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 stay with soft foods. Avoid tough meats, hard breads, and raw crunchy 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.

Foods to Avoid

1. Chewy foods: bagels, hard rolls, licorice
2. Crunchy foods: popcorn, ice, thick chips
3. Sticky foods: caramels, gum
4. Hard foods: nuts, candy...any candy
5. Foods you have to bite into: corn on the cob, apples, carrots...cut them first
6. Chewing on hard things (for example, pens, pencils, or fingernails) can damage the braces. Damaged braces will cause treatment to take longer.

General 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. The response is like a bruise. This can be relieved by rinsing your mouth with a warm salt water mouthwash. Don't forget to brush! 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 a normal reaction to the tooth socket widening. Teeth must loosen first before they can be moved. After treatment the teeth will again become rigidly fixed in their new – corrected – positions.

Loose Wire or Band

Don't be alarmed if a wire or band comes loose. Tooth movement occurs slowly and adverse movements rarely happen immediately and this type of accident happens occasionally. If a wire protrudes and is irritating, use a blunt instrument (the back of a spoon or the eraser end of a pencil) and carefully, gently push the irritating wire under the archwire. Simply getting 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.

Care of Appliances

To successfully complete the treatment plan, the patient must work together with the orthodontist. The teeth and jaws can only move towards their corrected positions if the patient consistently wears the appropriate rubber bands, headgear, or other appliances as prescribed. Damaged appliances lengthen the treatment time.

Brushing

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 (3-4 month intervals) for a professional cleaning. A Waterpic or dental pressure cleaner is a great help and coupons are available. Adults who have a history of gum disease should also see a periodontist during orthodontic treatment.

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 emergency appointment and call your dentist if your teeth are damaged. In the meantime, treat your discomfort as you would treat any general soreness.

Brushing and Flossing

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