Hi everyone – Dr. Derek Straffon here at 303 Smiles. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with your family and loved ones. Today I’m here to share a couple of quick tips on how to get through wearing rubber bands during your braces treatment. As we know, rubber bands are a critical part of participating in the success of braces and getting a beautiful smile. These are tips that helped me when I wore braces and I hope they will help you, too.
Tip #1 – Wear Your Rubber Bands Consistently
The first tip is to wear your rubber bands as much as you can. As you wear your rubber bands, they need to stay in so that they are actually helping to move your bite into the right place. The key to that is consistency – that’s the participation. The participation helps make that bite go to the right spot and create that beautiful smile.
You would think that as an orthodontist during my own braces treatment, it would be easy for me to be taking out my rubber bands for when I was seeing patients, eating, or things like that. It was actually really challenging for me and what I found is that I ended up leaving the rubber bands in when I was eating and that helped me get through that process to make it even easier.
Tip #2 – Create a Reminder to Put Them Back In
The second thing is to have a way to remind yourself about your rubber bands. The key to this is making sure that everything is super clean and that when you’re doing this you wash your hands and clean your stuff so that everything is ready before you actually take your rubber bands out.
When you take your rubber bands out, don’t just set them to the side. It’s easy to forget them that way. Instead, what worked for me is that when I would take them out, I would slip them over the tip of my pinky or index finger. That way they’re readily at hand – no pun intended – and you won’t forget them.
I hope you found these rubber band tips helpful and if you have any questions, just send us an email or give us a call and we’ll be happy to help you!
Dr. Derek Straffon and the team at 303 Smiles proudly serve the Greenwood Village community and surrounding areas, including Cherry Hills and Centennial, Colorado. We offer a range of treatment options including several types of braces as well as Invisalign clear aligners.