At Quality Orthodontic Care, our orthodontist, Dr. John Fleming offers smile straightening systems for our patients in the Alpharetta, GA, area who are looking for straighter smiles. Did you know that an aligned smile is not just good for your appearance, but for your oral health as well? Well, it’s true! Straightened smiles also correct your bite and protect your jaw from the stress that comes from malocclusion (a misaligned bite).
This means you will want to protect your braces just as you do your teeth since they are doing the hard work of moving your teeth into their best alignment. To help you with this, Dr. John Fleming has some tips to keep your braces in tip top condition while you align your smile.
#1 Are you staying away from harmful foods?
By now you know that hard foods are bad for your teeth, but they are also bad for your braces as well. Avoid these as much as possible because you don’t want to prolong treatment time because you’ve damaged brackets or wires. Hard foods to stay away from include:
— Pizza crusts
— Jerky
— Popcorn
— Ice
— Corn on the cob
— Hard candies
Avoid sticky food as well, such as bubble gum, sticky candies or caramels, and sugary sodas, all of which may damage your braces and your teeth.
#2 Are you focusing on healthy food?
It’s not just your body that needs good nutrition. Healthy teeth and gums depend on fresh vegetables (cut into small pieces), lean protein like chicken, turkey, and fish to strengthen teeth, and calcium from cheese or milk.
#3 Are you using your pearly whites as tools?
If so, consider that your teeth are designed to bite and chew and help you speak. They are not meant to be opening packages when you can’t find your scissors or trimming your nails when you are tempted to bite them.
If you treat your teeth and braces with the care they deserve, you will be rewarded with a healthy, beautiful smile! If you have questions, please call 770-901-2433 today. Our team is here to help you create the smile you have always wanted.