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Hygiene is a hard task for many kids. Washing their hands and covering their mouths when they sneeze—it can take some friendly reminders to instill these habits. A majority of the parents of our pediatric patients ask us how they can help foster good dental habits in kids with braces pretty much every day at Smiles from the Hart. Lucky for you, we have some answers.
Pinpointing Challenges
While your child might be the one with braces, you can still struggle with them as a parent as they learn to navigate their orthodontic treatment. You’ll want to guide them along the way and partner with them to face these new challenges. The first step in this process is identifying potential obstacles:
- A Long-Term Commitment: It would be nice if braces could do their magic in a single day or week—but that’s not quite how it works. Kids with braces are signing up for months or even years of hard work and compliance with the help of Dr. Hart, which can seem very intimidating at times.
- Cleaning with Braces: Tackling the challenge of cleaning in and around braces is an important step in building strong hygiene habits. Cleaning around brackets, wires, and between teeth requires extra care and precision. This can take some trial and error for children, especially at first.
- Food Restrictions: No one likes being told they can’t eat a favorite food for an extended period of time. Kids can be big fans of sticky, sweet, and hard snacks, which can damage their braces and disrupt their oral hygiene.
- New Tools: Orthodontic patients can use a number of specialized cleaning tools that they will have to grow accustomed to through experience. These can include floss threaders, interdental brushes, fluoride rinses, and water flossers.
- Bad Breath: Foul-smelling breath is a common result of leftover food particles in the teeth, which is one reason we stress careful cleaning for kids. This can affect their confidence, especially in social situations.
Hopping Over Hurdles
We can say for a fact that nobody is perfect and guarantee that there will be challenges during your child’s treatment with braces—but there are also various wise practices that can help combat these challenges. Remember that Dr. Hart is an incredible resource for these kinds of ideas when you’re at a loss!
- A Solid Routine: A lot of kids hit a wall when it comes to keeping consistent, healthy routines. Make a point of reminding them that they need to brush twice a day, floss once a day, and use mouthwash when possible. You can set a timer for these times of the day and even participate in your own oral hygiene routine alongside them.
- Embrace Creativity: You have plenty of options to make dental hygiene more enjoyable for your kiddo: try fun mobile apps, flavored toothpaste, colorful toothbrushes, and more. If you need more suggestions, just ask us during your visit!
- Brushing Technique: You can teach your kids to angle their toothbrushes to clean above and below the brackets on their teeth. This can be made even more effective by using a circular motion and spending extra time around each of the brackets to eliminate as much plaque as possible.
- The Bigger Picture: It can be hard for children to understand that their hard work will pay off in the end. Tunnel vision can occur at different points during treatment. Remind them constantly about their final goal: A new smile they’ll love.
- Praise and Encourage: Words of kindness and positive reinforcement are powerful tools from a parent to a child. As your child goes through treatment and successfully overcomes obstacles, tell them that you’re proud of them. You can add to this by giving them small rewards like stickers.
- Ask Around: Just about everyone knows someone with braces. Kids usually have friends and classmates with them or may even have some family members undergoing orthodontic treatment. Partnering with these people and asking for advice is a great tool.
- Limit Sugary Snacks: People often underestimate the effects of sugar on their teeth. Try to start incorporating more “sweet” foods, as opposed to solid sugar—like yogurt, oatmeal, or applesauce.
- Routine Visits: When your child has braces, they’ll visit our office fairly often for manual adjustments to their appliance. It’s important not to miss these appointments, as it can seriously delay overall progress.
Sincere Service
Our Smiles from the Hart team takes the health of kids very seriously—after all, the earlier in life they can have a smile they’re proud of, the better. Serving Middle Tennessee families is a privilege, and we love to answer questions and find solutions. Schedule a free consultation for your child today. We can’t wait to welcome you to our Murfreesboro office!