4 Things to Keep Out of Your Mouth With Braces

Caring for braces requires avoiding damaging foods and behaviors. However, some people new to braces may not realize how many things can damage their braces. The following four foods, drinks,and behaviors severely damage braces even may not seem like such a big deal at first. Make sure to talk to an orthodontist if these issues affect you.

1. Soda

People who regularly drink soda throughout the day expose their teeth to excessive levels of acid. This acid can wear down their braces and cause severe issues with the brackets and the connecting wires. Not even diet soda is safe because, while diet soda does not have sugar, it does contain high levels of acid that make the soda just as problematic to a person's oral health.

Even worse, fruit juices and sports drinks contain high levels of sugar and acid that also damage braces. An occasional sip of these drinks - followed by brushing the teeth and braces - might not be too damaging, but those who only drink soda or fruit juice over water slowly, but surely, damage their braces.

2. Non-Food Items

Chewing on non-food items - such as pencils or straws - is one of the worst things a person can do to their braces. That constant pressure will potentially damage the brackets and connecting wires and could cause serious issues. For example, people may find their brackets shift in place or chip when regularly chewing on non-food items.

Even worse, that pressure could cause the bracket to break and leave it hanging off the tooth. This orthodontic disaster requires emergency treatment because the broken bracket could trigger other issues with the teeth. For example, the connecting wires may experience related damage and fail to hold the teeth together effectively.

3. Candy

Most types of candy can damage braces. For example, sticky candy will ad here to braces and may be very difficult to pull off without potentially damaging the brackets. By contrast, hard candy may cause damage to braces when the braces snap and trigger other issues with the braces' wires and connecting elements.

Even worse, most types of candy contain high levels of sugar and acid that can wear down the braces and damage them slowly over an extended period. Additionally, the sugar will likely feed plaque and bacteria, further spreading damage. Even sugar-free alternatives, particularly gum,create issues with braces. The best thing to do is to stay away from candy until the braces are removed.

 4. Ice

Though drinking ice-cold water is not bad for braces,chewing on the ice can cause damage. Simply put, the very nature office presents a two fold potential for problems. First, the hard quality office- and the way it cracks when under pressure- could damage the brackets and wires on braces and trigger other orthodontic issues.

Even worse,cold temperatures can also cause issues with braces, particularly the braces that have exposure to cold for extended periods. While a few sips of cold water will not cause a problem, heavy exposure through eating ice will be problematic. Instead of chewing ice,either reuse ice by refilling the glass with water or throw the remaining ice into the sink when finished with a drink.

Find Orthodontic Help

Make sure to avoid these,and other, damaging behaviors to prevent many types of issues with braces. However, if you have already damaged your braces and need help fixing them, please do not hesitate to contact us at Donald E. Snyder Orthodontics to get help as soon as possible. Our professionals will work hard to provide you with the high-quality orthodontic care that you need.