Whilst you enjoy the upcoming festive season and your holidays ahead, it is important to make sure you take good care of your orthodontic appliances to minimise the risk of breakages. Breakages are not only annoying as they involve extra orthodontic visits but have the potential to delay your treatment progress.
Watch what you eat
During treatment you will need to protect your braces from foods that can damage and break them. Softer foods are always best. These will be easier to eat and won’t risk breaking off your brackets. Safe food options include:
- Soups and stews
- Grains including rice and pasta
- Soft breads
- Soft cooked meats, such as chicken
- You can still indulge in your favorites such as apples as long as it is cut into small, bite sized pieces
Avoid hard, crunchy and sticky foods as these can break the wires and braces. Foods to avoid include popcorn, Minties, any sticky lollies, meat off the bone and whole apples.
Protecting your teeth and appliances during sport
Sport and extra-curricular activities are important as part of a healthy lifestyle and we want to encourage you to continue participating in these activities.
Mouthguards are required for all contact sports and are even more important when orthodontic treatment is being carried out to minimise the risk of damage to your teeth or to your appliances. During treatment your teeth will be moving so the best mouthguard to use is a re-mouldable one. Talk to our friendly staff at Mehta Orthodontics to learn more.
Your teeth are not tools!
Have you ever seen someone open a bottle with their teeth? It hurts just to watch! This is because using your teeth to do this can result in significant damage. Please look after your teeth, especially when you have appliances on, to ensure you do no damage to your teeth.
Why are breakages a problem?
When you break a bracket or a wire, you should contact the team at Mehta Orthodontics so you can have the repair done by Dr Mehta or Dr Mustac. If it is one or two days until your next appointment, you can wait until your scheduled appointment. However, if it is any longer leaving things broken in the mouth may slow down your treatment progress.
We are here to help you
The team at Mehta Orthodontics is here to make sure your treatment goes smoothly. We are happy to answer any questions at appointments, by email or by phone. When you are at home though, please make sure you do your part and follow the instructions given so treatment can be as effective as possible. Please contact Dr Mehta and his staff on 8883 4444 for any questions.
