A great smile is one of the best accessories you can wear. You open up your mouth, and when your teeth are white and shiny, straight and nice, there’s the confidence boost that it gives you. Unfortunately, not everyone is born with perfect dentition or a killer smile and if you don’t happen to get them fixed as a child, you can still take the necessary steps towards achieving an award winning smile as an adult.
You could head to the braces office if you need braces to straighten your teeth; you could also get a dental bridge, which helps close up any gaps you may have. In some cases, you may only require teeth cleaning services to get rid of plaque and stains on your teeth. If your teeth are crooked, and you’re considering getting adult braces, we definitely advise you to. It fixes the problem without restricting you from eating the foods you like, although you may want to be cautious of a seafood restaurant, so you don’t get any shells stuck between your wires. But can you drink wine with braces? Absolutely you can, but there’s more you need to know about having braces as an adult.
What exactly are dental braces?
Ideally, dental braces straighten your teeth, improving both how they look and their function. This method is adopted by many patients around the world, ideally by children within the ages 8 to 12, to help cater for the long-term health of their teeth and gums, which in turn, makes eating a lot more satisfying because it evens out the teeth layers and spreads the biting pressure across all teeth.
This dental mechanism is intended to exert pressure on the teeth in order to gradually reposition them, and move them in the right direction. In doing so, the bone in the jaw changes to allow the teeth and their roots to move. This can go unnoticed and may be utterly painless, but not in the slightest bit comfortable at the start of your treatment or when your braces have been adjusted, especially for more advanced people as we see today.
The best time to have braces is generally during childhood, after waiting for enough teeth to come through before starting treatment because their teeth are typically healthier at the time compared to adults. Data from the CDC suggests that above a quarter of adults in the United States are suffering from tooth decay. Nearly half of adults aged 30 years or older have symptoms of gum disease, and severe gum disease affects a smaller but still significant number of American adults. So for adults, it’s not that simple because it is important that your mouth is fit and healthy before the procedure can commence. It is the job of the orthodontist to certify an adult patient fit to have orthodontics, as more and more adults now subscribe to it for a number of reasons.
Signs you may need braces
There are a number of varying indicators that may point to an adult’s need for braces according to their age and overall dental health.
These include:
* Teeth that are apparently contorted or jammed.
* Issues with flossing between and brushing around congested teeth.
* Frequently biting your tongue or cutting your tongue on your teeth.
* Teeth that don’t rest comfortably over each other when your mouth is closed.
* Complications with articulation as a result of your tongue’s positioning under your teeth.
* Jaws that scritch or make unpleasant noises when you chew.
* Strain or drowsiness of the jawline after chewing food.
When it comes to wearing braces as an adult, there are certain questions and thoughts that are most common amongst adults. You may wonder what the constraints might be with the types of foods you eat, and what if the orthodontist has you give up some of your beloved adult beverages. Like, can you drink wine with braces? Most adults with braces wonder if their alcohol intake will damage their bracket or wires, or their teeth in any way, and we’re here to bring some clarity to this. From our findings, there are so many interesting facts surrounding getting braces as an adult, but they’re not so bad. After this article, you will have a clearer idea of what to expect when you get your braces.
Adjusting to wearing braces
As much as you want to have superbly aligned teeth, we understand that you do need your Vices to get by, seeing as society is already set up to mostly frustrate us on a daily basis. A common question, such as can you drink wine with braces, means a lot to the person on the other end of the wire, the one in their mouth, that is. According to research and comments by various dental practitioners, there is some good news regarding the subject. Can you drink wine with braces? Yes, and contrary to popular belief, alcohol actually does not affect the wires of the braces nor damage the brackets if patients are cautious enough to stay clear of certain brands of alcohol and be mindful of how much they consume. Orthodontists advise against overdoing it, and patients must remember that moderation is key. Whilst these fluids do not affect or damage the braces, they can be unhealthy for your tooth enamels, causing them to decay, as alcoholic beverages can be acidic. Red wines, for example, could affect the overall appearance of your teeth, as it causes discoloration. So in your bid to achieve a perfect smile, you surely want your teeth pearly white.
Don’t forget that alcohol has the ability to dry out your mouth if you consume a lot of it, so keep the fluids going by ensuring you drink a lot of water each day to keep your mouth properly hydrated. Research shows that saliva actually aids in balancing out the ratio of good and harmful bacteria that are found in the mouth, which is largely determined by the types of foods and beverages we take in. Flossing is also a great way to keep your teeth clean if you will be indulging. Whilst you spend minutes flossing, we do recommend your trusted brand of mouthwash to help get out any particles hiding in the roof of your mouth and around. So, after drinking, try to grab enough H2O and hydrate your salivary glands.
Wearing braces does not avert stains on your teeth, so if you have a phobia of dentists and don’t want to sit through a dentist appointment, you have to watch what goes in your mouth. However, sedation dentistry exists, which is reassuring for adult patients that have a hard time coping with the anxiety that comes with going through with a dental appointment.
Adjusting to braces can be quite a task, especially at the start. Patients find out for themselves that having an object pressed against their teeth, whether for dental or lifestyle reasons and particularly one of the metallic nature, definitely requires some getting used to. And the questions that usually follow goes beyond the ‘can you drink wine with braces’ curiosities, as patients tend to be concerned with more realistic issues like how people generally sleep with their braces on. We try not to laugh when these issues arise, which is why it is best to have them prepared for the inconveniences that may follow at the beginning and in the intervals when they have to readjust the brace. However, there are other cons to the orthodontic treatment that may linger beyond the starting period.
Patients may experience irregularities with their speech. This can be embarrassing because they end up spitting more than usual. For most people, the effects of having this metal object (or some other material) in between their lips and gums may be less intense for some than it is for others, but in any case, the good news is that wearing braces is not like having a mouth full of pebbles, and you would not require any speech therapy to speak properly. All you need are a few months for your mouth, jawline, and teeth to adjust to the new metallic object that has been attached to them. After two to three months, any issues you were getting your sounds right will fizzle out.
There are concerns for some adult patients when it comes to braces and how they will look in the public eye. Some people may find it embarrassing to have to wear metallic wires in their teeth as fully grown adults. As kids, people got made fun of for wearing braces, so there is sort of a stigma attached to the orthopedist recommended bling. Our advice? Don’t think about it too much. A lot of adults are wearing braces today, and you should be proud to rock yours. Let the questions that would plague you be: can you drink wine with braces every day? As hilarious as it sounds, this is actually a commonly asked question. Adult patients fear that the alcoholic content may affect their braces, however, what you should be worried about is discoloration, unless you don’t mind spending a few extra dollars on other dental services. A friend of mine recently got braces, because she does want to fix the crookedness of her teeth and she calls me on the phone saying, “Can you drink wine with braces?” You bet it was a sigh of relief on the other end when we found out she could.
Oral health maintenance with braces
The shiny silver metal is a great way to rectify the alignment of your teeth. Don’t confuse braces with getting a polishing treatment. Braces can only straighten your teeth out, not whiten them. To turn up the appearance of your smile a notch, you could consider teeth whitening services. Now, while braces take a little getting used to, or maybe a lot depending on your persona, it doesn’t stop you from doing regular things or eating regular meals, and if you ask yourself can you drink wine with braces, the answer is yes. You surely won’t have to chug down any meal replacement powder, as your diet can remain as is. It is advisable that you abstain from sugar and sweet things that could damage your teeth whilst you’re trying to fix them — that would be total self-sabotage. You may feel slight discomfort, as you would with anything inserted in your body, simply because our bodies reject unfamiliar objects.
The first step to getting your braces is to book a dentist appointment with your trusted dentist, who will examine you and explain to you what needs to be done to improve your oral hygiene and the general quality of your teeth. Your dentist may recommend the use of braces or retainers, for those of you looking to even out your teeth, and you should take the opportunity to ask questions like, “can you drink wine with braces” while at the appointment. Taking care of your teeth is an important part of your hygiene routine, and with brushing and flossing, we get some of the job done. On the flip side, our daily activities and our oral intake can affect our overall oral hygiene. From food to beverages, we could be causing potential damage to ourselves.
Luckily, in today’s world, almost everything has a medical solution, except things such as the common cold. So, if you look at yourself in the mirror, and you are far from pleased with how your smile looks, then head over to the orthodontist and get yourself some medical bling. It may not look or feel great initially, but you will get used to it and in the long run, you will be grateful you got your adult braces. If it didn’t happen when you were a child, here’s your opportunity to take control of a situation and get your smile an Oscar. While you’re at it, if you’re still wondering if you can drink wine with braces, you can, so if you do feel a little tension after a long day, don’t stress, crack open that bottle of wine, and gulp it down. But remember to avoid red wines as much as you can, as it has properties that cause stains. You can opt for white or rose wines, which are equally great.
