Is it just us or do summers seem to be flying by faster than ever? As a new school year quickly approaches, Dr. Sonia Talley and Dr. Katie Clark want to make sure your child or teen’s smile journey doesn’t miss a beat.
From braces-friendly snacks to brushing teeth after lunch, we’re covering everything you need to know about going back to school with braces, Invisalign or a Phase 1 appliance.
The Essentials: Packing the Perfect Ortho Kit
Have your child keep an Invisalign or braces kit in their backpack so they have everything they need on hand. Stock a toiletry or cosmetic bag with oral hygiene supplies and orthodontic essentials, including:
- Travel toothbrush
- Fluoride toothpaste
- Travel mouthwash
- Orthodontic flossers or interdental brushes
- Travel size mirror (no one wants to walk around all day with a chunk of food stuck in their braces)
- Orthodontic wax for the occasional poking wire
- Extra rubber bands if your child is wearing them
- An Invisalign case
Brushing and Flossing on the Go
Regularly brushing with braces and Invisalign is crucial. Not only do teeth move more efficiently in a healthy mouth, it also prevents white spots from developing around brackets or attachments.
Kids and teens in braces should brush their teeth ideally after every meal. Having a travel kit makes this much easier! Encourage your child to head to the bathroom after lunch with their travel kit for a quick brush.
This holds true for teens with Invisalign too. Brushing the teeth and rinsing the aligners off before putting them back in prevents food and bacteria from getting trapped underneath the plastic, which increases the risk of cavities.
As for flossing with braces, your child doesn’t need to break out their SuperFloss or floss threaders at school. As long as they floss at least once a day at home, they’ll be fine.
We do recommend, however, keeping interdental brushes or orthodontic flossers in their kit to dislodge any food that gets stuck in their braces or between their teeth.
School Lunches: What to Eat With Braces or a Palatal Expander
While Invisalign doesn’t have any food restrictions, there are foods to avoid with braces or a palatal expander. Kids should steer clear of anything really chewy, sticky or hard, such as Doritos, nuts, whole raw apples, candy like Starburst and Sour Patch Kids, popcorn, caramel, and hard rolls.
Cutting or breaking food into bite-sized pieces and choosing things that are on the softer side will keep their appliance safe.
Packing lunch? Here are some orthodontist-approved school lunch ideas for kids with braces:
- Sandwiches on soft sandwich bread – think PB&J or Sunbutter, turkey and cheese, etc.
- Chicken salad or egg salad
- Pasta salad – add chickpeas or shredded chicken for protein
- A burrito bowl – rice, beans, shredded meat, avocado, cheese and salsa
- For Bento boxes, things like hard boiled eggs, berries, cut-up melon, cucumbers, soft pita bread, hummus, and cheese work well
If your child buys lunch in the cafeteria, mac and cheese, pizza without the crust, sandwiches on soft bread, salad (skip the croutons and big pieces of crunchy veggies), French toast sticks, fish sticks, and pasta are all great options.
Now, on to the most important part: the snacks. We know avoiding crunchy, hard and sticky food rules out some favorites but there are plenty of delicious options kids and teens can still eat. Here are a few braces-friendly snacks for school:
- Pirate’s Booty
- Cheese puffsString cheese
- Snap pea crisps
- Soft, portable fruit like clementines and bananas
- Baked chips that aren’t too hard
- Smoothies
- Protein shakes
- Fruit cups
- Yogurt
- Cottage cheese
- Soft granola and granola bars that don’t contain hard nuts (these are great for school)
Back to School With Invisalign
Invisalign First and Invisalign Teen are removable, so kids can eat what they want and there aren’t any extra steps in their oral hygiene routine. But there are still a few important things to remember:
- Kids and teens should remove their aligners before eating or drinking anything aside from plain water. If they feel awkward about taking their Invisalign out in the cafeteria, they can always pop them out in the bathroom right before lunch.
- Remember: “In your face or in your case!” Never leave the aligners on a napkin while eating. This is a surefire way to end up digging through the lunchroom trash!
- Brush after eating and rinse the aligners off before putting them back in. If brushing is not an option, swishing with water to remove any extra food particles is helpful along with chewing two pieces of sugar-free gum and discarding after a few minutes. Chewing gum can be a quick and easy way to temporarily clean the teeth.
- Wearing Invisalign aligners for 20 to 22 hours per day is key to achieving a beautiful smile with also keeping the treatment timeline on track. Less time wearing the aligners = extended treatment length.
Review Troubleshooting Instructions
A true orthodontic emergency is extremely rare, especially with modern appliances. For the minor annoyances like a poking wire, irritation or a loose bracket, your child or teen can use orthodontic wax to keep comfortable until they get home.
Here’s how to use wax for braces:
- Wash your hands and break off a small piece of wax.
- Warm the wax up by rolling it into a ball between the fingers.
- Dry off the bracket or wire that’s causing irritation with a clean tissue or piece of gauze.
- Flatten the wax against the braces.
Once in place, the wax acts as a buffer between the appliance and your child’s mouth.
Don’t Forget a Sports Mouthguard
If your child plays a sport or does an activity that could result in a blow to the face, they should wear a mouthguard. While this is important for all kids whether they’re in orthodontic treatment or not, it’s even more critical with braces since the brackets can cut the inside of the mouth or hurt an opponent.
We can create a custom sports mouthguard for your child that will fit over their appliance.
The Bottom Line
Going back to school with braces, Invisalign or a phase 1 appliance takes a little preparation but once your child or teen gets into the swing of things, it will be a breeze.
If you have any questions or concerns, our team is always happy to help, whether it’s recommending braces-friendly snacks for school or walking you through fixing a broken bracket.
Here’s to a Happy, Healthy School Year
We wish everyone an amazing school year ahead!
Haven’t started treatment yet? Bird Smiles Orthodontics offer smile solutions for kids, teens and adults. Book a complimentary consultation with an orthodontist in Washington, DC today!
