Having braces had been a symbol of awkwardness for many years. However, this is not the case anymore. Social media has glamorized braces in such a way that this orthodontic treatment has in fact become a way to show off your smile in a unique manner. But it doesn’t mean that the pitfalls of braces are diminished. If you are not taking care of your teeth and braces, you will find maintaining your oral health nothing less than a challenge.

Having that said, there are a few things that you will need to take into consideration if you or your child is going to get braces.

While the way your teeth look is something you cannot ignore, it is not everything that braces are aimed to provide. The braces are meant to treat the complex bite misalignments that start giving you oral and dental health conditions.

This one is very important. You wouldn’t want interference from other treatments to affect the orthodontic treatment you get. This is the reason that you will want to get your teeth cleaned first if there is the need of dental cleaning. If you need to get your wisdom tooth removed, you have got to get it removed before you get the braces.

With braces on your teeth, you will have to put a limit on consumption of certain foods. For instance, you will have to avoid foods that are sticky, gummy and hard to chew ones. It means that you will have to say goodbye to the consumption of caramel. Certain sweets are usually hard to chew. Make sure that you are not having those sweets while you have braces. You will not be advised to take a bite from the whole apple. Of course you can cut it into pieces before eating it.

You may find cleaning your teeth pretty difficult with the braces on. But it doesn’t mean that you are going to get a break from oral hygiene. The existence of wires and brackets is going to create hidden spots where bacterial plaque can build up. You can ask your dentist about the right way to brush and floss your teeth, and you will have to absolutely go for it.

If your child is an athlete and he has just got the braces, you have to make sure that he is wearing the mouth guard because any kind of hard impact can ruin the braces.

With the braces on, you will have to make sure that you are not missing any of your scheduled dental visits. During every dental visit, you are going to get the wires of the braces adjusted. These regular adjustments are going to eventually bring your teeth into the desired shape. One thing that you will have to keep in mind here is that there may be some occasional pain and discomfort associated with the braces but it is going to be no big deal.