Once you wear braces on your teeth, you should become highly sensitive about what you eat with your teeth. There are foods you must undoubtedly avoid as they can damage your teeth and braces. For example, lemon exists in numerous foods, and that is when you may ask, “Can I eat lemon with braces?”
Lemon is an acidic fruit you should be careful when eating with braces. Also, if you eat lemon with braces, you should well know how to clean your teeth afterward to minimize the side effects. In this article, we first discuss whether it is acceptable to eat lemon with braces and then learn how to brush our teeth thoroughly to avoid resulting issues.
Can I Eat Lemon With Braces?
Yes, you can eat lemon with braces. However, you should be careful not to eat lemon excessively with braces. Keep in mind that the citric acid in lemon can destroy your teeth’s enamel.
Therefore, you must clean your teeth thoroughly after eating lemon with braces, especially the traps and holes around your braces.
The destruction of enamel caused by lemon does not happen suddenly. It takes months for the issue to emerge. Despite that, if you brush your teeth twice a day and frequently practice oral hygiene, you will be able to eat lemon with braces with ease.
How to Clean Your Teeth With Braces
Once you eat lemon with braces, you need to follow some rigorous steps to thoroughly clean your braces and teeth:
- Try to brush your teeth every time you eat a lemon. If you cannot always do it, simply use some water to clean your teeth.
- Go beyond the suggested 2 minutes of brushing your teeth. Even one more minute of brushing goes a long way.
- Floss your teeth with braces regularly every time you eat a lemon.
- Avoid super sugary foods, as sugar expedites the destructive effects of bacteria living in your mouth.
- Use a soft brush not to damage your braces.
- Don’t forget to brush your tongue to avoid bad breath and accumulation of bacteria.
- If you don’t have toothpaste with you, try to use an alternative like coconut oil or baking soda.
- Have regular appointments with your dentist or orthodontist.
- Stay relaxed. Some people may get anxious when wearing braces. Do not worry and do not obsessively think about keeping your teeth clean.
Conclusion
You can eat lemon with braces. The only thing you should keep in mind is that you should immediately clean your teeth and braces after you eat a lemon. That is because the citric acid in lemon can easily damage your enamel. Also, one more thing you should know is that the bad effects of lemon do not emerge immediately; sometimes it takes months for the acid to destroy your enamel.
To minimize the consequences, you need to thoroughly clean your teeth and braces every time you eat a lemon. To do so, you should frequently brush your teeth with a soft brush, preferably longer than two minutes. Also, you should not forget to floss regularly and brush the surface of your tongue too.
