Children go through many stages while growing up, some of which can be daunting, and benefit from your support. One of those instances is wearing braces. In the past, we all knew someone who didn’t like wearing them or sadly even got bullied because of wearing it. Luckily, the new generations broke the stigma and most consider it a normal stage in a teenager’s life.
However, the braces are worn for a longer period of time in their perspective and as such are a major event in your child’s life. To ease their life into this last phase before the perfect smile, we’ve made you a list of tips to be the best mom or dad.
Find out everything about dental braces
When you get the recommendation for braces from your child’s dentist, it might be a good idea to ask for an explanation on the spot. Have the professional explain to both you and your child the condition of their teeth, as well as the benefits of wearing braces for your child specifically. This way you will both know what you are getting into.
On the other side, you should check the life experiences of other parents whose children wear braces. The length of the treatment, the costs, the risks, what has actually changed for their child – all of these side effects can be quite useful pieces of information. Get to know as much as you can to be their support.
Listen to their concerns
Your child is the main star of the event and it should stay like that throughout this whole journey. They can worry about many things, the first of them being if it will hurt. The discomfort will be present but you should ensure them that it can depend mostly on their nutrition. The length of the fitting and the number of dental appointments they will have to take might seem daunting, especially if they already don’t like dentists.
If they are into sports they might also have fears of injuries. Luckily, there are mouth guards that will definitely save their teeth as well as their hobby.
Talk to them about different options
When considering treatment with dental braces, it is important to know that if your child still has milk teeth, the treatment now can prevent a treatment later. Unfortunately, this was not always known although it makes a major difference in teeth health and treatment later in life.
Apart from wire braces, which can now be put in between and behind teeth so that they are less visible, there is also an option of clear braces. Clear braces are essentially clear teeth aligners that are easy to remove and clean. However, they need a significantly higher amount of hygiene and can be too big of a responsibility.
Help them with the hygiene routine
Dental hygiene is taught from an early age – even before they could do it themselves, babies needed their teeth brushed and cleaned. A kid’s dental hygiene can be a fun experience, but you must be involved in the process. Help them choose their new toothbrush, toothpaste, and the colour of dental wax.
They will have to wash their teeth after each meal, so they will have their brushing equipment available at all times. Additionally, they might need to use interdental brushes. They are used similarly to dental floss, but they do a more detailed job and with wires in your mouth, they do make cleaning easy. For the proper technique and sizing it is best to get advice from your dentist or orthodontist.
Orthodontic wax is an option
All the new additions to your child’s mouth have the possibility of hurting your child’s mouth. Although injuries are highly unlikely to happen, the ones that have more sensitive soft tissue can get irritations. These are best prevented by wearing dental or orthodontic wax. The wax is simply pressed onto the braces and later easily picked out. They come in different colours which can play a good factor in easing out the introduction of braces into your child’s daily routine.
However, do not mix the effect of dental wax with a mouth guard if your child is into sports. Dental wax can protect soft tissue, but not the whole tooth from the fall. Do plan the mouth guard into your braces budget if your kid is active.
Stock up on the soft foods
The braces life requires a special diet. However, this diet is mostly needed for the first few weeks while your kid is getting used to wearing braces. Yoghurt, mashed potatoes, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, most vegetables, soups, etc. are some of the best choices for food in the beginning.
Follow their sensitivity, but stay out of hard and chewy food that can affect their teeth and braces. Those are most of the nuts, popcorn, chewy fruits and vegetables, hard crackers, crunchy pastry, and other hard food choices. Keep avoiding these until the end of the treatment.
Focus on the end goal
The most important thing is to focus on the perfect set of teeth that will add to the beautiful smile of your child. Their health will also be ensured as they will be less likely to develop dental issues like cavities or mouth sores. Additionally, they will have no issues with eating and chewing thus ensuring good digestion and subsequently body health. Self-confidence is also a bonus worth mentioning, although your child’s health is what matters the most.
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