Things to Avoid Doing While Undergoing Orthodontic Treatment

The longer you’re wearing your orthodontic braces, the more you’ll come to understand what you can and can’t do with them. However, until you get used to your braces, Dr. Garlock will provide you with a list of things you should avoid during your orthodontic treatment. These precautions will prevent you from damaging your braces or causing pain to yourself and your teeth.

Things to Avoid Doing During Orthodontic Treatment

Below are a few things you should avoid doing while you’re wearing your braces:

• Chew Ice – It’s never a good idea to chew ice, but wearing braces makes it even more dangerous. Chewing ice could cause you to break off a bracket, bend a wire, or otherwise damage your orthodontic equipment.
• Drink Carbonation – Having dental braces makes it important to avoid sugar and carbonated beverages. The acids in carbonation and sugar can dissolve the glue that holds orthodontic brackets to the teeth, causing them to come off.
• Chew Gum – Anything that sticks to the teeth would also stick to the braces. Chewing gum can pull on the wires, bands, and brackets around the teeth, putting stress on the orthodontic hardware. Gum is the biggest threat, but it’s a good idea to avoid anything sticky.
• Use Teeth as Tools – Again, this is another habit that should always be avoided, but that goes double during orthodontic treatment. Teeth should be used only for chewing and eating, using them as tools can chip or weaken the teeth, or damage the braces.
• Grind or Clench Teeth – Lastly, grinding or clenching the teeth, usually in response to stress, can damage the braces. Unfortunately, these are habits that are usually done subconsciously or during sleep. If you think you may be grinding or clenching your teeth at night, please contact Dr. Garlock to be fitted for a mouthguard, which can help prevent damage to the teeth or braces.

For more information about how to best care for your braces, or to set up an appointment with an orthodontist, please contact Garlock Orthodontics here are our Aurora, Colorado orthodontist office.