Adjusting to braces requires every patient to make some lifestyle changes during the treatment period. These sacrifices are worth it! Working with a Melbourne orthodontist will provide you with a beautiful smile and many health benefits you will enjoy for the rest of your life. In the meantime, how do you eat, speak, and stay comfortable with all this new metal and wire in your mouth? Let’s take a closer look.

Speaking Tips with Braces

When speaking, we use our lips, tongue, and teeth. Having new braces can impact speech in ways that make it difficult to pronounce certain words. Some patients develop a lisp. These are usually temporary problems that will disappear after a few days. However, children and teens with braces can sometimes have difficulty adjusting to this, and it takes longer.

One thing that patients can do is try to speak more slowly and precisely. This will help them to more quickly adjust to speaking with braces. Reading aloud while listening to your pronunciation can also help you identify words and sounds you’re struggling with. Once you know some words and sounds that are giving you trouble, practice saying them aloud. Most patients’ speech will return to normal after they become accustomed to having these new appliances in their mouths. In extreme cases, you might have to briefly work with a speech therapist for methods that will improve your speech with braces.

Maintaining Comfort with Braces

Dental wax will become your new best friend in the early days of wearing braces. With brackets attached to your teeth and a wire running through them, it creates many potential irritation spots inside the mouth. You will notice the braces poking against the insides of your cheeks and lips for the first few days. Roll up a tiny bit of wax between your thumb and forefinger and smooch it on the irritating area. This should help alleviate the discomfort until you adjust to the new appliance.

If you feel the wire or a bracket poking the inside of your mouth and it is painful, put some wax on it and contact our office. You may need to have your Melbourne orthodontist adjust to your braces.

Most patients experience discomfort in the first days after their braces are installed and each time they come in to adjust them. It’s okay to take some over-the-counter pain medication until this pressure subsides.

Another way to maintain comfort with braces is to practice good oral hygiene. Bits of food stuck underneath the wire or in hard-to-reach places can cause discomfort. Plus, after you brush and floss your teeth and rinse with mouthwash, your mouth will feel fresh again.

Tips for Eating with Braces

One thing you can start doing to adjust to eating with braces is chewing your food slowly and deliberately. Focus on chewing food on the surfaces of your molars. This will help you adjust to eating, and you might even get less food stuck in your braces.

Any food that requires you to bite it should instead be cut into bite-sized pieces. Biting into foods can put pressure on the wire and brackets, and you want to avoid that. Sticking to the dietary guidelines your orthodontist in Melbourne gives you is also essential. Avoid foods that are hard, stringy, or sticky. Try to consume mostly soft foods, which reduces the risk of damaging your braces considerably. Remember to stay hydrated every day. This helps to wash food particles off your teeth. It also helps stimulate saliva production, which helps fight bacteria buildup.

Contact Us for Orthodontic Services in Melbourne

If you or your child are a good candidate for braces, contact us at Reddick Orthodontics in Melbourne to schedule an appointment.