When you get braces, you need to make a few lifestyle changes to keep your teeth healthy and ensure beautiful results. Wright Orthodontics recommends you avoid eating things like sticky candy and gum, or foods that can easily get stuck in your teeth, like popcorn.
Besides protecting your teeth from damages caused by food, you also need to protect your mouth from injuries. Don’t worry – you won’t need to give up your favorite sports while your teeth are being straightened via braces, but you will need to take an extra step to protect your pearly whites.
A Mouth Guard is a Necessity
An injury to the face or mouth is painful, even without braces. When you’re wearing braces, these injuries can be exacerbated by painful cuts in your gums and teeth due to your braces scraping the inside of your mouth. Serious injuries can also displace or damage braces. To avoid such injuries, wear a mouth guard during high impact sports like wrestling, football, hockey, and rugby.
The majority of sports already require a mouth guard, but you’ll need to buy a mouth guard made specifically for people with braces. Try a custom fit mouth guard for the optimal comfort. Because your teeth are moving while you’re wearing braces, it’s also important to look for a mouth guard with a little room. When fitting it to your mouth be sure it doesn’t press too tightly against your teeth.
You only need to wear your mouth guard during the sporting season, obviously, but you’ll likely have braces for more than one season. For this reason, we recommend buying a new mouth guard each year to keep up with the changing shape of your mouth and teeth.
How Wright Orthodontics Can Help Protect Your Smile
Are you ready to straighten out your, or your child’s, smile with braces? Come visit Dr. Marc S. Wright at Wright Orthodontics. Our office serves patients in Atlanta, Marietta, and the surrounding areas of North Georgia. Schedule a consultation online or call (404)-507-2078 to learn more about your options for orthodontic treatment.
