For many people considering orthodontic treatment, one of the aspects they have the most questions about is how treatment will impact their daily lives.
Having braces will definitely have an impact on your daily life, you most likely won't find that you have to make as many changes as you expect. And once you're used to your braces, you'll really spend only a small part of your day thinking about them.
The following areas are where you can expect some changes to occur during tour braces treatment:
Your Oral Hygiene Routine
There's no two ways about it; wearing braces (or Invisalign, for that matter) is going to make your oral hygiene routine a lot more extensive.
If you wear braces, you’ll spend more time brushing and flossing your teeth, since you'll have to make sure you thoroughly clean out all the little nooks and crannies in your braces where food particles and plaque can collect.
If you have Invisalign aligners, you’ll need to take the time to brush and floss your teeth after every meal and snack, so that your teeth are clean when you put your aligners back in. You'll also have to spend extra time cleaning the aligners themselves before putting them back in, to prevent bacteria from developing on them.
Your Social Life
Social activities like talking, laughing, eating and even kissing will each be a new learning experience with braces, and at first, it's all going to be a bit awkward and uncomfortable as you get used to it. But don't worry: you WILL get used to it, and fairly quickly, too. Things will be back to normal in no time!
Kids, teens and adults alike may sometimes encounter immature people who will tease them about their braces. While it's obviously silly and unkind to make fun of someone's medical treatment, some people might do this, and it may be hard not to let it bother you. While it's normal to feel a little down about it, just remind yourself that you’re undergoing a medical treatment, and that's nothing to be embarrassed about. And in the end, your oral health and your smile will be greatly improved!
You may also discover it takes you a while to get used to how different your smile looks with braces on it. It can help to practice smiling in front of the mirror, or even taking some selfies from different angles, to get used to your new look.
Eating & Drinking
Eating and drinking will also change when you’re undergoing orthodontic treatment.
As mentioned above, you’ll have to take extra care of your oral health routine, and include a brushing session after each meal. The fact is, food debris gets stuck in braces quite easily. If you're not vigilant about oral hygiene, you may wind up going through your day with a bit of spinach dangling from your braces. It’s not a good look, so brush and floss often. It may also help to get into the habit of keeping a small pocket mirror handy.
Finally, you’ll also need to make some dietary changes, since certain foods can damage braces. Hard and crunchy foods, foods that you have to bite into, or sticky and gooey foods are all off limits!
This will all take some getting used to, but once you do, you won’t spend much time at all thinking about your orthodontic treatment throughout the day.