Life with Braces

Life with Braces

What can I eat?

Certain dietary habits are known to cause breakage of orthodontic appliances. In order to finish your treatment on time, it is important to follow our simple instructions.

We ask you as a patient, to be responsible for checking each part of your appliances every day to ensure that they are properly attached to the teeth. If something is loose, please call our office immediately, even if you have an appointment in the near future.

We ask that you AVOID some foods during your orthodontic treatment.

Hard, crunchy, and sticky foods are the most damaging. Some of these include:

• Taffy
• Tootsie rolls
• Caramels
• Suckers
• Jawbreakers
• Jolly ranchers
• Ice
• Mints
• Gum (even sugarless!!)
• ANY hard candies!!!

Healthy foods that are hard or crunchy can be eaten, but should be sliced or sectioned into small pieces. Some of these include:

• Raw carrots
• Raw celery
• Apples
• Corn on the cob

REMEMBER… Habits such as biting pens and pencils, chewing on straws or biting fingernails can also cause damage.

General Soreness

When you get your braces, you may feel general soreness of your mouth and teeth and tenderness to biting pressures for three to five days. If the discomfort is severe, you can take a mild pain reliever 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 brackets to lessen this. We will show you how!

Loosening of Teeth

This is to be expected throughout treatment. Don't worry! It is normal. Teeth must loosen first so they can be moved. The teeth will become rigidly fixed again in their new - corrected - positions.

Occasional Problems

Remember, teeth move their best in a healthy environment. Be sure you maintain a well balanced diet. A mouth guard can be provided upon request for your protection. Your mouth guard must be worn during all contact sports to prevent mouth injury and to protect against damage to your braces. Habits such as pen chewing and nail biting can also be very damaging! If you are not careful to avoid the foods listed above, it is possible that the wire can break. Early in treatment very flexible wires are used that can bend and shift which can result in a long end irritating the back of the cheek. If you are uncomfortable at any time, (beyond the normal, first week adjustment time) call our office for an emergency appointment. Always keep in mind that moving your teeth into the proper alignment is a complicated, on-going process, and that often a tooth may move in what seems to be the wrong direction. Occasionally, an unwanted space may develop where there was once no space. Do not worry about such developments they are completely normal. Just remember that your teeth will look beautiful once the braces are removed

Care of Appliances

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

Brushing

It is 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. It is very important to visit the dentist at least every 6 months while in orthodontic treatment.

Loose Wire or Band

Don't be alarmed if a wire or band comes loose. This happens occasionally. If a wire protrudes and is irritating, use the eraser end of a pencil and carefully, gently push the irritating wire out of the way. If irritation to the lips or mouth continues, place wax on the wire to reduce discomfort. 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.

Athletics

If you play sports, it is important that you consult us for special precautions. A protective mouth guard is advised for playing contact sports. In case of any accident involving the face, check your mouth and the appliances immediately. Please contact the office immediately if the teeth are loosened or the appliances are damaged. In the meantime, treat your discomfort as you would treat any general soreness.