For most parents, reopening of schools after a long vacation means peace, but for the students, it could a challenging and stressful time, especially if you got braces during the holidays. Going back to school with braces like Invisalign London could be more troubling if you have no idea how to maintain the braces for your treatment to be successful.
Although your orthodontist may tell you the necessary things you need to do during your treatment, having a brace care kit would make caring for your braces at school easier. Avoiding foods that can damage your aligner, and drinking a lot of water to remain hydrated will also help. Flossing and brushing after your lunch are also steps to keep your braces in good condition. If you participate in any sports, a mouth guard could protect your teeth.
How Does Caring for Braces Work in A School?
If you use the right braces accessories, caring for your brace at school would be a walkover. While going to school, you should pack a bag with the essentials to care for your teeth. These essentials would help you avoid most of the dental emergencies most braces users experience when you are at school.
The bag should contain your floss, toothbrush, rubber bands and toothpaste. If you are wearing the traditional braces and bracket or wire becomes loose, you can take over the counter pain relive medication, and use dental wax would help ease the discomfort.
Sometimes, the braces may cause you to have chapped lips, and if you experience this, you can use your lip balm. You could keep the braces kit containing your oral health essentials in your backpack or lockers, so it is easily accessible.
Essential Things in Braces Kits
Brushing twice every day is essential to maintain your oral health, but if you are undergoing orthodontic treatment, you need to brush your teeth at least thrice every day. This ensures that food particles do not remain on your brace and avoids the build-up of plaque on the teeth. Each round of brushing should last for at least four minutes, so you can take your time to clean your teeth and the aligners properly.
Having a soft-bristled toothbrush in your care kit is essential and safe for you. A toothbrush with hard or medium bristles may damage your gum, the protective layer of the teeth, and root surface. To avoid this, always use a soft-bristled brush at school.
You need a small travel-size toothpaste in your care kit at all times because you need to brush your teeth every day after lunch. However, if you do not have your toothpaste after a meal or snacking, you can rinse your mouth and brush as soon as you can.
You can use any toothpaste that contains fluoride and meets the required toothpaste standard, but avoid whitening toothpaste until after you remove your braces.
Flossing is vital for healthy gums and teeth during braces treatment. While wearing braces food and other things quickly get stuck between your teeth, but flossing helps you remove them to avoid further dental issues like tooth decay.
Flossing at least once every day and brushing your teeth will keep your gun and teeth healthy and clean. Some students find it challenging to floss at school because the floss may not easily get under the archwire, but maintain your braces should be a priority. You can make the flossing process easier by using a proxy toothbrush while flossing at school. Proxy toothbrushes have the shape of a Christmas tree, and they can fit into tight spaces between the teeth and braces. They are also discreet, so people may not notice when you are flossing at school.
Wearing rubber bands help make your teeth move faster during your braces treatment. They help align your bite by fitting your lower and upper teeth correctly, and they are an essential part of traditional braces treatment.
If you wear rubber and, it will help move your teeth, but your teeth can move back to their former positions if you stop wearing the rubber bands. Most people wear their aligners for about 12 hours daily, but you need to wear your rubber bands for at least 20 hours each day for them to work properly. This is why you need to have rubber bands in your braces care kit for replacement when the ones you have on break.
Dental wax helps protect inside the mouth and the gums from contact with the braces, which could irritate the mouth. When you apply dental wax on your braces, it serves as a barrier between the braces and tongue and inside your mouth to reduce the friction, which irritates the mouth.
To use the wax, take a small amount of it, a pea size will do the job. Rub the wax between your fingers to soften it, then press it on the area of the braces in contact with your tongue or cheek. The wax will cover any sharp or protruding edge.
The dental wax is safe, and you can swallow it. When you place it on your braces, your saliva causes it to wear off over time.
If you experience soreness from wearing braces or pain from the movement of your teeth, you can take an over-the-counter medicine. You can take the medication before you go to school, but having it in your dental care kit is necessary for when you feel intense pain at school.
Foods To Avoid While Wearing Braces At School
Different foods can damage your braces and cause unnecessary discomfort, so it is best to avoid them. Eating these foods would only prolong your treatment time and cause you more harm.
While at school, avoid eating hard, sticky or chewy foods like apples, chips, gums. It would be better to go to school with your lunch which should consist of only foods approved during braces treatment.
Flossing and Brushing After Lunch
With braces, it is easier for your teeth to accumulate plaque and food and the only way to rid the teeth of these things is to brush and floss regularly, especially after every meal. It also helps you avoid the embarrassment of having food on your teeth. You get to prevent stains, cavities and dental issues by brushing and flossing after your lunch. After snacking, ensure you brush and floss your teeth.
Tips for Sports Players
If you are wearing braces, it increases your risk of having injuries during sports or outdoor games, so you need to be very careful. A hit to the face by a ball can cause you to have intense cheek, teeth or gum pain.
You need to wear your custom-made mouthguard over your braces before you engage in any sports, to prevent chipping or breaking of the teeth. You could get a special braces mouthguard made for athletes. The mouth guard fits the upper brackets of the braces, and it prevents lacerations. It is also comfortable and made using 100% medically approved silicone that quickly adapts to teeth changes in the mouth.
What to Do If Your Brackets Get Broken or Loosen
Broken brackets and wires are common experiences for most wearing braces, but you need to avoid it at all cost. However, the following tips should be useful if your brackets loosen or get broken
If the wire of braces gets broken, use your dental wax to cover the protruding or sharp part of the brace wire to prevent it causing gum or cheek injuries, then visit your orthodontist after school.
If your bracket becomes loose, use the eraser tip of a pencil to push the bracket into place. Be careful with what you eat during your treatment to prevent this from happing again, but contact your orthodontist after school.
With these tips above, you should have a successful braces treatment even if you go to school. If you want to get braces while you are at school, you can contact Dental Clinic London.
