Its more important than ever to brush and floss regularly when you have braces, so that the teeth and gums stay healthy during 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. Please watch the two videos below on the proper care of braces during orthodontic treatment.
What can you eat? Lets talk about what you shouldnt eat! For the first day or so, stick to soft foods. Avoid tough meats, hard breads, and raw vegetables. Before long, youll be able to eat your normal diet. But youll need to protect your orthodontic appliances when you eat for as long as youre wearing braces.
When you get your braces on, you may feel general soreness in your mouth and your teeth may be tender to biting pressures for 3 5 days. Take Advil or whatever you would normally take for a headache or discomfort. The lips, cheeks and tongue may also become irritated for one to two weeks as they toughen and become accustomed to the braces. We will supply wax to put on the braces in irritated areas to lessen discomfort.
To successfully complete orthodontic treatment, sometimes we have the patient wear rubber bands. Its very important for the patient to work together with the orthodontist. The teeth and jaws can only move toward their corrected positions if the patient consistently wears the rubber bands or other appliances as prescribed. Lack of cooperation following instructions and damaged appliances lengthen the treatment time so please follow all instructions!