How to Help Your Child Deal With Mouth Sores From Braces
There is nothing that is more irritating to a child than having a mouth which has developed sores as a result of newly installed braces. The brackets can scratch the sides of the mouth, and sores start forming. The challenge with sores from wearing braces is that they closely resemble canker sores, and they can make it very difficult for your child to eat and talk. For an adult, it is easy to follow the advice given by dentists, which is usually to wait for a week or two until your mouth adjusts to the braces. However, this kind of advice will not work for children. To help them cope with the pain, you can try a few home remedies.
Rinsing with warm salt water
Salty water is known to be very effective in soothing sores and helping them heal faster. Get a glass of warm water and add a teaspoonful of salt into it. Stir until all the salt has dissolved, and then encourage your child to rinse their mouth with the solution several times in a day. Note that they may feel some pain when the salt comes into contact with the sore wound, but the soothing effect is worth the momentary pain.
Staying off acidic food
Foods which contain acid, such as the citric acid in fruits, will burn the sores in your child's mouth and make them hurt even more. To avoid aggravating your child's braces sores, stop offering them citrus fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, which are also acidic.
Use of dental wax
The easiest to protect your child from getting sores after getting braces is to install a barrier between the brackets and the inner tissues of the mouth. Normally, dentists offer dental wax after installing the braces. Warm the wax up a little and ask your little one where they feel sore. Apply a little bit of the wax on the bracket adjacent to the sore. Keep repeating this until the pain has been completely managed.
There are other products such as comfort braces, which is a strip that you can apply on your child's braces. The strip is thick enough to form a barrier between the braces and the mouth, cushioning the inside of the mouth from abrasion.
These are simple tricks which can stop mouth sores from ruining your child's life. However, if the sores persist even after these tips, have your child checked for canker sores. They could also get their braces refitted if they are too tight. Contact a child dentist for additional advice.