Valentine's Day is all about sharing some love, whether that’s with you friends, family, or a special someone in your life, as well as indulging in some of those delicious heart shaped candies and chocolates. While sinking your teeth into some sweet and showing those candies how much you love to eat them, those with braces need to be extra careful, since no one loves holding a braces bracket in their hand that had popped off their teeth when eating that “one more” piece of chocolate. To make sure that your braces make it through Valentine’s Day, your friends here at Tollgate Orthodontics have put together this quick guide to getting the most out of this lovely holiday without the need for a spontaneous visit to our office to fix your braces!
Avoid The Hard Candies
Whether it’s one of those big heart shaped lollipops or the little chalky heart candies that you can’t get through Valentine’s Day without seeing at least once, hard candies are dangerous when it comes to your braces. Biting down into a hard candy can apply enough force to dislodge one of your brackets or bend the archwire, stopping them from effectively moving your teeth as they should. To fix this, you’ll need to schedule a visit with Dr. Eves so we can attach the bracket or adjust the wire so you can continue on the path to your new smile. If you just cant pass up on these candies, we would recommend just sucking on them until they wear down, just as long as you don’t press them up against your braces for any reason.
Be Careful With Hard Chocolate Bars
Just like with the hard candies, hard chocolate can do just as much damage to your braces. While they may seem easier to bite into than your average hard candy, it’s still enough force to snap off a bracket from your tooth. If you can’t imagine a Valentine’s day without your beloved chocolate, then the best way to eat it is to break it apart into smaller pieces and let them melt in your mouth. As long as you don’t bite down into the bar itself to break it apart, your braces should be perfectly safe!
Watch Out For That Sticky Filling In Chocolates
The timeless Valentine’s gift of a box of chocolates is always fun, rummaging through to find the kind that you like and then getting rid of the ones you don’t by giving them away to someone else, or just eating them first to get them out of the way. Unfortunately for those with braces, those boxes of chocolate are a bit more dangerous now, since some of the chocolates have sticky fillings in them such as caramel or molasses. These sticky substances can easily get caught in your braces, or sometimes be sticky enough to pull off a bracket or bend the archwire, so you’re better off steering clear of these candies altogether.
Brush All That Sugar Away
While being careful of what candy you can and can’t eat with your braces is important, it’s only one piece of the puzzle. To make sure that you have a perfect smile when you finally get those braces off, you need to keep your mouth free from bacteria and plaque, since no one wants a new smile that has a bunch of tooth decay. As always, make sure you maintain a proper oral hygiene routine, especially around this love-filled holiday. Brushing away all of that sugar from Valentine’s candy will prevent it from turning into acid that rots your teeth!
Contact Us For Your Post-Valentine’s Appointment!
For more Valentine’s Day tips for protecting your braces and that soon-to-be new smile, or to schedule an appointment just in case you damage your braces on the holiday, just contact us and we’ll be happy to help you. Tollgate Orthodontics is your one-stop-shop for everything you need for that perfect smile, providing high quality orthodontic care to the communities of Jamestown, Warwick, East Greenwich, and the surrounding areas. We hope that you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day!