If you are considering having your child or teen get braces, it’s important for you to talk to her about what to expect once they’re on. In order to allow braces to do their job without doing permanent damage to teeth and gums, it’s up to the patient as well as her parents to make sure good hygiene habits and lifestyle choices are followed and carried through with until the end of the course of treatment. Here are some of the basics of taking care of dental braces.

– Watch what you eat

It is a great irony that the time period when most kids wear braces (during their teens) is also the time when their eating and drinking habits are at their worst. Although your teen or child is not likely to eat carefully and make good choices each and every day, if she is careful most of the time, she should be fine. Make sure to avoid:

Sticky foods: eating caramels, gummy bears, chewing gum, and other similar types of items can loosen appliances or actually pull braces right out of the mouth.

Hard foods may actually break appliances or bend wires into the wrong position. Of course, kids should always be encouraged to eat hard or crunchy foods that are healthy such as apples or celery or carrots, but they must approach them carefully and cut them into small chunks whenever possible.


Although eating or sucking on lemons and limes may seem innocuous enough, the acidity in these foods can really damage tooth enamel; this damage is exacerbated by having braces on the teeth. Chewing ice cubes should never be acceptable, whether your child is wearing braces or not. This bad habit can cause not only appliances to break off, but the tooth enamel as well.

Sugary foods cause tooth decay. Period. When braces are involved, the danger can be even worse. Bathing teeth and braces in a constant bath of refined sugar by drinking soda pop or eating high-sucrose foods is bound to be trouble. Avoid soft drinks altogether, and keep fruit juice consumption to a minimum. Patients should take care to brush and rinse teeth thoroughly after indulging in desserts or other sugary foods.

– It’s all about the hygiene

Use a Waterpik device to loosen food and help remove plaque before brushing. Little pieces of food get lodged easily into appliances and around wires and may not be able to be easily removed through brushing and flossing alone. Use a soft bristled toothbrush at least twice a day and as needed and examine teeth carefully afterwards to make sure brushing was done effectively. Parents of young patients should supervise them to make sure they are taking proper care of their teeth, and parents of teens need to regular emphasize the positive effects of good hygiene on the outcome of their orthodontic treatment.

Braces VIP (http://www.bracesvip.com/) is a orthodontic residency specialist. Art Gib is a freelance writer.

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