Life with Braces
Your “braces-on” appointment will include personal attention and education on how to eat, sleep, play and continue life as normal with your braces. You will receive brushing and flossing instructions and dietary counseling. We will get you started with a homecare kit containing everything you need to ensure proper care of your teeth while in treatment.
Oral Care Video
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, chips
- 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 cause treatment to take longer.
General Soreness
When you get your braces on, you may feel general soreness in your mouth and teeth may be tender to biting pressures for three to five days. This can be relieved by rinsing your mouth with a warm salt water mouthwash. Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in 8 ounces of warm water, and rinse your mouth vigorously. If the tenderness is severe, take Tylenol or whatever you normally take for headache or similar pain. The lips, cheeks and tongue may also become irritated for one to two weeks as they toughen and become accustomed to the surface of the braces. You can put wax on the braces to lessen this. We'll show you how!
Loosening of Teeth
This is to be expected throughout treatment. Don't worry! It's normal. Teeth must loosen first so they can be moved. The teeth will again become rigidly fixed in their new – corrected – positions.
Brushing and Flossing
Proper home care is essential for maintaining healthy teeth and gums. This is especially important during orthodontic treatment since poor oral hygiene can result in red and swollen gums, which impedes desired tooth movement. Decalcification, scarring, or white spots, is tooth decay that occurs when plaque is not removed from the surface of the teeth around the bracket. We want your teeth to be beautiful, and will coach you in your responsibility to maintain your dental health.
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 (back of a spoon or the eraser end of a pencil) and carefully, gently push the irritating wire under the archwire. Simply get it out of the way. If irritation to the lips or mouth continues, place wax or wet cotton on the wire to reduce the annoyance. Call our office as soon as possible for an appointment to check and repair the appliances. If any piece comes off, save it and bring it with you to the office.
Care of Appliances
To successfully complete the treatment plan, the patient must work together with the orthodontist. The teeth and jaws can only move toward their corrected positions if the patient consistently wears the rubber bands, headgear or other appliances as prescribed. Damaged appliances lengthen the treatment time.
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 after orthodontic treatment. Patients who do not keep their teeth clean may require more frequent visits to the dentist for a professional cleaning. Adults who have a history of gum disease should also see a periodontist during orthodontic treatment.
The intended animation requires a newer version of Adobe Flash® Player. Please visit www.adobe.com to download the latest version.
Brushing: Step 1
Using a dry brush with a small amount of toothpaste place bristles where gums and teeth meet.
Brushing: Step 2
For 10 seconds on each tooth use circular, vibrating motions around the gum lines.
Brushing: Step 3
Every tooth of both arches should be brushed slowly.
Brushing: Step 4
Brush the lower teeth from gum line up and the upper teeth from the gum line down. Brush the roof of your mouth and your tongue too!
Flossing: Step 1
Carefully thread unwaxed floss between braces and wire. You may find a floss threader helpful.
Flossing: Step 2
Carefully floss around the braces.
Flossing: Step 3
Carefully floss around the gum areas.
Flossing: Step 4
Carefully floss around each tooth.
Links
Sonicare®
Sonicare’s technology is designed to deliver superior results.
Sonicare toothbrushes, inspired by the sonic technology used in dental offices, have dynamic cleaning action to reduce plaque along the gumline.
Crest
Toothpaste, Teeth Whitening, Toothbrushes, Mouthwash...and more. Crest offers dental hygiene products such as toothpaste, teeth whitening system, toothbrush, mouthwash, and more.
Colgate
Trusted Oral Care products and expert information to keep your smile bright, beautiful and healthy.
Waterpik
Since 1962, Water Pik has been a leader in developing and manufacturing innovative personal and oral health care products. Our products are available through mass-merchandisers, home centers, drug chains, clubs, specialty retailers, wholesalers, and contractors.