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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, stick to soft foods. Avoid tough meats,
hard breads, and raw vegetables. You'll need to protect
your orthodontic appliances when you eat for as long
as you're wearing braces.
Avoid:
* Chewy foods: bagels, hard rolls, licorice
* Crunchy foods: popcorn, ice, chips
* Sticky foods: caramel, gum
* Hard foods: nuts, candy
* Foods you have to bite into: corn on the cob, apples,
carrots
Chewing on hard things (for example, pens, pencils
or fingernails) can damage your 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. This can be relieved by rinsing
your mouth with a warm salt water mouthwash. 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 normal. Teeth must loosen first so they can be
moved. The teeth will again become rigidly fixed in
their new--corrected--positions.
Care of Appliances
To successfully complete the treatment plan, the patient
must work together with the orthodontist. 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'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 for a professional cleaning. 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. If you would
like a mouthguard, please talk to any member of our
team. We provide mouthguards to our patients for $8.
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 appointment.
In the meantime, treat your discomfort as you would
treat any general soreness.
Loose Wire or Band
Don't be alarmed if a wire or band comes loose. This
happens occasionally. If wire protrudes and is irritating,
use a blunt instrument (the back of aspoon or the eraser
end of a pencil) and carefully, gently push the irritating
wire under the archwire. Simply get 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.
Emergency Care
As a general rule, an emergency appointment may be made
when there is severe pain, a loose band, a broken wire
or something sticking out that you can't take care of.
It's important to know the names of the parts of your
appliances. It will help, when you phone the office,
to be able to identify what part is broken or out of
place.
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