Learn More About Life With Braces
You Are On Your Way To Living Life Smiling!
We will walk you through each step of treatment to educate you on how you can care for and participate in achieving the smile you’ve always wanted!
Eating With Braces
Don’t worry, you will be eating popcorn and snacking on potato chips again in no time! However, before you can start enjoying some of the treats you love, you will need to take special care to avoid any foods that could damage your new appliances.
Foods You Can Eat With Braces:
- Dairy — soft cheese, pudding, milk-based drink
- Bread — soft tortillas, pancakes, muffins w/o nuts
- Grains — pasta, soft-cooked rice
- Meats/poultry — soft-cooked chicken, meatballs, lunch meats
- Seafood — tuna, salmon, crab cakes
- Vegetables — mashed potatoes, steamed spinach, beans
- Fruits — applesauce, bananas, fruit juice
- Treats — ice cream, no nuts, milkshakes, Jell-O, cake
Foods To Avoid With Braces:
- Chewy foods — bagels, licorice
- Crunchy foods — popcorn, chips, ice
- Sticky foods — Swedish fish, airheads, caramel candies, chewing gum
- Hard foods — nuts, hard candies
- Foods that require biting into — corn on the cob, apples, carrots
Soreness Caused By Braces And Appliances
When you first get your braces, you may notice that your teeth and mouth feel a little tender or sore. This is perfectly normal, and we promise your mouth will not be sore forever! To relieve the pain, we recommend dissolving one teaspoon of salt in eight ounces of lukewarm water. Swish and gargle this solution in your mouth for just a couple of minutes (do not swallow the saltwater).
If the pain is more severe and does not go away after rinsing, you can also try taking a pain reliever. It is also not uncommon for your lips, cheeks, and tongue to become irritated for one to two weeks as they toughen and become used to the braces. Use the wax in your starter kit to lessen the tenderness of areas that may become irritated by placing a small amount of wax over the bracket in that area.
Loose Teeth
If your teeth begin feeling a little loose, don’t worry; this is normal! Your braces must first loosen your teeth to move them into the right position. Once your teeth have been repositioned, they will no longer feel loose.
Loose Wires And Bands
The wires and bands on your braces may come loose. If this happens, please contact us so we can schedule you appropriately. If any piece of your appliance comes off, 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.
Caring For Your Appliances
Damaged appliances can increase the length of your treatment process, so take good care of all your appliances. Your teeth and jaw can only move into their correct positions if you consistently wear the rubber bands, headgear, retainer, or other appliances prescribed by your orthodontist.
