Tips For Speeding Up Your Braces Treatment

Anyone that has braces is dreaming of the day that the braces are eventually removed. However, were you aware that there are ways to speed up the treatment process? Here are things that every braces wearer should know to be a good patient for their orthodontist.

Wear Your Rubber Bands

Wearing rubber bands is crucial to finishing your braces treatment. They help put the proper amount of pressure on your teeth to get them moving in the right position. It is unfortunate, but people often do not wear their rubber bands due to not caring or not wanting to be seen with them on at times. Wear your rubber bands all the time so that your teeth can start making those gradual changes that make a world of difference. If you take them off, it only delays treatment and makes you wear the braces for a longer period of time. 

Avoid Breaking Brackets

Broken brackets can happen unexpectedly, but a lot of it is due to not caring for your braces. This means avoiding sticky foods, avoiding hard foods, and being careful with how you eat. Try to slow down when you chew, eat smaller pieces of food, and pay attention to what parts of your mouth you are chewing with. Being careful can make a big difference in the long run of your treatment. 

Each time a bracket breaks your teeth are going to rebound, and your dentist will need to make changes to your treatment to compensate for it. This includes going back to previous wire sequences or going back to wires from rubber bands. 

Attend Every Appointment

Your orthodontist is going to have you come in regularly to have the braces adjusted, which is a necessary part of tightening the wires and making sure that the braces are moving your teeth in the right position. However, many people end up skipping or delaying these very necessary appointments. They may have to cancel one because they have an upcoming school event that they don't want to miss, or simply delay the appointment because you can't take time off work.

Know that every delay that you make to going to your appointments is going to delay your treatment. Pushing that appointment out a month into the future is going to turn a 20 month treatment into a 21 month treatment. These add up over time, and can add significant time to your total treatment process.

For more information about orthodontics, contact a orthodontist in your area.

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