With the school year underway again, parents of kids who just started braces are likely looking for some guidance on how to help their kids go about the day with their new orthodontic appliances. Here are some best practices for going back to school with braces.
Plan out Meals Carefully
When your kids start orthodontic treatment with braces, you’ll most likely want to send them to school with lunch rather than relying on what the school cafeteria prepares. This will give you better control over what they eat. While they have braces, they’ll be limited to softer, easier-to-chew foods that won’t damage their teeth, which means cutting out tough meats, nuts, hard fruits, and chewy candies.
Get an Orthodontic Mouthguard for Sports
If any of your kids participate in sports at school, one of your first priorities when they get braces should be to get an orthodontic mouthguard. Sports like football, soccer, basketball, and wrestling all create the potential for impacts to the face. If this happens when your child has braces, it increases their risk of injuries like cuts on the inside of the mouth and broken teeth. Not to mention, their braces will be at risk of getting damaged, delaying the end of treatment.
Wearing a mouthguard will protect everything inside their mouth if they happen to get hit in the face with a ball or an elbow, or if they fall and hit the playing field or pavement.
Prepare Them for Adjustment in Playing an Instrument
If your child plays in a marching band, particularly if they play a wind instrument with a mouthpiece, you’ll need to prepare them for an adjustment period when they start braces. They may need to change the level of air pressure they use to play their instrument along with the placement of their mouthpiece. Generally, instruments like the trumpet or French horn cause the most difficulty, but instruments like the saxophone, clarinet, and flute will also be a bit tricky to play with braces at first.
Thankfully, your musician should adjust after just a few weeks of practice. Because of this, it’s advised to start braces at least a few weeks before they have any big auditions or performances scheduled.
Consider Having Multiple Kids in Braces at Once
You should look into having more than one of your kids start braces at the same time if they’re the right age. For instance, if you have two kids and they both start braces together, they will both be in the same boat when it comes to getting used to the new appearance of their smile. This way, there’s no worrying about having one tease the other.
But it also means you won’t have extra work when preparing meals for your kids since they’ll both have the same eating restrictions with braces. And once they both finish their time in braces, that will be the last you need to think about orthodontic treatment, unless of course you decide you’d like to straighten your own smile.
Contact Smith Orthodontics today to learn more about how to help your kids start braces in Ripley, WV during the school year.
