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One of the sure signs that summer has arrived is the unmistakable aroma of barbecue drifting over backyards across the country.

If you’re new to braces, you might be wondering just how many of your favorite outdoor treats can still go on your plate. Good news! You have a lot of braces-friendly options available—with a little extra planning on your part. Two things to remember: tools and textures.

• BBQ Tools

We’re not talking about spatulas and tongs and skewers—the barbecue tools we’re talking about here are your knife and fork. Sure, many classic BBQ dishes are finger foods, but those are the very dishes which can cause problems for your braces.

Eating savory ribs or chicken legs, juicy burgers or hot dogs, or delicious corn on the cob the traditional way means biting into these foods with your front teeth. That biting puts a lot of pressure on your braces and can lead to bent wires and loose or broken brackets.

But there’s a way to get around this without giving up on your tasty favorites! There’s no rule against using your knife and fork at a BBQ, and there’s no need to bite into foods when you can cut them up into small, manageable pieces.

If you remove meat from bones before eating, if you deconstruct your grilled burger or brat by cutting it up into smaller pieces, if you slice the kernels off your corn on the cob, you can chew with your back teeth and avoid any damage to your brackets and wires. Cut grilled foods into manageable bites just like you do with your regular meals, and you won’t be leaving the party early!  

• BBQ Textures

Now let’s talk texture. Crunchy, hard, and sticky foods should never be on the menu when you’re wearing braces. These foods can damage your wires and brackets or get stuck between your braces and your teeth.

This is a time for clever substitutions. Exchange the corn chips for soft potato or pasta salad. Trade crusty and seeded buns for softer, seedless versions. Skip the grilled sticky s’mores and enjoy creamy, soft ice cream instead—but without nuts or other crunchy, sticky additions, please!

Dr. Pack and our team are happy to offer suggestions for what to eat and how to eat it safely while you’re in braces at our Murfreesboro, TN orthodontic office. There are unavoidable events that can put a damper on outdoor activities. Pouring rain and insect pests—not much we can do about those. But taking simple precautions with your braces means no bent wires and broken brackets to ruin your BBQ fun. Now, dig in!

It’s vital to understand the difference between an orthodontic emergency and minor orthodontic issues. Minor issues can be handled the next day, or at your next scheduled appointment. When a real orthodontic emergency occurs, however, you will need to see a doctor immediately.

Emergencies can include injuries to your teeth, jaw, mouth, or face. Whether you have braces or oral appliances in your mouth at the time or not, it’s crucial to fix the problem before it gets worse. If you have an injury that affects an orthodontic appliance, that may need to be replaced or adjusted, depending on the extent of the injury.

You can watch for and address some common minor issues on your own, or wait to have them fixed at your next appointment with Dr. Pack:

• Poking wire
• Loose bracket
• Loose elastic band
• Loose wire
• Loose appliance
• Headgear does not fit
• Lost or broken elastic band
• General soreness

These minor issues may arise if you eat hard or sticky foods that damage your braces or other orthodontic appliances. Make sure to be extra careful, and avoid brushing your teeth too aggressively to avoid causing damage.

These problems should not be treated as emergencies unless they begin to cause prolonged pain and discomfort. If you notice this happening, contact our Murfreesboro, TN office and we can provide a solution.

Some at-home remedies you can try can include covering loose brackets or wires with wax. Wax can prevent canker sores from forming by covering sharp metal pieces that poke into your gums. If you have wires that have poked out into your gums, you can use tweezers to push the wires gently away from the direction of the sore area. Always make sure you use alcohol to sterilize anything you intend to put into your mouth.

When you get braces initially, you may notice some soreness of the jaw or small abrasions from your mouth getting accustomed to foreign materials. You should not worry too much about this temporary pain.

A warm salt-water solution can be used to alleviate any swelling or discomfort you’re experiencing. Many drug stores have ointment for canker sores that will numb the area if they continue to bother you. If you notice that your pain or swelling doesn’t get better, schedule an appointment with a medical professional as soon as you can.

When in doubt, contact our Murfreesboro, TN office if you are unsure or still have questions about an orthodontic problem you’re facing. If the situation becomes an emergency, don’t hesitate to make an appointment with our team, so we can help provide you with a solution.

Orthodontic emergencies should be taken care of promptly whenever they arise.

Analyzing strong points, looking for potential problems, making comparisons—it’s bracketology time! Nope, not basketball (although we hear they have something similar), but a brief analysis of your orthodontic options when it comes to choosing a winning bracket.

If you’re getting braces, you’re probably already familiar with how they work—brackets are bonded to the teeth to hold an archwire, which provides gentle, controlled pressure to move the teeth into alignment. But within that basic bracket-and-wire system, there are several different bracket designs available to you at our Murfreesboro, TN orthodontic office. Let’s see what the scouting report has turned up on our final four, pointing out their distinct advantages as well as some potential mismatches.

Traditional metal brackets

Advantages:

• Traditional braces with metal brackets are effective for more than just straightening teeth. They can be used to correct rotated teeth, differences in tooth height, and bite problems. For severe bite and alignment problems, traditional braces are most often the right choice.
• Metal construction makes these brackets able to handle the controlled pressure needed to treat serious malocclusions.
• Cost-effective. These are usually the least expensive option.

Potential Disadvantage:

Clear/Ceramic Brackets

Advantages:

• Lack of visibility! Whether you go for clear brackets or brackets tinted to match your enamel, you’ll be keeping a low-profile with this choice.
• Stronger and more stain-resistant than ever before, using the latest in ceramic, porcelain, or plastic materials.

Potential Disadvantages:

• Not as durable. Unlike metal, these clear brackets can crack or break. If you play a contact sport, these might not be for you.
• Some ceramic brackets are larger than other choices, so might be recommended only for the top teeth.
• Clear or tinted brackets can be more expensive.

Self-Ligating Brackets

Advantages:

• These brackets use a clip or trapdoor mechanism to hold your archwire without the need of bands. Ceramic options are available if you want an even more discreet appearance.
• Can be more comfortable with less friction between wire and bracket.

Potential Disadvantages:

• Self-ligating braces are generally more expensive.

Lingual Braces

Advantages:

• Lingual braces use metal brackets, but they attach to the back of each tooth for almost invisible bite correction.
• Custom-made. Lingual brackets can be designed and fabricated to fit your individual teeth perfectly.

Potential Disadvantages:

• Trickier to clean because of their placement behind teeth.
• Might not be suitable for a deep bite if there’s not enough clearance between top and bottom teeth.
• Initial discomfort caused by the tongue’s contact with the braces when you speak and eat.
• Custom-made brackets are more expensive.

So that’s a brief rundown of your bracket choices. But, unlike sports bracketology, there are no losers here! Dr. Pack can give you the pros and cons of each bracket design, so you can make an informed decision based on the kind of braces which will work best for you. With coaching like that, no matter which bracket option you choose, the final result is the same—a winning smile!

Now that you’re in orthodontic treatment, you’re probably spending more time taking care of your teeth than ever before. So, why did your dentist find a cavity at your last checkup? Let’s look at some of the potential culprits.

• Brushing More Doesn’t Always Mean Brushing Well

Even for adults with decades of experience, proper brushing technique is often overlooked. Brushing’s not as effective without covering all the tooth surfaces (inside, outside, and molar tops), holding the brush at a 45-degree angle, gently brushing the teeth with small strokes, brushing for at least two minutes, and flossing between the teeth at least once a day.

If you wear braces, you must also take care to reach all the spots between and around your wires and brackets. Which leads us to . . .

• Are You Using the Right Tools?

Even with perfect brushing form, your braces will be a challenge for a regular toothbrush and floss. The right tools make any job easier, and that includes cleaning your teeth while you’re wearing braces.

Specially designed brushes with bristles designed to work with your brackets, floss made to fit behind wires, tiny cone-shaped interproximal brushes that fit between your teeth and around your brackets—all these tools are made specifically to remove plaque and food particles from your teeth and your braces.

• Crunchy, Hard, and Sugary Aren’t the Only Problem Foods

You know sugary foods should be limited because sugars are the favorite food of cavity-causing bacteria. And hard and crunchy foods are off limits altogether because they can damage your braces. But what about treats which look soft and harmless? Well, looks can be deceiving!

Starches in soft, carb-rich foods like potato chips and white bread quickly break down into sugars. What’s more, they tend to stick around brackets and in between the teeth, giving those cavity-creating bacteria plenty of nourishment.

This isn’t to say that you must eliminate all sugars and carbs from your diet. But when you wear braces, be especially mindful about brushing or at least rinsing thoroughly whenever you have a snack.

• Biology

Some people are biologically more prone to cavities, even with attentive brushing and flossing, so you shouldn’t feel guilty if you don’t have a perfect checkup every time. Instead, be proactive. Ask Dr. Pack for brushing and cleaning advice the next time you visit our Murfreesboro, TN office—and then follow it!

It’s not just spending more time taking care of your teeth—it’s using your valuable time the best way possible. It’s always time well-spent brushing properly, eating mindfully, and working with your orthodontist and your dentist to create a beautiful, healthy, cavity-free smile.