ORAL HYGIENE
The best way to ensure a clean and healthy smile is brushing and flossing. Food particles can accumulate on teeth and in braces, and over time, turn into plaque. To avoid these problems while you are in orthodontic treatment, take special care of your braces, teeth and gums to ensure you will have the best possible result.
EATING WITH BRACES
Don’t worry, you’ll be eating popcorn and biting into an apple again in no time! Before you can do that, you need to take special care to avoid any food that can damage your braces:
Sticky: gum, licorice, toffee, caramels, taffy
Hard: ice, nuts, popcorn, chips, candy, uncut apples or carrots
Tough: beef jerky, corn on the cob
EMERGENCY CARE
During the first week after your braces are in place and routine adjustments are complete, you will likely feel some soreness or discomfort. You may take Tyrenol (acetaminophen) while you adjust to your new braces.
Most orthodontic emergency situations can be temporarily handled at home. 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 pencil eraser. You can also try covering the poky wire or the bracket with a small amount of wax. Please call our office as soon as possible if a bracket, a wire or an appliance is loosened.