Brushing and Flossing
It’s more important than ever to brush and floss regularly when you have braces, so the teeth and gums are healthy during orthodontic treatment. Patients who do not maintain oral hygiene may require more frequent dental visits for professional cleaning. Adults with a history of periodontal disease should also consult a periodontist during orthodontic treatment. Watch the video below on the proper care of braces during orthodontic treatment.
Eating with Braces
What can you eat? Let’s talk about what you shouldn’t eat! For the first day or so, stick to soft foods. Avoid tough meats, hard breads, and raw vegetables. Before long, you’ll be able to bite a cucumber again. But you’ll need to protect your orthodontic appliances when you eat for as long as you’re wearing braces.
Foods to Avoid
- Chewy foods: bagels, hard rolls, licorice
- Crunchy foods: popcorn, ice
- Sticky foods: caramels, gum
- Hard foods: nuts, candy
- Foods you have to bite into: corn on the cob, apples, carrots
Chewing on hard things (for example, pens, pencils, or fingernails) can damage the braces. Damaged braces will prolong treatment.
General Soreness
When you get your braces on, you may feel general soreness in your mouth, and your teeth may be tender to biting pressures for 3 – 5 days. Take Tylenol or whatever you normally take for headaches or discomfort. The lips, cheeks, and tongue may also become irritated for one to two weeks as they toughen and become accustomed to the braces. We will apply wax to the braces in irritated areas to reduce discomfort.
Loosening of Teeth
This is to be expected throughout treatment. Don’t worry! It’s normal. Teeth must loosen first so they can move. The teeth will firm up in their new, corrected positions after treatment is completed.
Loose Wire or Band
Don’t be alarmed if a wire or band comes loose. This happens occasionally. If a wire protrudes and is irritating, use a blunt instrument (the eraser end of a pencil) to carefully push the irritating wire back under the archwire. Simply get it out of the way. If irritation of the lips or mouth persists, place wax or a wet cotton swab on the wire to reduce discomfort. Please call our office as soon as possible for an appointment to assess and repair the issue.
Rubber Band Wear
To successfully complete orthodontic treatment, the patient must work together with the orthodontist. The teeth and jaws can move only toward their corrected positions if the patient consistently wears the rubber bands or other prescribed appliances. Lack of cooperation following instructions and damaged appliances lengthen the treatment time… so please … follow instructions.
Athletics
If you play sports, it’s important you let us know. A protective mouthguard is provided for playing contact sports.