Patient
Education
Eating with braces
For the first couple of days after braces
are placed, soft diet is recommended. Avoid tough meats, hard
breads and raw crunchy fruits and vegetables. Throughout treatment,
you should not bite into food as this can break off the brackets
on the front teeth
- Foods to avoid include:
- Chewy foods such as bagels, hard rolls, licorice
- Hard foods such as nuts, hard candy
- Sticky foods such as caramel, bubble or chewing gum
- Crunchy foods such as popcorn, ice ,corn chips
- Foods you have to bite into such as corn on the cob, apples,
carrots
- Foreign objects, such as pens, pencils, fingernails are
not allowed as these can damage or break brackets. Broken
or damaged brackets will prolong the duration of treatment.
General soreness
Your teeth will feel sore for about 3-5 days after initial
placement and on subsequent adjustment visits. This can be
relieved by taking Advil or Tylenol. You can also with warm
salt water rinses. Dissolve 1 teaspoonful of salt in a 8 ounce
glass of warm water. We provide you with a piece of U-shaped
wax. You can repeatedly chew into the piece of wax to relief
soreness.
The lips, cheeks and tongue may become irritated
by rubbing against the brackets. You can place wax ( which
we provide) on the brackets to lessen the irritation
Loosening of teeth
This is normal and is to be expected. Teeth must loosen up
in order to move. The teeth will again become fixed in their
new corrected positions.
Oral hygiene
It is very important that you keep your teeth clean throughout
the duration of treatment. You should keep your 6 month appointment
with your dentist, just like you did before orthodontic treatment.
You should brush your teeth every time you eat in order to
keep food and plaque off your teeth.
All the steps involved in keeping oral hygiene
will be dicussed with you at the initial banding appointment
Brushing
Use a soft/medium toothbrush. Brush above and below the braces
using a circular motion. Be sure to brush the insides and
biting surfaces. And take your time.
An interdental or proxy brush is used to clean under the archwires
and around the braces. It is used as a supplement to a regular
toothbrush. Use carefully and slowly so as not to break any
brackets
Flossing
Daily flossing is part of a good oral hygiene regimen. Insert
floss behind the wire with a floss threader. Gently clean
sides of your teeth and under gums with an up-and-down motion.
Floss at least once a day.
Emergency care
Loose bracket or band
If it is still attached to the wire, leave it in place. If
uncomfortable, cover with wax. If it comes out completely,
bring it with you to the next appointment
Wire out of the tube
If uncomfortable, cover with wax or wet cotton. Call for an
appointment
Poking archwire
Try to bend wire with a pencil eraser or spoon or Q-tip. If
unsuccessful, cover with wax. Call for an appointment
Soreness from braces
Rinse with warm salt water. Also, take the pain reliever that
you would use for a headache. Chew into the U-shaped wax that
we provide at your initial banding appointment.
Retainers
Wear them as directed. Wearing those retainers after your
braces are removed is the best way to preserve that healthy,
beautiful smile you worked so hard to get.
Keep them clean and handle them with care. Whenever your retainer
is not in your mouth, make sure it is in its case for safety |
