Eating With Braces

During treatment, you can plan on eating most of the food you normally enjoy with a few exceptions. The exceptions ("Foods to Avoid") are listed below. You'll find that it's easier to eat when you cut food into smaller pieces. Also, for your comfort you'll want to to eat softer foods after the initial placement of your braces and after each adjustment. Avoid tough meats, hard breads, and raw vegetables after a wire change and instead enjoy yogurt, scrambled eggs, or mashed potatoes. Click on the link below to view our video of recommended foods with braces.

Foods to Avoid

• Chewy foods: bagels, hard rolls, licorice
• Crunchy foods: popcorn, ice, chips
• Sticky foods: caramels, Jolly Ranchers, Starburst
• Hard foods: nuts, candy
• Foods you have to bite into: corn on the cob (try cutting corn off the cob), apples, carrots (apples and carrots should be in small pieces)
• Chewing on hard things (for example, pens, pencils or fingernails) can damage the braces. Damaged braces will cause treatment to take longer.

Click here to watch our video on Foods to Avoid with Braces.

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General Soreness

Following the placement and adjustment of braces, you may feel general soreness in your mouth and teeth may be tender to biting pressures for three to five days. If the tenderness is severe, follow the dosage recommendations on the box of your favorite over-the-counter pain reliever.

Loosening of Teeth

Tooth movement is a normal physiological process that allows your orthodontic correction to occur. The tooth loosens naturally to relieve the pressure applied by the appliances. There is temporary discomfort while this is happening, but it goes away. Chewing sugarless gum sometimes aids in "working out" soreness. Once your teeth are in line for that terrific smile, your retainer will hold them in place while the bone surrounding your teeth returns to its normal, stable, supportive condition.

Care of Appliances

To successfully complete the treatment plan, the patient must work together with our orthodontic team. The teeth and jaws can only move toward their corrected positions if the patient consistently keeps their appliances clean and follows directions. Damaged appliances lengthen the treatment time. As always, we are here to serve you, so please don't hesitate to ask any questions about properly caring for your appliances.

Brushing

It's so important to brush and floss regularly when you have braces. If teeth and gums are not kept clean during treatment, the gums can swell making it even more difficult to clean. Teeth are more difficult to move when the gums are swollen and treatment time may be longer. Continued neglect of these areas can lead to decalcification (white spots), tooth decay, and even periodontal disease.

Click here to watch our video on Brushing with Braces

• When to Brush: If possible, brush your teeth within five minutes after you eat. If it's not possible to brush, swish with water to loosen food particles and chew sugarless gum to stimulate saliva flow and help reduce the damaging bacterial plaque acids that form on food particles left behind.
• How to Brush: Brush in small circles and between the wires and gums on the upper and lower to loosen and remove the food particles and to massage the gum tissue. Brush the outside, inside, and chewing surfaces of all the teeth. And don't forget to brush your tongue.
• Check Yourself: Look in a mirror very closely to see if you have missed any places. Check the little half-moon spaces of tooth between the brackets and gums and the space between the molar tubes and gums. If you see any missed areas, clean them immediately.
• Flossing: Even though it takes extra effort to floss with braces, you'll need to do so at least once each day. Use a floss threader to pull the floss under your archwire. Then wrap the floss around each tooth in the shape of a "C" and scrape along the teeth. Pull the floss out and repeat the process. We want to help you be a good flosser; if you have any difficulties flossing please let us know.

Click here to see our video on Flossing with Braces.

Retainer Instructions

• Wear your retainers every night. We recommend lifetime retainer wear.
• Always store retainers in their case!
• 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. Denture cleaning tablets 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. They can also become distorted or melt if left in a hot car.
• 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.

Palatal Expander Instructions

• Turn your expansion screw as instructed. Insert the key into the hole and push toward the back of the mouth toward the throat - make sure you get a "full" turn or the hole will not be showing the next time you need to turn it.
• Be careful what you eat. Avoid popcorn, hard and chewy candies, and ice. Slice apples and carrots into small bite-size pieces.
• If you are unable to keep your scheduled appointment, stop turning the expander.

Sports and Braces

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.

Loose Wire or Band

Don't be alarmed if a wire or band comes loose. This happens occasionally. If the 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.