Taking Care Of Your Braces During The Holidays

Braces During the Holidays

Having a break from school, work and the day-to-day routine is great. The holidays can be a break from lots of things, but taking a break from caring for your braces is not a good idea.. Here’s how to keep your routine simple and consistent.

Keep These Tools Handy

Sometimes it’s hard to get away to brush and floss your teeth every time you eat something, especially with all the holiday snacks around. For moments when you don’t have a lot of time to brush your teeth, it can be super helpful to keep some dental picks and a small travel-sized bottle of mouthwash in your backpack or purse for a quick refresh and to clean your teeth of any food particles stuck in your braces or between your teeth.

Keep Up These Habits

Of course, dental picks and mouthwash are only a temporary substitute for brushing and flossing your teeth thoroughly, so it’s still important to do so as soon as possible. Taking care of your braces during the holidays can feel like a lot of extra effort when you are on vacation, but you’ll be glad you kept up your healthy habits when you get your braces off and get to show off your sparkling new smile.

Keep a List of Foods

When you first got your braces, your orthodontist probably gave you a list or talked to you about which foods are safe or not safe to eat while you have braces, typical examples include sticky, chewy or hard foods. The holidays are a great time to refresh your memory on that list, and if needed, ask your orthodontist for a new one. In all the excitement of gathering with family and friends, it can be easy to forget about taking care of your braces during the holidays and try foods that aren’t recommended for braces-wearers.

If you think it might be difficult to remember which foods you can or cannot eat, it may be helpful to keep a copy of the list on your phone, tablet or in your pocket so that you can reference it or share it with the people who are preparing the meal or buying snacks to help ensure that you’ll have some safe dishes or snacks to enjoy.

Keep Your Goal in Mind

Some days it can feel especially challenging to have braces and take good care of them, such as on holidays, when you just want to relax and enjoy everything. In these moments, it’s important to think about why you have braces and what the end goal is. When you imagine what your new smile will look like, the challenges of the moment will be overshadowed by the goal at the end of the braces journey.

Call our Tulsa Dental Office to make an appointment with a dentist who may be able to help you find out more about this topic, and improve your oral health.

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