Getting Braces as an Adult: What You Need to Know
It is funny how many adolescent issues can follow you into your adult years. Acne and now crooked teeth! If you didn’t get your teeth fixed as a teen, then it is likely that you will need to sort them out now that you are an adult. Although this can be an unpleasant decision to make, here are some guidelines that may be able to help you out:
Know All Your Options
Let’s face it, traditional braces can be fairly embarrassing. Not only are they not aesthetically appealing, but they can also make you seem like a kid to your colleagues and clients. To avoid this embarrassment, you may want to consider all the options available to you.
For instance, invisible braces are a great way to correct your teeth while making it appear that you haven’t made any changes to your teeth at all. As an added bonus, such alignment options also tend to be a more comfortable alternative to traditional designs. Thus, this is something that you should talk to your dentist about.
Plan Your Future Diet
As you may be aware, your diet is going to need to change rather drastically for the first week or two after you have the aligners fitted. This is because there is likely to be some discomfort. As a result, you will have to eat soft, cold foot to make you feel better.
Even once this period is over, though, your diet will have to be altered quite a bit. For one thing, you will need to start away from all hard or sticky foods as these can damage the aligners. It is also best to limit your sugary food and drinks as these can cause a number of dental issues.
Finally, if you do have Invisalign, avoid drinks and foods that may stain or discolor these features. This includes coffee, tea, and red wine.
Take Your Oral Hygiene More Seriously
Brushing your teeth twice a day just isn’t going to cut it anymore. Now, that most of your teeth are behind metal and plastic implements, the risk of plaque builds up and other dental problems are quite high. Due to this, your oral hygiene habits will become even more important.
To begin with, most dentists will advise you to brush your teeth after every meal. You will also need to floss more regularly as there is a greater chance of food getting stuck in your aligners.
Visit Your Dentist as Needed
Once you have aligners, you can’t keep putting off those dental appointments. Your dentist will give you a schedule and this is something that you should stick to as strictly as you can.
Even with proper care, emergencies are likely to crop up. The most common one is a wire snapping. You will need to clip the end of the wire, put wax on it, and then call up your dentist for an emergency appointment.
These are the top guidelines that can make this process easier for you to bear with as an adult. As such, you should make it a point to follow each and every one of them.
