Back to School with Braces

It’s time for kiddos to return to school, which means a return to a busy schedule of juggling academics, extracurricular activities, sports, and so forth. It’s important that oral hygiene doesn’t fall to the wayside as summer’s leisure days transition into long stretches of homework and studying and late nights getting home from football games and other school events. This is particularly important if you’re going back to school sporting a new set of braces.

Here are some tips and suggestions to help you remember to fit in caring for your braces and teeth so that you don’t jeopardize or prolong your treatment plan.

1. Create a Braces Care Kit for Your Backpack

Pick out the coolest pencil bag as you’re shopping for back to school supplies. Dedicate it as your braces kit. This will ensure that you have all the supplies you need to care for your teeth and braces after snacks, meals, and anytime you have a minor issue with your braces while you’re away from home. Include a supply of anything you use regularly, including:

• A few elastics (if this is part of your treatment)
• A travel-sized toothbrush
• A travel-sized toothpaste
• Dental wax to apply to any spots getting irritated
• Floss
• Mouth guard, if you need it
• Blalock Orthodontics’ phone # for emergencies – (210) 695-9996

Remember, to actually use your kit after each meal and snack. If you have any questions about your supplies, such as how to floss or apply dental wax, be sure to discuss these with us soon. You can call us at (210) 695-9996 or ask us at your next appointment.

2. Remember Your Mouth Guard

If you’re involved in sports or engage in other types of activities where there’s any type of contact risk, such as a physical education class, you’ll want to ask us for a mouth guard suggestion. The same goes if you have certain medical conditions, such as epilepsy, that leave you highly prone to falls.

Your braces won’t interfere with your athletics, fun, and active lifestyle, but you will want to take precautions to protect your braces, lips, teeth, and gums from contact injuries. It can be a costly and painful mistake to neglect the importance of such protection, and it can even cause you to miss multiple games and school days if the injury is severe.

Not all mouth guards are created equal. It should be properly fitted, comfortable, and offer adequate protection. We can help you find just the right mouth guard for your activities and mouth.

3. Eat Smart

Use braces-friendly food choices to eat smart whether you’re at home or school. Prep foods ahead of time to bring a bagged lunch to school and your own snacks if none are available at school.

It may be tempting to indulge in sticky, chewy, and hard treats your non-braces friends are eating. But, just remember that you’re on a path to your ideal smile that’ll be with you for years and years to come. You don’t really want to jeopardize that just for the few seconds of enjoyment in eating taffy, caramels, whole nuts, cob corn, whole apples, and jerky, right? Of course not, especially when you know that there’s a plethora of food choices you can enjoy.

Plus, you can still eat a lot of the other food choices by proactively prepping them first, such as diced apples versus whole apples, cut corn versus cob corn, nut spreads versus whole nuts, steamed veggies versus raw veggies, and steak bites versus dried jerky.

4. Hydrate

Everyone wearing braces, especially athletes, should hydrate well. San Antonio, Texas typically still sees hotter temperatures into the Fall. Make water your go-to hydration source. Sports drinks, energy drinks, sodas, juices, coffees, and teas are often loaded with sugar that can cause dental decay and gum disease.

What’s the point of rinsing stray food particles from your teeth and mouth if you’re just replacing it with sugary deposits? None. Water safely removes such and naturally neutralizes harmful acids in your mouth.

A great tip is to always start your day by adding a couple of bottles of water to your backpack.