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Eating with Braces
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 again. But you'll need to protect your orthodontic
appliances when you eat for as long as you're wearing braces.
Foods to Avoid
• Crunchy foods: popcorn, ice, chips
• Sticky foods: caramels, gum
• Hard foods: nuts, candy
• Carbonated beverages
• Foods you have to bite into: corn on the cob, apples,
carrots...these may be cut and eaten
• 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 saltwater mouthwash. Dissolve one teaspoonful
of salt in eight ounces of warm water, and rinse your mouth
vigorously. 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 comes loose. This happens
occasionally. If wire protrudes and is irritating, use a blunt
instrument (back of 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
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. Brush after every meal, in addition
to the routine morning and night brushing, till the teeth
and appliance are perfectly clean. Patients who do not keep
their teeth clean may require more frequent visits to the
dentist for a professional cleaning.
Athletics
If you play sports, it's important that you consult us for
special precautions. A protective mouthguard is advised for
playing contact sports. In case of any accident involving
the face, check your mouth and the appliances immediately.
If teeth are loosened or the appliances damaged, phone at
once for an appointment. In the meantime, treat your discomfort
as you would treat any general soreness.
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