Life with Braces
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Life with our mini or clear braces is a breeze! Dr. Markova and the entire VCO team is here to make your time with us as easy as possible. There are a few key things to remember when wearing braces.
Keeping Braces Clean
It is extremely important to take extra time keeping teeth clean by having excellent oral hygiene during treatment. Braces will catch food around them and your teeth need to be brushed at least twice daily. Flossing cannot be done with regular floss. Dr. Markova recommends Orthopick Flossers for braces. In addition to using fluoridated toothpaste, many patients also like to swish with mouthwash - both will help prevent cavities. Please read this blog post on Keeping Braces Clean.
Foods to Avoid
Any foods that are particulary crunchy or hard will pop off braces. For example, chewing on ice cubes, crunchy pizza crust, pop corn kernels, etc will make brackets fall off your teeth. Use good reason and avoid very hard foods.
Foods that are very sugary and sticky, such a caramel chews and candy will be very challenging to clean from all around your braces and might increase the risk for cavities. It is best to avoid these sugary foods.
Sports and Braces
You need to be careful when playing sports with braces and take proper precautions to avoid injury. Ask Dr. Markova about special sports guards for braces for any contact sport. Even traditional "non contact" sports players would benefit from a sports guard to help prevent lip and tooth injury if an accident occurs.