Eating with Braces

What can you eat? Let's talk about what you shouldn't eat! If you've wanted to drop a few pounds, the first week wearing braces is just your chance! 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.

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, raw 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. Rinsing your mouth with a warm salt-water mouthwash can relieve this. Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in 8 ounces of warm water, and rinse your mouth vigorously. If the tenderness is severe, take acetaminophen (Tylenol) as you normally would 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!

(Photo by Kristie's Photography)

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.

Care of Appliances

To successfully complete the treatment plan, the patient must work together with the orthodontic team. 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. 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.

Appliance Instructions

Fixed Expander Instructions

• Turn your expansion screw as instructed. Insert the key into the hole and push in the direction of the arrow.
• If your expander feels loose, makes squishy sounds, or gaps at the gumline, stop making turns and call the office.
• If you are unable to keep your scheduled appointment, stop turning the expander until told to restart the turns at the next appointment.

• Wear your T4 or toothpositioner (TP) all night and one hour during the day.
• If you cannot keep it in your mouth all night, you will need to add 2 hours to your daytime wear.
• Your daytime hours need not be consecutive.

• Wear your retainers full time, until the doctor instructs otherwise.
• Take your retainers out when eating... and always put retainers in their case! (Most appliances are lost in school lunch rooms or restaurants.)
• Clean retainers thoroughly once a day with a toothbrush and toothpaste. Use warm but not hot water. Brushing retainers removes the plaque, and eliminates odors. Efferdent or other orthodontic appliance cleaners can be used, but do not take the place of brushing.
• When retainers are not in your mouth they should ALWAYS be in a retainer case. Pets love to chew on them!
• Initially, you may find it difficult to speak. Practice speaking, reading, or singing out loud to get used to them faster.
• Retainers are breakable, so treat them with care. If retainers are lost or broken call us immediately.
• If you have any questions or concerns about your retainers, or your retainers need adjusting, call us. Do not try to adjust them yourself.
• Always bring your retainers to your appointments.
• Retainer replacement is expensive... with proper care they will last for years!
• Remove retainers when swimming.
• Keep retainers away from hot water, hot car dashboards, pockets, the washing machine, and napkins.
• Bonded retainers (bonded behind the upper and lower front teeth): If it becomes loose or comes off, call the office immediately.

• Wear your aligners all the time unless otherwise prescribed by the doctor. That means all day and while sleeping.
• Remove your aligners only to brush your teeth and to eat or drink.
• Keep your aligners clean by brushing with toothpaste and toothbrush and cool water at least twice a day.
• Do not start the next aligner early unless instructed to do so by the doctor.

Athletics

If you play sports, it's important that you consult us for special precautions. A protective mouth guard 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.

Loose Wire or Band

Don't be alarmed if a wire, bracket, or band comes loose. This happens occasionally. If a wire protrudes and is irritating, you can try using a blunt instrument (back of spoon or the eraser end of a pencil) and carefully, gently push the irritating wire under the archwire. Be aware that some wires resist bending and you will need to place the supplied wax 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.

Emergency Care

As a general rule, an emergency appointment may be made when there is severe pain, a loose band or bracket, a broken wire or something sticking out that you can't take care of. It's important to know the names of the parts of your appliances. It will help, when you phone the office, to be able to identify what part is broken or out of place.