FOODS TO AVOID WHILE WEARING BRACES

For most situations, common sense will tell you what to avoid. Hard foods, sticky foods and foods high in sugar must be avoided. Hard foods can break or damage wires and brackets. Sticky foods can get caught between brackets and wires. Minimize sugary foods; they cause tooth decay and related problems. Nail biting, pencil and pen chewing, and chewing on foreign objects should be avoided.

Examples of Sticky Foods to Avoid
Gum (sugar-free or regular)
Licorice
Toffee
Tootsie Rolls
Caramels
Starburst

Examples of Hard Foods to Avoid
Ice
Nuts
Hard taco shells
Bagels
French bread crust/rolls
Corn on the cob
Apples and carrots (unless cut into small pieces)
Chips
Jolly Ranchers
Pizza crust
Minimize Sugary Foods like
Cake
Ice Cream
Cookies
Pie
Candy

It’s important to regularly check your braces for bent or loose wires and brackets. In the event of a loose/broken wire or bracket, call our office immediately to arrange an appointment for repair.

ORTHODONTIC EMERGENCIES

General Discomfort
Placing orthodontic appliances on the teeth is not a painful procedure. At the end of the appointment, you will feel like you have foreign objects in your mouth, and you will probably find hard to believe that you will ever become accustomed to the braces. Believe it or not, by the end of the week, it will feel almost as if the braces are part of your teeth. Nevertheless, within the next several hours after the orthodontic appliances are put on, and for the following couple of days, your mouth is going to be sore. The soreness will be from two sources. As the teeth begin to move, an ache develops, and the teeth feel tender when you bite down. Motrin IB or Advil are the best drugs to take for this pain. Your mouth will also become irritated from the insides of your lips and cheeks rubbing against the orthodontic appliances. It takes about a week to get adjusted to the braces. In the meantime you can cover the irritating part of your braces with a small piece of the soft white wax, which has been given to you. You will find that during the first week of orthodontic treatment, you will be most comfortable eating soft foods.

Loose Brackets or Bands
Call our office immediately for advice if a brace or wire is loosened. The brace may need to be re-fitted as soon as possible. You may have a situation that requires cutting a wire or sliding a bracket off a wire at night or over the weekend. If you need to cut a wire in case of emergency, you may use fingernail clippers that have been washed and sterilized in alcohol. Please call our office the next business day so that we may schedule an appointment for you.

Wire Irritations
Sometimes discomfort caused by a wire on your braces can be resolved by moving the wire away from the irritated area with a cotton swab or eraser. If the wire will not move, try covering the end of it with a small piece of wax. If the wire is painful, you can cut it with nail clippers or scissors that have been washed and sterilized in alcohol. If you cannot resolve the wire irritation, call our office for an appointment.

Lost Separators
Most patients lose a separator during their treatment. Do not worry about losing a separator, but call our office to see if it needs to be replaced.

ORAL HYGIENE RECOMMENDATIONS

Brushing and flossing
Orthodontic appliances do not cause caries, or tooth decay, but make tooth brushing more difficult, so special care is required. Poor oral hygiene results in decalcification (permanent white markings on the teeth, which are early stages of decay), decay, gum disease, and bone loss. The teeth should be brushed after every meal, including snacks. Brush your teeth with the soft tooth brush carefully and thoroughly, working the toothbrush bristles in and around the bands, brackets, and wires. Pay particular attention to the area between the gums and the arch wire. This is the most difficult area to keep clean.
Flossing is also recommended with the aid of floss threaders every day, in addition to brushing. Continue your regular dental appointments every six months with your general dentist and hygienist.

Fluoride
You are requested to use fluoride rinse called PHOS-FLUR. Please obtain this at your pharmacy as soon as possible and begin using it as soon as your orthodontic appliances have been placed. I t is available without a prescription. PHOS-FLUR is to be used every night at bedtime. After you have thoroughly brushed your teeth, fill the measuring cup to the 5ml level (one teaspoonful) and rinse vigorously around and between the teeth for one full minute, then spit out.

Athletics
Sports are no problem, but braces won’t stop an elbow, hockey puck, or basketball. Anyone participating in contact sports is strongly urged to wear a mouth guard, which is provided to you. In case of the accident involving the face, check your mouth and t he appliances immediately. If teeth are loosened or fractured, or the appliances are damaged, please phone the office.