It is important to remember that maintaining your braces can be hard work and you should avoid acidic drinks, especially soda which damages your teeth through its high sugar content and acidity. Drinking soda while wearing braces can lead to lackluster results when you finally get your braces off.
Staining
People assume that stained teeth can be remedied through a simple teeth whitening regimen. Unfortunately, this is simply not accurate. Some stains are not actually stains, but rather they are deeper layers of the tooth showing through following erosion of your tooth enamel.
Your enamel begins to erode at a pH of around 5.5 and soft drinks, especially certain colas, have a pH closer to 2.6. To put that in prospective, stomach acid has a pH of only 1.5. Teeth whitening products simply cannot whiten eroded enamel and the best course of action in this case would be to try porcelain veneers.
White Lesions
If you begin to notice white spots forming on your teeth, and you like to drink sodas regularly, then you are not brushing enough. These white lesions are areas where your enamel is becoming demineralized, and for those wearing braces they can be particularly bothersome.
The areas of your tooth that are covered by the orthodontic bracket are generally protected from white lesions, but the exposed areas are not. This means that once the braces are removed there might be an unsightly bracketed pattern between the demineralized and covered areas of the enamel.
Decay
If left unchecked, these white lesions will progress to full on decay, and if the decay is bad enough, the tooth may need to be filled, crowned, or even pulled. Oral bacteria cause tooth decay. The bacteria collect on your teeth and protect themselves with secretions to form a biofilm. That’s what we call plaque. If you don’t remove it from your teeth regularly, the acid excreted from the bacteria can create holes in your teeth. This is what we call a cavity or caries.
While I understand that it can be difficult to brush while you are wearing braces, it is simply not an excuse to allow expensive orthodontics go to waste.
Be Smart!
The best way to avoid these problems is to simply avoid acidic drinks such as soda, make sure you brush your teeth regularly with fluoridated toothpaste, and make regular visits to your dentist. Some people need to wear braces for as long as three years and it would be a shame for all that hard work, time, and money to go to waste.
If you live in the Columbus area and are looking for a great dentist who can help you get the braces that are right for you consider visiting Firouzian Dentistry. Give us a call at (614) 848-5001 to schedule an appointment today.
