Dentures and Dentist

Two Tips to Care for Braces During Flu Season

8 August 2017

Julian Andrews

In New South Wales, a combination of flu and gastroenteritis has seen an increase in the number of sick people at the emergency departments in the past few weeks. Since this is your first year wearing braces during the winter illness season, it is important you know in advance how to care for them if you get ill. No matter how hard you try, there is still the potential of being exposed to germs this year, and the way you react to your illness impacts your braces. Keep these pointers in mind.

Keep Your Braces Clean

No matter how tired you feel, the number one goal when you are sick is to make sure your braces remain just as clean as they would if you were feeling 100% well. This is particularly important if you are vomiting as part of your illness.

Each time you vomit, you expose the metal of your braces to the acid contained in your stomach. When acid remains on the braces corrosion begins, and they can weaken and rust. It is important you clean your teeth and braces daily, especially when you are ill.

Pay Attention To Cold Medications

You already know that hard sweets are not allowed while you are wearing braces because these can break the wires. Unfortunately, this means that hard cough drops are also off the menu for the same reason. While chewy cough lozenges may be tempting, these get stuck within the wires on your teeth and are difficult to remove. Cough syrup is the best reliever you can get. However, a lot of cough syrups are heavy on the sugar, so you need to take a close look at the ingredients list.

Talk to your local chemist about which cough soothers you can use which will not damage your braces. A sugar-free syrup is the safest option so that oral bacteria do not have a food source to grow on.

Finally, make sure you drink plenty of water to remain hydrated during your illness. Not only does the water help to flush the toxins from your body, but it stops your mouth from becoming dry. Dry mouth lacks saliva to flush away oral bacteria that want to feast on your teeth and start dental decay. If you do fall sick, contact your orthodontist if you fear damage happened to your braces while you had the flu so they can inspect them and make repairs if needed.

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