Caring For Your Braces During Summer Break

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Caring For Your Braces During Summer Break
Posted on 04/18/2018
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How To Not Let Vacation Knock Your New Smile Off Track

Summer is almost here, getting so close with each passing day that you can almost taste the ice cream and feel that warm summer sun on your skin. While everyone looks forward to summer vacation, having braces gives you something else you get to look forward to as well; having a new, perfect smile! Unfortunately, summer can pose some serious risks to that new smile of yours, since vacation or travel can often throw off your normal routine or make you forget to take care of your braces. To make sure that your orthodontic treatment stays on track so you can get that perfect smile as soon as possible, our team at Doleski & Wolford Orthodontics, have put together this guide on how you can make sure your smile-in-progress survives the summer.

Make A Pre-Summer Orthodontic Visit

Summer is all about getting away, but before you take off on your travels or get ready for some exciting adventures close to home, it’s always a good idea to make sure that your smile is in top shape. By scheduling an appointment with Drs. Doleski and Wolford before your summer vacation starts, we check for any problems with the way your treatment is progressing and make any adjustments necessary to ensure that you still get your new smile as soon as possible.

Packing A Braces Kit For Your Travels

All it takes is a few hours for food particles and bacteria to start eating away at your teeth and causing tooth decay, so the last thing that you want to forget to take with you on your trip is a kit full of your oral hygiene essentials. Since you’d rather have a perfect smile when you get your braces off instead of one that needs a lot more dental and orthodontic care, go through this checklist when packing to ensure you have everything you need for your oral hygiene routine with braces:

- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Floss and floss threaders
- Mouthwash
- Extra elastics
- Interdental toothbrush (optional)

Watch Out For Braces-Destroying Foods

Whether you’re visiting a far off place or enjoying an outside BBQ at home, summer is always filled with some tasty food. Before you chow down, remember that there many kinds of foods that can easily damage your braces. Avoid chewy and sticky foods that can easily get caught in your braces, since they are difficult to get out with normal brushing and flossing, and can potentially bend your archwire or pull a bracket off. The same goes for hard and crunchy foods, since the force of biting down into something like an ice-cold popsicle is enough to dislodge the brackets from your teeth! For more information, you can visit our page on foods to avoid.

Maintain Your Oral Hygiene Routine

Since vacation means that you don’t have to wake up for school or work for short while, your morning routine can be a bit different from what it is usually. However, even though your schedule may be different, the one thing that can’t change is your oral hygiene. That means brushing and flossing at least twice per day to make sure that your smile stays free from any food particles and bacteria that could cause tooth decay. The better you are at taking care of your smile this summer, the better your smile will look by the time next summer rolls around!

Contact Us For More Braces Care Tips!

If you have any questions about our summer braces care tips or how you can prepare for your summer vacation plans, just contact us at Doleski & Wolford Orthodontics and a member of our staff will gladly help you with everything you need. If you would like to schedule your pre-summer or post-summer appointment with us, just give us a call at any of our three local offices in Erie, Lawrence Park, and Corry, PA. Our practice has been providing the families of our surrounding communities with professional orthodontic treatment for over 27 years, and we look forward to helping you and your family achieve your new smiles with the high-quality care you deserve.