Top tips to help your child cope with wearing braces in Colchester
Fixed teeth straightening devices remain a highly effective dental treatment method to correct teeth and jaw issues including crooked teeth and bad bites. However they can be no fun to wear, especially for children. Even though many developments have been made to make these instruments comfortable, it is still an adjustment for anyone having to wear them. Fortunately there are tips parents can implement to help a child adjust to the sensation of having wires and brackets in their mouth. For parents with children having to wear braces in Colchester, Hello Dental has trained orthodontists to recommend appropriate cleaning techniques and suitable products to use that help to minimise the disruption to daily routines when adjusting to wearing teeth straightening devices.
3 Ways to ease the transition to wearing teeth straightening devices for children
1. Encourage your child to follow the orthodontist’s instructions on what to eat
Protecting the wires and brackets is a top priority to ensure the treatment process remains on track. This means that parents have to ensure that their child sticks to the food (what is acceptable and what is not) recommended by the dental practitioner. Having to give up foods they are used to or like is a major change to implement for a child. Another change brought on by fixed teeth correcting devices is the need to cut up foods such as apples and carrots into bite-sized pieces before eating them to make them more manageable to eat.
Parents can play their part by making sure the child is provided with foods that are easy to eat. Have wires become damaged or brackets loosened? These can be repaired by a dental practitioner offering treatment in braces in Colchester.
2. Supervise the cleaning routine
Teeth straightening devices that feature wires and brackets can be quite tricky to clean and require more effort from adults, let alone children. This may demotivate and distract the child from being thorough with their oral health routine. Having a choice, what child would not want to sleep later in the morning rather than have to wake up a bit earlier to ensure the teeth, gums, wires and brackets in their mouth are scrupulously clean?
A useful trick for parents is to keep on encouraging the child to practise this cleaning process until it becomes a habit. The behaviour then becomes natural and the child is less likely to forget or forego the cleaning routine. Until the habit is formed, parents will have to supervise their child during the cleaning teeth process to ensure the child is using the toothbrush correctly as instructed by the orthodontist. A good tip to make things a little easier is to buy an electric toothbrush which makes keeping teeth clean much easier.
3. Encourage them to share their concerns
Children may be very self-conscious about metal brackets and wires in their mouths which are very noticeable. They may face teasing and bullying from other children. Parents should talk to their child and encourage them to share their feelings of embarrassment or dread of being made fun of. Listening to the child’s concerns and not dismissing their feelings plays a critical role in this process. In addition to this, parents should encourage the child to continue to take part in those extracurricular pursuits that give them joy.
In order to help a child stick to their orthodontic treatment plan and see desired results, parents have to find ways to make life for the child a little easier. Should you have any concerns or need extra advice on what to do to help the adjustment process, speak to one of our dental practitioners at Hello Dental. Schedule an appointment today.
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