Meister Orthodontics strives to be your premier choice when you’re looking for an orthodontist in the St. Paul area. We make it our mission to be your home for not just high quality orthodontic care, but patient care as well. We realize that some of our patients who have just gotten braces are going to be heading back to school soon. Going back to school can be a worrisome time as it is and having to get adjusted to braces as well can make things even worse. That’s why we want to help out by giving you a couple of tips that we think will make your return to school a little easier.
Eat a Braces-Friendly Lunch
When you’re home for the summer, you can plan your meals around the foods you can and can’t eat. That means you can avoid the foods that are bad for your braces – hard and sticky foods. However, when you go back to school, you don’t have that same luxury for lunchtime. Cafeterias don’t always serve meals that are suitable for someone with braces, so in these situations, it’s important to pack a lunch of your own. You can bring plenty of tasty and braces-friendly foods such as ham sandwiches, macaroni, yogurt, salads, or bananas.
Bring a Dental Kit
When you wear braces, brushing and flossing has never been more important. There are many nooks and crannies in your braces that food particles can get trapped in, which means that cleaning your teeth should be a priority after every meal. Brushing after every meal isn’t a problem while you’re at home, though when you’re at school, you don’t have access to your toothbrush. Not to worry though! If you bring a dental kit with you to school, you can take your dental supplies and clean your teeth when you have a few minutes to spare after lunch. We recommend packing a toothbrush, toothpaste, some dental floss, and also some wax in your kit. Wax can be useful in case your mouth becomes irritated by the metal in your braces. Just apply a little wax on the part of your braces that’s causing the irritation to lessen your discomfort.
Drink Lots of Water
Drinking water isn’t just a good way to keep your body healthy – it’s a good way to keep your mouth healthy as well. When you drink plenty of water, you keep your mouth clean, prevent bad breath, fight cavities, and neutralize acids in your mouth. We recommend bringing a water bottle or two with you to school so you can drink some throughout the day.
Wear a Mouthguard During Sports
Wearing a mouthguard will keep your teeth and mouth safe from any dental injuries that could occur when you’re playing sports. Mouthguards aren’t just useful in the sports that they’re mandatory for (like football and hockey) – they’re useful in any sports with the potential for physical contact. In fact, dental injuries occur much more frequently in basketball and baseball – sports that you don’t normally associate with dental harm. This is why you should keep your teeth safe by wearing a mouthguard whenever you’re going to play any sports with the potential of an injury to the mouth.
Contact Your St. Paul Orthodontist Today!
If you would like to schedule an appointment with us, we encourage you to fill out our appointment request form or give us a call at (651) 699-2013. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. We’re more than happy to help you in any way we can. We hope to see you soon and help make your treatment process go as smoothly as possible!