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Bad Habits to Avoid with Braces

Bad Habits to Avoid with Braces WNY Orthodontists Free Consultation

Bad Habits to Avoid with Braces

While braces are designed to help fix your crooked or misaligned teeth, it only works when used properly. If you have braces, you should be aware of the several bad habits to avoid with braces to ensure they last long and provide the optimal results you are seeking. Your orthodontist may have provided you with a list of foods to avoid such as popcorn and sticky candy. In addition to those foods, you should be aware of the bad habits to avoid with braces to ensure the best result.

Opening Packages With Your Teeth

This tends to affect impatient and primarily young people. You get a new shirt that you want to put on, but the tags are still on it. Instead of finding scissors, you bite down on the plastic. This is a dangerous thing to do with braces. This could break your brackets off your teeth or snap the wire. It can also damage your teeth if you are applying enough pressure. You are at risk of chipping your tooth every time you decide against finding a pair of scissors. Having a chipped tooth with braces is not an issue that you want to get yourself into as it may require taking the braces off to repair the chip, or waiting until your treatment is complete before you can fix the chipped tooth. It’s best not to try to open packages with your teeth and just grab a pair of scissors.

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Biting Your Nails With Your Teeth

Another one of the most common bad habits to avoid with braces is biting your nails. This can be especially damaging if you bite your nails habitually. The pressure you put on your nail when you bite can force your teeth out of alignment. This can be a tricky habit to break especially if you’ve been doing it for a long time. Along with the potential damage biting your nails can do to your tooth alignment, it is also a habit that can get you sick. If you are swallowing the nail bits, you can be causing damage to your throat and stomach. They are sharp and jagged pieces of nail that you are swallowing and they do not digest easily. It’s best to avoid biting your nails with your teeth and finding a proper nail clipper to get the job done.

Chewing On Ice

Now that we’re in the winter season, this isn’t as big of a problem but In the summer especially, it is tempting to chew on the extra ice in your drink to cool down. However, this can certainly break the brackets off your teeth and snap the wires of your braces. When eating anything, it’s important to chew slowly and not to eat foods that are hard or could potentially damage your braces or your teeth.

Sucking On Your Thumb

Oftentimes, people develop thumb sucking as infants and continue the habit into their childhood and adolescence. Sucking on your thumb is one of the bad habits to avoid with braces because it has shown to lead to misalignment of your teeth. If you suck your thumb with braces, they can become less effective and you may not achieve your desired result.

Learn More About What Bad Habits To Avoid With Braces

If you ever find yourself with broken braces or have snapped a wire due to a bad habit, please call our one of our five orthodontic offices throughout Western New York to arrange a free screening with our experienced Buffalo orthodontists. We welcome the opportunity to serve you. Happy Holidays from the entire team at Orthodontists Associates of WNY.

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