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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.
Biting into crusty rolls is just too hard for the braces
on your front teeth. 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,
French bread
- Crunchy foods: popcorn, ice, hard
crisps
- Sticky foods: toffees, chewing gum
- Hard foods: nuts, sweets
- 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 which are specially
designed to fit over braces. 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 a spoon 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 or something sticking
out that you can't take care of. Loose bands, brackets
or wires need replacing fairly quickly to keep treatment
progressing and these should be scheduled for repair
within the coming 7 days. 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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