Braces are great. Well, your kid may not think so, and you probably did not think so at that age either. However, braces do so much to correct and realign your kid's bite and teeth that braces are definitely worth the little bit of discomfort. However, while your kid has braces, he or she still has to floss and brush. That is a lot of extra work, but here is what can happen if you are not more consistent with oral care when braces are present.
Gingivitis
You have to use extra-special flossing tools to get the floss into the gums and above the wires of the braces. Most younger kids will need your help, and your teens may have to be badgered to do the job. It is akin to threading thirty two needles as you thread the floss through thirty two openings and areas above the braces and into the gums. If you do not do it, your kid could get gingivitis, which is inflammation of the gum tissue, and for anyone under the age of forty, that is not exactly an acceptable oral condition.
Discoloration Around the Brackets
When a kid with braces does not brush, sugar and acids build up around the brackets. When the brackets and braces are finally removed, there is discoloration and even beginning signs of decay. While your kid would have perfectly aligned teeth, he or she would then be suffering from a less-than-perfect condition of the teeth. That would require an entirely different treatment to restore the teeth to their whitest and most healthy, and after the expense of braces, that is not something you will want to deal with.
Cavities Behind the Brackets
Finally, there are lots of little openings behind the brackets of the braces. Here is where the areas of the tooth can begin to decay without frequent brushing. The brushing may cause your kid to go through a lot of toothbrushes, but it beats seeing lots of little cavities in the fronts of your child's teeth. The brackets have to be "flossed" as well in order to keep food particles out of them and prevent bad breath.
Rotten Breath
Braces can be temporarily embarrassing for some kids, but it passes. What does not pass is the foul breath that comes with avoiding brushing and flossing both teeth and brackets. Your kid's peers will remember for years after the fact that your kid had really awful breath because the food particles stuck in the brackets and under the gums were rotting. Make this whole experience more tolerable by making sure your kid brushes his or her teeth and brackets really well.
For more information on proper braces care for kids, reach out to a dentist like those represented at http://www.neufamilydental.com.
Share15 November 2017
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