Many children and teens need to get braces. Braces help address a variety of dental issues including uneven teeth, overbites, underbites, crossbites, and more. While they are necessary, they can also impact your child’s life.
Understanding this impact allows you to help them through any difficulties.
Self-Esteem Issues
While the end result of braces is a beautiful smile, there may be some self-esteem issues for the duration of the treatment. Having braces draws more attention to the mouth and this can make children more self-conscious. Although braces are fairly common, they can still cause your child to feel embarrassed.
If your child struggles with this, offer them encouragement and help them see the bright side of things. You can make things easier for your child by exploring all options for braces. For example, Invisalign offers a more subtle solution than traditional braces.
Food Restrictions
One of the biggest impacts braces have on your children is their diet. Some foods are off-limits when your kids are undergoing treatment. These foods can damage the braces or disrupt the treatment process. While they have braces, your child should avoid foods that are sticky, crunchy, hard, or chewy. These foods can cause brackets to shift or become dislodged.
Additionally, your child should avoid foods they need to bite into such as apples or corn on the cob. It may be difficult for your child to adjust to these dietary restrictions. To help them out, you can encourage the whole family to adhere to the same food rules so your child doesn’t feel left out.
Oral Hygiene
Since there are brackets and wires on the teeth, it’s harder to maintain a typical oral hygiene routine. Your child will need to make some adjustments while undergoing treatment. They need to be vigilant while brushing and may need to brush more often to remove teeth from between teeth and brackets. Using a smaller brush can also make it easier. When it comes to flossing, your child will need to use special floss that allows you to get in between the wires. Using mouthwash can also be helpful because it coats the entire surface of your mouth and makes sure you get everything.
Getting braces can give you amazing end results, but it’s also a challenge to deal with them. When your child gets braces, make sure you are sympathetic and do your part to help them feel more comfortable. Your support can make things easier.
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