1. Don’t Chew Gum

If you cannot wait for your teeth to straighten out and have very little patience, you should be cooperating with your orthodontists. Usually you are given a list of rules on what to avoid eating. Most of these foods are gooey chocolate bars, hard candies, gummy bears and gum. As hard as it may be, try to take out those delicious treats from your diet. Chewing on these candies can actually prolong your treatment, as they can possibly bend the wire and pull your teeth in the wrong direction. So staying away from chewy food is one of the tips on how to get your braces off faster.

2. Keep Elastics on

When you are far into your treatment, you will probably have to wear elastics on some of your teeth. Trust me, I know how hard it may be to always keep them on and remember to wear them at night, but they are placed there for a reason! Therefore make sure to follow the rules and keep them on during all times except for eating. This way your treatment will go by the book and you will be able to move to the next step in no time.

3. Chop up Your Food

As you already know, biting food with braces is a complete no-no. Just imagine how much it would hurt to bite into an apple! This is why you are often recommended to chop up your food into small pieces. It won’t only relieve pain when getting your braces tightened but it will also speed up the process by protecting the braces themselves.

4. Avoid Missing Your Appointments

The longer you put off your appointments, the more time you will have to spend with your braces on. So avoid not going to your orthodontists just because you might not feel like waking up early, the more effort you put into this whole process yourself, the faster you will be set free.

5. Brush Your Teeth and Floss

One of the most important things to do when having braces is taking very good care of your teeth. With so many wires covering the surface of your teeth, it might be hard to properly brush them but it is important that you keep them in the tip-top shape. The healthier your teeth and gums are, the faster your teeth will be able to move and the closer you will be to the day you finally take off your braces.

6. Don’t Chew on Ice

As weird as it may sound, one of my favorite snacks during the summer is ice. However not only is chewing on ice bad for your teeth, but it is also even worse for your braces. One of the most common things that happen is that the ice breaks some of the wires in your braces. This can put your whole treatment on a hiatus as you now have to wait for an appointment to get them fixed.

7. Don’t Bite down on Your Teeth

What some people tend to do without realizing it themselves is bite down really hard on their teeth. This often happens throughout the day or even during sleep. Biting down puts a lot of pressure on your teeth in the wrong sense and prevents them from easily moving to where they are supposed to go. So if you catch yourself strongly biting down on teeth, try to relax your jaw so your teeth have more freedom.

Straightening your teeth can be a very long process, but it is all worth it in the end! Unfortunately, all you have to do is wait but your years of sufferings will turn into a lifetime of beautiful smile, as long as you wear your retainer of course. What are some of your tips on how to get your braces off faster?