Should You Get Braces Before School?

Many teens are facing the possibility of getting braces as summer comes to a close. Give your teen an extra couple weeks to adjust to the braces before sending them back to school. There's also the learning curve that comes with braces, such as getting used to eating with them on and learning appropriate cleaning techniques. Becoming familiar with these aspects at home and under your guidance is a lot easier on teens who are often a bit wary of the treatment. They'll be able to experiment with soft foods and slowly ready themselves for harder foods. By the time their school is back in session, your child will see their braces as more of a natural extension of themselves and less of a hindrance.

4 Helpful Tips for Going Back to School with Braces

Going back to school is an exciting time for most kids. However, it can be a stressful time for students that recently got their braces. In addition to wondering what other students are going to think and say about them, students going back to school with braces also have to make some substantial changes to their daily routine. While these daily changes may seem small at home, they can be overwhelming at school, especially during the first days back.

1. Keep the Braces Care Kit in Your Backpack

Packing a braces care kit and bringing it to school is highly recommended, especially for kids that are new to braces. The braces care kit will help your child be prepared for the most dreaded situations that can come from wearing braces.

2. Keep a Mirror Close By

Eating with braces can be tricky. Particles can easily lodge between the teeth and the braces. As a teenager, this can be rather embarrassing. Imagine talking and smiling to classmates without knowing that there’s a big piece of food lodged between your teeth, waving hello to everyone you talk to. This embarrassment can easily be avoided by carrying a small mirror or putting a mirror in their locker to quickly check for lodged food a few times each day.

3. Carry a Water Bottle

Staying hydrated is great good for your child’s overall health, but drinking plenty of water will also help remove food particles from the teeth and braces. Drinking a lot of water will hopefully also help kids stay away from drinking soda and other sugary drinks that can stain the teeth. Getting stained teeth while wearing braces can result in white spots from the brackets when the braces are removed.

4. Be Careful What You Eat

Orthodontists instruct their patients to avoid certain kinds of food. For example, it’s best to stay away from hard, gooey, sticky, and crunchy foods as they can break or damage the wires and brackets of the braces. The temptation to eat candy or chew gum is even higher in school. One common recommendation is to pack yogurt, applesauce, or other soft-sweet foods to satisfy sugar cravings.