Although most people who have an overbite and get head gear will only have to wear it for 12 to 16 hours a day, there are some who will need to wear it all day long. This might come as “earth shattering” news for those of you in junior high through high school because this means you will have to wear it at school! But don’t despair, there are ways to limit the impact this will have on your social life:
1. You can talk to your orthodontist and parents and see if it is possible to shorten the amount of time you have to wear it a day. Keep in mind that if you decide not to wear it 24/7 you will lengthen the overall time you have to wear headgear. Also, keep in mind that although we are posting this as a suggestion sometimes it is nonnegotiable. For example if you are going to stop growing soon, and you want to get rid of your overbite, you will need to wear it all the time to get the desired results. (Just think - you will thank yourself when you are an adult with a perfectly aligned jaw if you stick it out now!)
2. On your lunch period, you will obviously have to take it off so you can eat so that is one period you will have without it on.
3. There are two styles of headgear: full head brace and neck strap. The head gear with the neck strap is much less bulky and noticeable, but the full head brace is much more comfortable (see our other post The Handy Head Gear Guide). The only issue is that they do different things so chances are if you have a full head brace it is not reasonable to ask to switch to the neck strap, although you can ask your orthodontist.
Assuming you do decide to wear it all day, school is probably the biggest issue for most of you. To be blunt, the first few days you have to wear it, you will probably have your friends making comments or people staring. What you can do to counteract this is to be upfront about the whole thing explain to your friends what the situation is. If you do this, chances are they will be more supportive/sympathetic. The good thing is that after the first week people will be used to it and it won’t be such a big deal anymore. So stick with it!
-Amanda and Erik
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Coping Series Part 6: Traveling
When you are traveling to new places or taking a vacation, you will need to bring your orthodontic equipment! Similar tips will be applied for when you are bringing your gear to other places but here are some things to keep in mind when in other places or countries etc.
1. Different places means different minerals in the water. This can cause a build up on your headgear/ retainers if the place has hard water (high mineral content). So you will need to brush and clean your equipment more to get rid of that.
2. Be aware of what you are eating! When you have braces keep in mind that you might be eating exotic foods that will get stuck!
3. Always carry a kit with cleaning material so you can clean up after eating.
4. Since you will probably be staying somewhere you should bring all of your gear and at least try to wear your retainers at night. Remember to check when packing to leave that you have all of your stuff because it will be impossible to track it if you forget to bring it back.
-Amanda and Erik
1. Different places means different minerals in the water. This can cause a build up on your headgear/ retainers if the place has hard water (high mineral content). So you will need to brush and clean your equipment more to get rid of that.
2. Be aware of what you are eating! When you have braces keep in mind that you might be eating exotic foods that will get stuck!
3. Always carry a kit with cleaning material so you can clean up after eating.
4. Since you will probably be staying somewhere you should bring all of your gear and at least try to wear your retainers at night. Remember to check when packing to leave that you have all of your stuff because it will be impossible to track it if you forget to bring it back.
-Amanda and Erik
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Coping Series Part 5: Camping
When you are on your journey to straight teeth, you will probably at some point go camping. Here are a couple tips for maintaining your orthodontic schedule:
1. Even though it is easy to forget to and to put off, brush your teeth! If there aren’t any bathrooms you can still use a water bottle or something. Find a way! Also don't forget to floss.
2. For things like headgear and retainers and bite planes one option is to just wear them at night so that way there is no danger of losing them. This is especially a danger if you are hiking or swimming.
3. If you bring those appliances, make sure to bring hard plastic cases for each of them. Make sure to keep those cases inside your backpack or suitcase and also make sure to put them back inside it when you take off your equipment to eat etc.
4. We recommend bringing your retainers if you just got your braces off because, depending on how long you are camping, not wearing them can potentially give time for your teeth to go back to the way they were before braces.
As we have expressed in previous posts, do not let your braces or headgear etc get in the way of you having fun! If you really feel like your gear with be in the way or you might lose it, don’t bring it! A couple of days without them is better then losing hundreds of dollars worth of orthodontic equipment!
-Amanda and Erik
1. Even though it is easy to forget to and to put off, brush your teeth! If there aren’t any bathrooms you can still use a water bottle or something. Find a way! Also don't forget to floss.
2. For things like headgear and retainers and bite planes one option is to just wear them at night so that way there is no danger of losing them. This is especially a danger if you are hiking or swimming.
3. If you bring those appliances, make sure to bring hard plastic cases for each of them. Make sure to keep those cases inside your backpack or suitcase and also make sure to put them back inside it when you take off your equipment to eat etc.
4. We recommend bringing your retainers if you just got your braces off because, depending on how long you are camping, not wearing them can potentially give time for your teeth to go back to the way they were before braces.
As we have expressed in previous posts, do not let your braces or headgear etc get in the way of you having fun! If you really feel like your gear with be in the way or you might lose it, don’t bring it! A couple of days without them is better then losing hundreds of dollars worth of orthodontic equipment!
-Amanda and Erik
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Kissing with Braces
Now since this blog is targeted at teens, chances are you might be wondering if braces get in the way when kissing. There are a lot of rumors of kids getting their braces stuck together after making out and although some might be true we will try to clarify.
We decided to ask our friends for their opinions and stories about kissing with braces. Most of them said that it wasn’t an issue since there aren’t any loose parts that could get caught their braces. But here are a couple of things that they said.
“I was wearing the bands one time and one of them snapped in his mouth! He said it really hurt!”
“If you have braces, don’t, like, press too hard because it will cut the inside of their mouth and yours.”
So here basically,
1. Do not wear your bands! Or obviously any other orthodontic gears.
2. Be sensitive, their mouths aren’t used to braces like yours are.
3. Brush your teeth! If you happened to have food in them, it might get dislodged while you are kissing. That would be embarrassing!
Everyone’s experiences will be different but maybe this will give you an idea of what to expect.
-Amanda and Erik
We decided to ask our friends for their opinions and stories about kissing with braces. Most of them said that it wasn’t an issue since there aren’t any loose parts that could get caught their braces. But here are a couple of things that they said.
“I was wearing the bands one time and one of them snapped in his mouth! He said it really hurt!”
“If you have braces, don’t, like, press too hard because it will cut the inside of their mouth and yours.”
So here basically,
1. Do not wear your bands! Or obviously any other orthodontic gears.
2. Be sensitive, their mouths aren’t used to braces like yours are.
3. Brush your teeth! If you happened to have food in them, it might get dislodged while you are kissing. That would be embarrassing!
Everyone’s experiences will be different but maybe this will give you an idea of what to expect.
-Amanda and Erik
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)