Life with Braces

If you just got your braces on and are wondering what to expect, here are a few tips and insights that will help you get started on the path to a beautiful new smile!

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 salt water mouthwash. Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in 8 ounces of warm water, and rinse your mouth vigorously. If the tenderness is severe, take aspirin or whatever you normally take 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!

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.

Eating with Braces

What can you eat? Let's talk about what you shouldn't eat! If you've been wanting 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.

Brace Busters (Foods to Avoid)

The crust of the pizza is the best part, and the place where the bent wires start.
Hard rolls & pretzels & bagels & bones knock off the brackets & wires, so leave them alone.
Doritos & Tacos and all the rest, will form a hard ball... make your braces a mess.
Popcorn & movies are fun for all, but the pain that it causes, is no fun at all.
Nuts are always very good too, but we'll have to say "NO" nuts to you.
Beef Jerky & Slim Jims are fun to eat, but for wrecking your braces they are hard to beat.
Ribs & Meats that are on the bone... the kind of foods, you should leave alone.
Raw Carrots & rabbits go together well, and the damage it causes is easy to tell.
Suckers are always a sweet delight, but will damage your braces if you bite.
Caramel Candy, Ju-Ju Beans & All Gums are a gooey mess and lots of fun. But they pull off the brackets and feed your bacteria, so my good friend, don't let it get near ya.
Pens & Pencils are food for thought, but try to think of the havoc they'll wrought.
Ice is nice in the heat as we know, but it will destroy your braces. A thousand times No!

Foods you CAN eat with braces:

Dairy - soft cheese, pudding, milk-based drinks
Breads - soft tortillas, pancakes, muffins w/o 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 w/o nuts, milkshakes, Jell-O, soft cake

Playing Sports and Instruments

Don't worry: braces won't affect your ability to play music or sports. For some musical instruments, you may need to adjust a little to the braces. For sports, we highly recommend a mouth guard to protect your appliances and teeth.

Loose Wires, Bands, or Brackets

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. If brackets come loose regularly during the length of your treatment, however, it may indicate that you need to pay more attention to the foods you are eating, or the activities you are engaging in (at least without a proper mouth guard).

Oral Hygiene and Brushing

Proper oral hygiene is always important, but it is especially critical when undergoing orthodontic treatment. This is because braces can make it more difficult for you to brush and floss properly. 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.