Since the period of coronavirus confinement is taking longer than expected, many people who wear orthodontics are not receiving the treatment or follow-up that they should.
But what care is available to us and what can we do at home to ensure that orthodontics continues to do its job? Depending on the treatment we follow, braces or aligners, we should follow the recommendations that Dr. Cindy Carolina Dias indicates below.
For those who wear braces, the doctor suggests:
- Avoid eating foods that are not recommended, such as those with hard, sticky consistency, etc.
- Maintain good hygiene by brushing after meals, including the use of an interdental brush, fluoride mouthwash, dental floss or with the help of oral irrigators (irrigators are not a substitute for brushing, they are a complement to oral hygiene).
- In case of using orthodontic elastics, comply with the hours recommended by your orthodontist to continue helping the movement of the teeth.
- In case of wounds such as canker sores in the mouth, remember that you can purchase orthodontic wax to place over the piece (bracket) that is causing the wound.
You can also get in pharmacies gels indicated to reduce the discomfort and rapid healing of the wound.
On the other hand, for those who wear removable orthodontics or aligners recommended:
- Maintain good oral hygiene and aligners, performing its proper cleaning 3 times a day. Remember that the aligner can be cleaned with your toothbrush and a little toothpaste.
- In case you have to keep using the aligners for more days than usual, use denture cleaning tablets (effervescent) to eliminate the bacteria that may accumulate in the aligner. These tablets are available in pharmacies.
- If you have been instructed to wear orthodontic elastics, comply with the number of hours indicated by your orthodontist.
- If you observe any misalignment between the tooth and the aligner (air space of 1 mm or more), inform your orthodontist about it. It is recommended to extend the use of the aligners for a few more days (2 or 3 more days) and to use Chewie (flexible chewing sticks) to help the aligner fit your teeth correctly.
However, despite these oral health tips, we may find ourselves in situations in which we do not know very well how to act and what to do, for example if a piece becomes detached or breaks. In these cases, if the patient wears braces, the most advisable thing to do is to try to remove the detached piece in order to avoid the probability of being swallowed during meals.
If despite the effort we do not succeed, we can apply orthodontic wax to keep the piece as attached as possible to the archwire (orthodontic wire). Orthodontic wax can be purchased at any pharmacy.
In cases of removable orthodontics, if we notice that an attachment falls out, we must be patient and wait for the consultations to reopen for its repositioning.
If a button (the attachment where the orthodontic elastics are fastened, which happens quite commonly) falls off, the best thing to do is to contact your orthodontist so that he/she can explain how to make a small cut in the aligner and thus be able to continue with the use of the elastics.
Should I avoid certain foods?
The recommendations, in this case, are very simple. To take care of our fixed orthodontics we should avoid as far as possible foods with a very hard consistency, such as nuts or popcorn, sticky foods, such as chewing gum and candy, and animal proteins with bone should be cut into pieces to avoid contact of any bone with the brackets.
In the case of wearing aligners, there are fewer restrictions to follow, since only foods with a hard consistency should be avoided in the case of having a button. Therefore, taking care of our oral health is in our hands.
Finally, remember that Top Doctors specialists continue working to take care of your health, even when you are at home. Through the telemedicine service you will be able to solve your doubts without waiting.