How to Take Care of Braces

During the festive period and celebrations a lot of people with braces probably have forgotten to take care of their braces! So let’s take a look at how to care for your braces properly.

Foods to Avoid

1. Food that is hard to remove from teeth should be avoided. If the food gets trapped in braces it’s even more difficult to remove.

2. Overly hard foods such as nuts and meat containing bones should be avoided as it can damage the braces.

3. Food that requires you to bite into such as apples, corn on the cob and carrots are also a culprit it can also damage the braces.

Oral Hygiene

Extra care with oral hygiene when wearing braces is a must and should never be neglected.

1. You should always have a toothbrush with you so you can brush after each meal to prevent food being trapped in your braces.

2. If oral hygiene habits are not adopted cavities will become a problem. Therefore, flossing is also needed.

3. It’s also recommended that you use a soft bristled toothbrush which can remove food particles more effectively.

What to do if a Bracket or Wire Breaks

Braces, bands or wires sometimes break or fall off. Usually this is caused by chewing hard or sticky foods. More often, one of the parts will come loose. This can cause some discomfort. It’s important to contact your orthodontist as soon as possible for an appointment to get the braces fixed. 

How Long Does Orthodontic Treatment Take?

Exactly how long does orthodontic treatment take to complete? Every orthodontic case is unique so depending on the treatment plan design and how severe the case is the overall treatment time will vary for different cases. Generally speaking orthodontic treatment takes between 1 to 2 years to complete.  

Orthodontic treatment is tailor-made for every patient and depends on how much correction is needed. The more complex the case is the longer it will take for the treatment to gradually move the teeth into the correct position.

1. 6 Months to 1 Year

This time frame is for simple correction cases for example gaps in teeth or more simple teenage cases.

2. 1 Year to 2 Years

This time scale is the most common and relates to most cases where teeth require moderate correcting and is not too complex. For example these cases often require extracting teeth and then fitting braces.

3. 2 Years to 3 Years

For cases that take 2 years to 3 years these are rather complex orthodontic cases which and in most cases is related to adults.

After the removal of braces patients will have to wear retainers regularly for at least 2 years (during the first year retainers need to be worn all day and in the second year they need to be worn every night).

Orthodontic treatment results don’t happen overnight so here at AKJ Dental Clinic we advise that during a orthodontic consultation that you communicate with your orthodontist about the treatment plan. Also after the removal of braces the importance of wearing a retainer must not be neglected if not the possibility of relapse means that you will need to go through orthodontic treatment again.