Holiday Time and Orthodontic Care
The Holiday season is here, and it's a busy time for everyone.
Schedules change, vacations start, and everyday daily routines will be paused while you celebrate and visit with your loved ones.
It's sometimes too easy to get out of the habit of wearing your Invisalign aligners and orthodontic rubber bands, avoiding hard or sticky snacks, or keeping a twice-a-day brushing routine with so much going on.
Here are 3 tips you can use that will help keep you on track with orthodontic treatment during this fun and busy time of year.
1. Keep reminders around your home to wear aligners or rubber bands.
You can tape a bag of rubber bands or a bag of aligners to your bathroom mirror, the refrigerator, or even the bedroom door to remind you to put them back in after snacking or brushing. You can even make fun and creative notes to put up if you're spending time at another home or in a hotel room during vacations.
2. Prepare to have food and snacks that are braces-friendly.
There will be certain foods or snacks around during the holidays that are not recommended for patients with braces. It's hard to resist certain treats, we get it! But remember that loose braces will interrupt your orthodontic progress, causing your treatment time to take longer. It can also cause a lot of discomfort. Make sure to have easy access to soft snacks and break up other treats into smaller pieces to avoid popping your braces loose.
3. Set an alarm on your phone to brush at night.
Most of us get out of our everyday routines during the holidays, and it's a nice relief. But you don't want to get out of the routine of brushing your teeth every night. Going to bed later, or even sleeping in a different place can easily affect the normal habit of nighttime brushing. And all those yummy holiday snacks left on your teeth overnight will cause decay. So set a "brush teeth" alarm on your phone and commit yourself that you'll stop what you're doing to go brush when it goes off.
With all the hustle of the holidays and the change in daily routines, it's best to plan with these tips to keep yourself on track toward your beautiful new smile!
