work on every tooth, even the back ones.
Step 4. Gently clean between the brackets (under the wire) with the interdental brush to remove plaque
Step 5. Use the mouthwash to rinse your mouth and freshen your breath
Step 6. Ask the orthodontist if you can choose the color of the rubber bands to be fixed on each attachment
Try to have fun! Put on a different color every time you go to the dentist. Can't make up your mind? So, opt for different colors on each attack, like a rainbow. Remember that your appliance has its usefulness, but it can also be a very lively accessory.
Step 7. Use the extra-oral traction device
It is very likely that you will complain about the lack of aesthetics in this tool, but over time you will thank yourself for being able to correct and care for your teeth.
Step 8. Eat foods that require little chewing once you have fixed your braces:
apple juice, mashed potatoes and soups. Have someone accompany you to eat a nice smoothie.
Step 9. Remember that after a while you will have the feeling of no longer having the device and your friends will accept it as a fixed element of your appearance, without turning up their noses when you smile
Step 10. Don't be ashamed
One day you will no longer need to wear it and your smile will be perfect!
Step 11. And then stay away from some foods, such as carrots, because the bits can get stuck under the wire and you will have a hard time removing them
Advice
- The first night will probably be the hardest. Try sleeping on your back instead of prone to avoid the pain caused by the strain of the attacks. Remember, however, that the pain subsides after 2 to 3 days. A pain reliever could help you if it is really needed.
- Remember to apply a little cocoa butter before having the brackets fitted, because your lips can dry out after you have kept your mouth open for about an hour. In some cases it can last even longer.
- Make sure you brush your teeth twice a day and use a good mouthwash to remove plaque. It is advisable to use small tablets which, once dissolved in the mouth, reveal the points where the plaque is concentrated.
- Don't forget that the device is in your mouth! Once assembled, you will have full responsibility for taking care of it.
- There's no need to lose control. Honestly, your appliance isn't as bad as some may think. Even if it doesn't seem true, just remember that a lot of people wear it, including adults. So, be sure of yourself and no one will notice, even when you show your smile.
- Try not to eat too solid foods, as they can break the brackets or get stuck under the thread. After that it will be hard to remove them.
- The key to making time fly is learning to love your appliance. For one negative thing, there is always another positive. Spending a small amount of time with the device is absolutely worth it in exchange for a lifetime full of perfect and dazzling smiles that make a massacre of hearts! Who knows, you might even feel nostalgic once they've got it off you for good!
- Adopt cleaning rules in the evening. If you start in the morning, you won't stop and you will also be late for school.
- Lips are likely to dry out, even using cocoa butter. Therefore, apply it constantly for the entire period you will have the device. Keep it handy in your bag, pocket, backpack, wardrobe, in short, wherever you go.
- When you have to take it off, smile! You will be so happy not to have it anymore that you will see it a kilometer away.
- Do not joke with the device: it could fall and break.
- Minimize foods with too much sugar, such as sweets, candies, ice cream, cakes, and sodas. Be sure to brush and floss after eating them!
- Do not use whitening products, including toothpastes and mouthwashes that help maintain teeth whitening.
- Avoid foods and drinks that can discolor or stain your teeth, such as coffee or fruit punch.
- Try to remove the attention from the device, trying to concentrate it by focusing on your best features, such as your eyes or hair. Do not wear lipsticks, only glosses that give your lips a neat look.
- Try to avoid candy, chewing gum, and whole apples. If you feel like it, it's best to cut it up and maybe even chew sugar-free gum.
- After removing the device, try using Crest White Strips, because some traces may be left where the metal attachments used to be.
- If you really can't consider using the appliance, there are different types of "invisible appliances". They are transparent and are fitted like a mouthguard.
Warnings
- If you don't keep your teeth thoroughly cleaned, it is possible that you will have small squares on the enamel where the brackets used to be. So, wash them well!
- Always use the retainer (the retainer device) that the orthodontist will give you when you remove the fixed one completely. Otherwise, your teeth will be able to move and, as an adult, you will be forced to use a new appliance.
- If you eat very chewy foods, they can get stuck in the appliance, causing dark spots that remain where the appliance used to be.
- Make sure you stick to the diet recommended by your orthodontist. In fact, you will be able to break the rules every now and then.
- Do not eat foods that are too hard, such as tortillas that are too thick, ice, peanuts, hard fruit candies, apples and carrots, unless they are cut into pieces.
