Interceptive Treatment | Ortho Dictionary
Life with Braces | Types of Braces | Types of Appliances

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

If you're careful with how you eat, you can eat almost anything you want!

Foods to avoid or be careful with:

Chewy, sticky foods such as caramel candies and bubble gum
Crunchy foods such as popcorn "old maids" and ice
Hard foods like nuts and hard candy
Be careful biting into foods like corn on the cob (cut it off the cob) and apples and carrots. They are OK if you cut them into small pieces and chew them in the back of your mouth.

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

Soreness caused from braces and appliances

When you first get your braces, you may notice that your teeth and mouth feel a little tender or sore. This is perfectly normal for patients who have just gotten their braces put on, and we promise your mouth will not be sore forever! A soft diet and either Tylenol or ibuprofen for a few days will help to eliminate any discomfort. Swish and gargle this solution in your mouth for just a couple of minutes (do not swallow the saltwater).

It is also not uncommon for your lips, cheeks, and tongue to become irritated for one to two weeks as they toughen and become used to the braces. We would be happy to give you some wax that you can put over the braces to lessen the tenderness. If you need some wax, please let us know!

Loose Teeth

If your teeth begin feeling a little loose, don’t worry; this is normal! Your braces must first loosen your teeth in order to move them into the right position. Once your teeth have been repositioned, they will no longer be loose.

Loose Wires and Bands

The wires and bands on your braces may come loose. If this happens, please contact us as soon as possible so that we can check and repair your appliance. If any piece of your appliance comes off, be sure to save it and bring it to the office with you.

You can temporarily fix the loose wire by using the back of a spoon or the eraser end of a pencil to carefully and gently push the wire back into place. If the loose wire is causing irritation to your lips or cheeks, put wax or a wet cotton ball over the broken wire to relieve the pain.

Take Care of your Appliances

Damaged appliances can increase the length of your treatment process, so be sure to take care of all your appliances. Your teeth and jaw can only move into their correct positions if you consistently wear the rubber bands, headgear, retainer, or other appliances prescribed by your doctor.

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

Brushing Your Teeth 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 treatment. If you need the right toothbrush and our braces-friendly floss, please ask one of our clinic assistants. We are happy to give them to you.

Please read through the short clips below for proper brushing and flossing instructions.

Brushing: Step 1

Using a dry brush with a small amount of toothpaste place bristles where gums and teeth meet.

Brushing: Step 2

For 10 seconds on each tooth use circular, vibrating motions around the gum lines.

Brushing: Step 3

Every tooth of both arches should be brushed slowly.

Brushing: Step 4

Brush the lower teeth from the gum line up and the upper teeth from the gum line down. Brush the roof of your mouth and your tongue too!

Flossing: Step 1

Carefully thread unwaxed floss between braces and wire. You may find a floss threader helpful.

Flossing: Step 2

Carefully floss around the braces.

Flossing: Step 3

Carefully floss around the gum areas.

Flossing: Step 4

Carefully floss around each tooth.

Playing Sports with Braces

Game, Set, Match - we have great news for athletes! You can still play sports even while undergoing orthodontic treatment! If you do play sports, it’s recommended that you wear a mouthguard in order to protect your teeth and your appliance. Our office is happy to provide you with a mouth guard, just ask!

In case of a sports emergency, be sure to immediately check your mouth and your appliance for any damage that may have occurred. If you notice any loose teeth, or if your appliance has been damaged, please contact our office right away. You can temporarily relieve the discomfort with wax or by rinsing your mouth with warm saltwater.

Emergency Care

There are very few true orthodontic emergencies. Most problems can be taken care of at home. However, if you have a situation that you cannot resolve on your own, call us as soon as possible so we can schedule you for an emergency appointment. In the meantime, the following can help you repair minor problems you may encounter during your orthodontic treatment:

IF YOUR TEETH ARE SORE AFTER A VISIT...

You may take acetaminophen or other non-aspirin pain relievers while you adjust to your new braces. A warm washcloth or heating pad may help reduce soreness in you jaws and warm salt water rinses may help with the soreness inside your mouth until you adjust to your braces.

IF YOUR BRACES CAUSE IRRITATION...

Try moving the wire away from the area with a cotton swab or pencil eraser. If the wire will not move, try covering it with a small piece of cotton or a small amount of wax. If the wire is poking, you can cut it with a nail clippers or scissors that have been washed and sterilized in alcohol

IF THE MAIN WIRE OR A BRACKET COMES LOOSE...

FIRST CALL our office to see if the bracket needs to be re-fitted. If you have a situation where you must cut the wire or slide a bracket off the wire, you may use a fingernail clippers that have been washed and sterilized in alcohol. Also, if you just need to remove a loose bracket, a paperclip that has been unfolded can be used to remove the small elastic tie that holds the bracket on and then the bracket can easily be rotated on the wire and removed. Please call our office the next business day to schedule a repair appointment.

IF A SEPARATOR COMES OUT...

Call our office to see if it needs to be replaced.It is common to lose separators during treatment

OTHER HELPFUL HINTS!

Extra time is needed with toothbrushing to make sure that all areas around the braces have been cleaned properly. Specialized brush tips are available to help get in between the braces and under the wires. Special floss or floss-threaders are helpful in passing floss under archwires to facilitate flossing of the teeth. Over-the-counter mouth rinses can be used in conjunction with oral irrigators to help reduce the level of bacteria around the teeth.

The goal is to remove plaque from around the teeth and gums. It is the bacteria in plaque that is responsible for causing inflamed gum tissue (gingivitis) and permanent scarring of enamel (decalcification) as well as tooth decay. Remember, braces don’t cause these problems, they just make cleaning the teeth more difficult.

Avoiding hard, sticky, crunchy and chewy foods will also keep your braces intact and help to make your treatment flow smoothly.