Solution For Your Smile!
Eating with Braces
What can you eat? Let's talk about what you shouldn't eat! For the first day or so, prefer soft foods (like soup and bread). You'll need to protect your orthodontic appliances when you eat for as long as you're wearing them.
Avoid:
- Hard foods: nuts, hard candy, uncooked vegetables, hard pretzels, snack foods.
- Crunchy foods: popcorn, ice, chips
- Chewy foods: bagels, hard rolls, licorice, beef jerky
- Sticky foods: caramels candies, chewing gums, taffy, starbursts
- Tough breads such as thick pizza crust, bagels, hard rolls, etc.
- Foods you have to bite into: corn on the cob, apples, carrots
- Chewing on hard things such as pens, pencils or fingernails can also cause damage. Broken appliances will prolong overall treatment time.
- Carbonated soft drinks, which contain phosphoric acid and can cause enamel staining and cavities. overall treatment time.
These are examples of the "kinds" of things we want you to avoid so you don't harm the braces. Just because it isn't on the list, doesn't mean you should eat it. Remember use your common sense when deciding which foods you can eat, and those to be avoided. If a band or bracket comes loose, please call and let us know, as it is not always possible to repair appliances at your regular appointment without prior warning.
Foods To Enjoy:
- Sliced apples, banana, celery are good for you, but they should be cut into bit sized pieces, and eaten with care.
- Mashed potatoes, steamed spinach, beans, soft rice
- Chewing gum is O.K.; in fact we recommend chewing gum, as it stimulates saliva flow, which helps keep the teeth clean. We prefer that you only chew sugarless gum such as Trident.
- Soft candies such as chocolate, Milky Way, soft cheese, etc
- Soft Meats/poultry — soft cooked chicken, meatballs, fish
- Ice cream without nuts, milkshake
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 treatment time.
- Brushing It is more important than ever to brush and floss regularly with braces. Patients who do not keep their teeth clean may require frequent trips to their dentist for professional cleaning. If plaque accumulates around the braces, tooth enamel may weaken, causing unaesthetic white spot lesions. Adults with a history of gum disease should see their doctor more often, and will require clearance before beginning treatment.
- 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 chewing sugarless gum and rinsing your mouth with cold water. If the tenderness is severe, please contact with your orthodontist. 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 or silicon on the braces to lessen this.
- Loosening of Teeth This is to be expected throughout treatment. Don't worry! It's normal. Teeth must loosen first before they can be moved. The teeth will again become firm in their newly corrected positions.
- Loose wires and brackets The wires and bands on your braces may become loose. If this happens, please contact us as soon as possible so that we can check and repair your appliance. If any piece of your appliance comes off, be sure to save it and bring it to the office with you. You can temporarily fix the loose wire by using the back of a spoon or the eraser end of a pencil to carefully and gently push the wire back into place. If the loose wire is causing irritation to your lips or cheeks, put wax or a wet cotton ball over the broken wire to relieve the pain.
- Athletics If you play sports, it's important that you consult with us for special precautions. A protective mouthguard is advised for playing contact sports. We can provide you one upon request. 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.