Starting orthodontic treatment can be a big step for kids and maintaining their oral hygiene to keep their smile healthy can be overwhelming. Braces add a new responsibility to their daily routine, but with a little guidance and help from our team, they can adapt quickly and stay on track. Our Mack Orthodontics team wants to help families by sharing some of our expert tips on how you can help foster good dental habits in your kids with braces.
Tips, Tools, and Tricks
Did you know your child could have some secret weapons at their disposal to make living with braces a lot easier? There are so many items that are created especially to help with braces maintenance.
- Interdental Brushes: A normal-sized toothbrush is often unable to clean braces effectively on its own. Using these smaller, portable brushes can help clean their teeth more thoroughly and even make the process more fun.
- Electric Toothbrush with an Orthodontic Head: Electric toothbrushes are a great way to ensure consistency in cleaning. Because electric toothbrush heads can be swapped out, using an orthodontic head can help clean wires and brackets more easily.
- Braces-Friendly Toothpaste: Be mindful of the toothpaste you choose for your kids when they have braces. Fluoride is an important ingredient for protecting enamel.
- Floss Threaders or Water Flossers: Floss threaders are great for navigating the tight spaces under wires where food and plaque often get trapped. We also recommend investing in a water flosser, which is able to effectively flush out debris. Kids are likely to find both of these routes much easier than using dental floss.
- Orthodontic Wax: This is a special wax that every patient with braces should use when needed. It can be applied in a smooth layer over brackets or wires that might irritate the soft tissue of the mouth.
- An Orthodontic Travel Kit: The beauty of a travel kit is that you can fill it with all of these supplies and more. Let your child join you in picking out a pouch that they like, personalized with their favorite colors, characters, or other media.
How Parents Can Help
Being a parent means having a big hand in your child’s orthodontic treatment, especially for younger kids. You might be at a bit of a loss on how to best handle this process—but Dr. Mack has some great advice that works every time.
- Teach Good Habits: Be diligent about educating your kids on the importance of maintaining their braces through good oral hygiene habits—brushing, flossing, and rinsing every day. Also, be transparent about the potential consequences of neglecting their oral health, such as white spots, cavities, or gum disease.
- Maintain a Good Attitude: Your attitude sets the tone for your child! By staying positive about treatment with Dr. Mack, you help foster a supportive environment. Encourage your child as they progress by focusing on the end goal and sharing stories of successful treatments.
- Encourage Healthy Eating Habits: Diet can be a big hurdle for kids with braces, since so many of them enjoy sweeter foods and beverages. As a parent, be sure these are being enjoyed in moderation to prevent potential decay. The same attention should be paid to hard and sticky foods, which should be avoided completely. We suggest soft foods like pasta, yogurt, and eggs—all of which can be easier on teeth, especially if they’re sore.
- Help Manage Discomfort: It’s very common for teeth to be a bit irritated after Dr. Mack adjusts braces in our office. Try using over-the-counter pain meds, or cold compresses to keep soreness at bay. By managing this discomfort for kids, they can better take care of their appliance.
- Stay on Top of Appointments: We know life can be very busy, but it’s so important to make sure your child is seeing us and their family dentist on time. Take advantage of virtual visits when appropriate. Some of the consequences of your child missing their scheduled appointments include damage going unaddressed or warning signs of tooth decay being overlooked.
Making Strides at Mack Orthodontics
Remind your children that their hard work will absolutely pay off and that their friends at Mack Orthodontics are here to help them one-on-one. Questions are a perfectly valid part of this experience—and we encourage kids and parents to ask as many as they like. It’s our job to make sure every family feels confident and comfortable with us.
If you aren’t familiar with our amazing local practice, we’d love to share some of the testimonials of our patients with you, as well as our gallery of before and after images displaying our orthodontic work. This gallery could be helpful to show your child the transformation that they’re about to experience themselves! We look forward to seeing you soon in our Burlington or Hillsborough office.