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Life with Braces

Now that you have your braces, how do you take care of them? It's important for you to know how to properly take care of your braces throughout your entire orthodontic treatment.

Eating with Braces

What can you eat? For the first day or so, stick to soft foods. Avoid tough meats, hard breads, and raw vegetables. Before long, you�ll be back to a normal diet. However, you will need to protect your appliances throughout your orthodontic treatment.

Foods to Avoid:

Chewy foods - bagels, rolls, 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
Chewing on hard things such as pens, pencils, or fingernails.

General Soreness

When you first get your braces, you may feel general soreness in your mouth. Your teeth may also become tender to biting for three to five days. If the discomfort is severe, you can take Aspirin, Advil, or Tylenol. The lips, cheeks, gums, and tongue may also become irritated as they become accustomed to the surface of the braces. You can put wax on the braces to lessen this irritation. If an ulcer occurs, apply Orabase to the area for relief.

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. As treatment progresses, the teeth will become rigidly fixed in their newly corrected positions.

Loose Wire or Brace

Don’t be alarmed if a wire or brace comes loose. This happens occasionally. If a wire protrudes and is irritating, use a blunt instrument (the eraser end of a pencil) and carefully push the irritating wire away as feasible. 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 feasible 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 treatment, the patient and Dr. Vincent must work together. The teeth and jaws can only move toward their corrected positions if the patient consistently wears the rubber bands and other appliances as prescribed. Damaged appliances can lengthen the treatment time, so always remember to take good care of your braces to avoid any delays.

Click here to read more about the proper care of your appliances

Brushing with Braces

When you have braces, it's very important to brush and floss after every meal in order to keep your teeth and gums healthy throughout your orthodontic treatment. If you need help choosing the right toothbrush, toothpaste, and dental floss, please ask us and we can help you choose the right products for your teeth and your appliance.

Brush your teeth for two minutes after every meal with a soft-bristled, small-headed toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste. As an alternative, you can use a powered toothbrush to increase your brushing effectiveness. Brush the outside and inside surfaces of your teeth using small, gentle, circular motions while positioning the head of the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to the gum line. Brush your teeth’s chewing surfaces and the inside surface of your front teeth using short, gentle, back-and-forth motions. Pay close attention to the areas around your brackets or other appliances.

brushing with braces

Flossing with Braces

Flossing after every meal will help keep your teeth and braces clean, which will also help keep your treatment time on track. To floss with braces, use a floss threader or special orthodontic floss to thread the floss behind each wire. Wrap the ends of the floss around your pointer fingers of both hands, leaving a few inches of taught floss between them. Gently slide the floss between each set of teeth using a back and forth motion. Floss the sides of each tooth beneath the gum line to remove plaque and food particles. Repeat this process until you’ve flossed all of your teeth. If you find that your floss is not removing all of the food particles between your teeth and around your braces, ask us about a water flosser!

flossing with braces

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.

Howard F. Vincent DMD