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A Bracing Experience at The Panama Dental Center |
Braces! What a nightmare what will my friends say? It’s really not as bad as you may think. More and more people are getting braces including some rather famous adults. We at the Panama Dental Center know it’s sometimes hard to believe what you parents say but people really won’t make as big an issue out of your braces as you think they might. Sure your friends and school mates will give you a hard time at first, probably call you a few names, but they get over it.
Your new braces actually make you special by showing that you care about the way you look, and how well you able to process your food for a healthier life. Your orthodontist at the Panama Dental Center knows that the first step is always the hardest, so here's some things you’ll need to do and remember from the first to the last day of your journey.
Trying to get to sleep for the first few nights is always difficult, so try laying just on your back to avoid the new discomfort in your mouth. Believe it or not you soon become accustomed to your appliance and accept it as just another part of your body. If you can’t seem to get to sleep the first couple of nights, ask your parents for a pain remedy of some sort. Your diet will need a little revamping too, especially when it come to harder whole foods. You’ll need to avoid things like whole apples, corn on the cob, ribs, and sticky candies like tootsie rolls, caramels, and sugary bubble gums. Stick to foods that require little to no chewing when you first get your braces: applesauce, mashed potatoes, soup. Convince someone to take you out for milkshakes and mashed.
Be sure to stick to the diet your Panama Dental Center orthodontist recommends at first. Eventually, you will be able to break a few rules once in a while, but you can’t neglect keeping your teeth and appliance as clean as possible. If you fail to clean your teeth well enough, you may find squares on your teeth where your braces were after they’re removed. Don’t eat really chewy foods & candies, they may get stuck underneath your braces, causing brown squares to appear,
where the braces once were. Always wear the retainer that the orthodontist gives you, when you braces are removed, or you might have to get braces again as an adult.
You also should think about using some form of lip balm like chap stick. Since wearing braces kind of pushes you lips out and they will get kind of dry and might even crack without some kind of protection. You can ask your orthodontist at the Panama Dental Center for some suggested types of lip balm, that you should carry with you at all times. If you’re a girl also give some thought to wearing just uncolored lip gloss instead of “stick” unless you’d like you teeth to match your lips.
Keeping you braces clean will be your biggest and hardest assignment for the next few years. You’ll brush your teeth with a dentist-approved toothbrush for at least two minutes. Maybe your parents will get you an electric toothbrush, that makes this whole process much easier. But no matter what kind of brush you use be sure to get under the wires at least once a day. Use the small round brush you got from the Panama Dental Center to get under and between the wires of you braces to remove any plaque build up. It’s also important that you floss after every meal and snack, using a floss threader to push the cord down under the wires between your brackets. Remember to floss every tooth, even the ones in the far back and then use mouthwash to clean your mouth and freshen breath! Do the teeth cleaning regimen at night, when you have more time. If you try to do it in the morning, you'll never finish it or you might be late for school. If your braces really bother you, draw attention from them by focusing on your better features, like your eyes or your hair.
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