Parents are the unsung heroes of their child’s orthodontic journey, playing a role far beyond just paying the bills or driving to appointments. They’re the ones cheering on their kid to wear those rubber bands, offering creative solutions to keep braces-friendly meals exciting, and celebrating every tiny milestone, like the day the first adjustment pain subsides, or when the child finally masters flossing around brackets.
Your support is a crucial part of your child’s braces journey and here are five tips on how to help them during this period:
1. Preparing for the Process
The preparation to get your child braces begins with shaping their minds into adjusting to their new lifestyle. With braces comes immense change, whether in their diet or appearance. Before your child gets braces, help them understand calmly the importance of this treatment and the lifelong benefits they will gain.
Sit down with your child and explain the process of getting braces. How the process begins and what changes they will need to make. Then tell them the purpose of going through this orthodontic treatment and highlight the importance so they are involved in the journey. This way, they will better understand the benefits and not make braces a negative character of their lives.
2. Managing the Pain
The next step in the braces journey comes with managing the pain and discomfort. It will naturally be tough for your child to adjust to their new lifestyle with braces. This discomfort and pain will last them a good number of weeks. Here’s when as a parent, you can provide ample empathy and help ease the pain.
- Orthodontic Wax: The bracket and wires of the braces easily irritate your child’s gums and soft tissues inside their mouth. To solve this, braces wax is an excellent solution!
- Liquid/Soft Food Diet: The next step in pain management is to give your child soft or liquid food till the discomfort subsides. For a few days, it will be impossible for your child to eat solid food. Hence, as parents, you need to make sure they are getting their necessary nutrients through liquid food. Mashed potatoes, soups, smoothies, yoghurt, and soft fruits are some good options.
- Saltwater Rinses: Gargling with a teaspoon of salt in lukewarm water will soothe sore gums. Let them keep the saltwater in their mouth for a good 30 seconds before rinsing it off.
3. Adopting New Eating Habits
The braces adjustment period is a daunting experience for kids. Help them adopt new eating habits as there are certain foods to avoid to keep the braces intact and prevent any injuries. Here’s how you can simplify your child’s diet:
- Braces-Friendly Food:
- Yoghurt
- Mashed potatoes
- Smoothies
- Soft fruits
- Pasta
- Rice
- Cooked vegetables
- Eggs
- Cheese and other healthy dairy items
- Foods to Avoid:
- Hard candies
- Chewy and sticky candies like caramel
- Corn chips
- Corn kernels
- Hard and thick chips
- Chewing gum
- Nuts
- Popcorn
- Raw vegetables like carrots, unless they are finely chopped
- Lollipops
4. Adjusting to a New Oral Care Routine
Oral hygiene is equally important in the braces journey. Braces can make oral care a difficult process for your kids to manage. Hence, you will need to help them adjust to their new routine.
Brushing after every meal removes food particles, preventing staining their teeth and causing cavities. Flossing can be tricky with braces as it is difficult to reach the corners of the mouth, but it is necessary. There are special orthodontic floss available for braces treatment. Consult your orthodontist for more information on this.
5. Going for Regular Orthodontic Checkups
The last thing you want to do is miss your child’s orthodontic appointments during their braces treatment. Regular checkups are an important part of your child’s orthodontic treatment. This is because sometimes there can be minor adjustments, like tightening the wires, to make teeth move in the desired position.
So, make sure your child does not skip any of their orthodontic checkup for the success of their treatment. Consult with the orthodontist on the frequency of visits your child needs.
Offer Encouragement and Support!
Getting braces is a huge change for your child. From adhering to dietary changes and limiting themselves from their favourite foods to managing the pain and preparing themselves for the discomfort they will have to endure throughout the process — it can be a lot to handle. As parents, you have to be more empathetic during the whole process so that your child can go through the braces years successfully for a straighter and brighter smile!
Keep praising your child for maintaining good oral hygiene and taking care of their braces during the treatment. This motivates them to go through the process smoothly. Further, if your child is self-conscious of the way metal braces make them look, reassure them that this is temporary and ultimately work towards a better and straighter smile that will make them confident in the future.
Author Bio:
Emily Taylor found the perfect fit for herself as the Online Marketing Manager at Thurman Orthodontics in Fresno CA as she believes that a great smile does more than just make a person look great – it makes them feel great as well. The power of a smile has always been a mystery to Emily and she loves researching and writing about it. She loves to write about everything to do with a healthy bite and a beautiful smile – whether is it ways to achieve it or the importance of it in the various aspects of life. What brings a big smile on Emily’s face is her family and surfing. She also likes to bake and her children and co-workers call her the cookie fairy!
