How do you look after your braces now that you’ve got them? Maintaining proper dental hygiene is essential during your orthodontic treatment.
Eating While Wearing Braces
Your popcorn and potato chips will be back in no time! However, before you can start enjoying your favorite foods, you’ll need to take additional steps to keep your new devices safe.Foods to avoid with braces:
Chewy foods — bagels, licorice
Crunchy foods — popcorn, chips, ice
Sticky foods — caramel candies, chewing gum
Hard foods — nuts, hard candies
Foods that require biting into — corn on the cob, apples, carrots
Foods you CAN eat with braces:
Dairy — soft cheese, pudding, milk-based drinks
Breads — soft tortillas, pancakes, muffins without nuts
Grains — pasta, soft cooked rice
Meats/poultry — soft cooked chicken, meatballs, lunch meats
Seafood — tuna, salmon, crab cakes
Vegetables — mashed potatoes, steamed spinach, beans
Fruits — applesauce, bananas, fruit juice
Treats — ice cream without nuts, milkshakes, Jell-O, soft cake
Braces and Appliances-Related Discomfort
After having braces, your teeth and mouth may feel irritated or unpleasant at first. This is quite natural, and your mouth will return to normal in no time! To relieve soreness and discomfort, we recommend dissolving one teaspoon of salt in eight ounces of lukewarm water. Swish and gargle with this solution in your mouth for a few seconds (do not swallow the saltwater).
If the soreness continues after rinsing, you might try using an over-the-counter pain reliever. Braces may cause inflammation of your lips, cheeks, and tongue for up to two weeks as your mouth adapts to the wires and brackets, which can be painful. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to make your braces more comfortable. If you need wax, please let us know.
Loose teeth
Don’t be concerned if you see your teeth turning a little loose. Your braces must first loosen the teeth to move your teeth into the right position. After your teeth have been repositioned, they will no longer be loose.
Bands & Disconnected Wires
Your braces’ brackets and wires may get displaced. If something happens to your appliance, please contact us immediately so that we can examine and repair it. Remember to save and bring any loose parts of your appliance to the office.
You may temporarily replace the loose wire by gently pressing it back into place with the back of a spoon or the eraser end of a pencil. To relieve the pain produced by the loose wire, place a piece of wax or a wet cotton ball over it.
Maintain Your Appliances
Damaged appliances will lengthen your treatment procedure, so be sure to maintain all of your appliances. Your teeth and jaw can only shift into their proper positions if you use the rubber bands, headgear, retainer, or other equipment suggested by your doctor constantly.
Braces and Athletic Participation
Athletes, rejoice: Game, Set, Match! You can still play sports while undergoing orthodontic treatment! If you play sports, you should wear a mouthguard to protect your teeth and the orthodontic appliance. Inform your doctor if you want help in finding the best mouthguard for your needs.
In the case of a sports-related injury, evaluate your mouth and dental appliance as soon as possible. If you see any loose teeth or appliance damage, please contact our office right away. For brief periods of time, wax or saltwater rinses may be used to relieve discomfort.
Flossing and brushing your teeth
Brush and floss after each meal to keep your teeth and gums healthy while wearing braces. If you need help choosing the right toothbrush, toothpaste, and dental floss for your teeth and orthodontic appliance, please contact us.
Brace Maintenance
After each meal, brush your teeth for two minutes with fluoride toothpaste and a soft-bristled, small-headed toothbrush. Consider using a powered toothbrush for greater brushing outcomes. Brush your teeth in small, soft circular strokes on the outer and inner surfaces, keeping a 45-degree angle between the toothbrush head and the gum line. Brush your teeth back and forth in short, soft strokes, giving special attention to the chewing surfaces and the inner surfaces of your front teeth. Watch carefully for the areas surrounding your brackets and other appliances.
Cleaning your teeth and braces with floss after each meal might help you complete your orthodontic treatment on time. The best method to floss while wearing braces is using a floss threader or orthodontic floss. Wrap the ends of the floss over your fingers to keep a few inches of tight floss between them. When flossing, slide the floss between the teeth in a back and forth motion. Plaque and food particles may be removed from between the teeth by cleaning the sides of each tooth with the floss. Repeat this method once you’ve flossed all of your teeth. If your floss isn’t removing all of the food particles from your teeth and braces, ask about a water flosser.
