Five tips to get your braces off faster
Braces, while effective at straightening your smile, can be a real pain in the mouth.
Food gets caught in them
Adjustments are painful
They (temporarily) cover your beautiful, natural teeth
So, it’s no wonder that most people who need them eagerly anticipate the day they can bid farewell to their braces.
Fortunately, there are ways to expedite the process without sacrificing those benefits. So, if you're eager to get those braces off as early as possible, keep reading.
Watch what you eat
Food restrictions can be really hard to swallow, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore your dentist's advice.
When you chew through sticky foods, like toffee, and they get stuck in your braces, it makes the braces ineffective. That means each moment you spend with sticky food stuck in your braces is another moment that needs to be added to your time in braces.
Follow your orthodontist’s instructions
There are times when your orthodontist’s suggestions may seem designed to make you feel more uncomfortable, such as wearing elastic bands. While they may be annoying and cause While those elastic bands can be annoying and cause extra discomfort to your teeth, failing to follow these instructions can prolong your time in braces.
This advice doesn’t stop with elastics either. All of your orthodontist’s advice is aimed at making sure your braces are the most effective they can be. And, when they’re more effective, that means you don’t have to wear them as long.
Keep up with good oral hygiene habits
It should go without saying, but maintaining good oral hygiene is essential for speeding up your journey to straighter teeth.
So, make sure to put in that little bit of extra energy to get any food that’s stuck in behind your braces with an interdental toothbrush. If you can, try to always brush after a meal and floss at least once a day. If brushing isn't an option, rinse your mouth with water to eliminate lingering food particles.
Don’t skip your orthodontist appointments
Regular visits to your orthodontist are an integral part of your braces journey. But sometimes, patients think they’ve been seeing their orthodontist too much, and decide to skip an appointment. By tracking your progress closely and making the proper adjustments, your orthodontist is keeping your teeth moving in the right direction. So by skipping an appointment, you could be setting your teeth back by weeks or more!
Ask about accelerated treatments
There are many treatment options out there that can expedite the straightening of your teeth. During your orthodontic journey, consult with your dentist to explore potential accelerated treatment options that can help you breeze through your time with braces.