Braces 101

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Life With Braces

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
After your braces are initially placed, you may feel general soreness in your mouth and teeth may be tender to biting pressure for several days. If the tenderness is significant, take Advil, Tylenol, or whatever you normally take for headache or similar pain every 4-6 hours around the clock for a maxim one to three days. 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.

Loose Wire or Band
Don't be alarmed if a wire or band becomes loose, as this happens occasionally. If a wire is protruding and irritating to the lip, cheek or gums, use a blunt instrument (a q-tip or the eraser end of a pencil) and carefully, gently push the irritating wire under the archwire. If irritation to the lips or mouth continues, place wax or wet cotton on the wire where it is poking you. If any piece comes off, save it and bring it with you to the office. Call our office as soon as possible for an appointment to check and repair the appliances.

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 rubber bands, headgear or other appliances as prescribed. Damaged appliances lengthen treatment time, so please be gentle with them in order for your treatment to be completed efficiently.

Brushing
It's more important than ever to brush and floss regularly when you have braces, so the teeth and gums remain healthy during and after orthodontic treatment. We will provide you with a home care kit and instructions on how to brush and floss with braces when your appliances are placed. Patients who do not keep their teeth clean may require more frequent visits to the dentist for a professional cleaning. As a general rule, patients undergoing orthodontic treatment should visit their dentist for regular cleanings and maintenance at least once every 4-6 months.

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