Life with Braces
Getting braces will impact your lifestyle. With a little bit of effort, you can minimize the impact upon your life and get the most out of your smile investment. The following sections are designed to give you some basic information on how to adjust to your new othodontic appliances as well as how to properly care for them and protect them from damage. As always, feel free to call our office at any time if you have questions.
Eating
Now that you are on your way to a healthy and beautiful smile, there are certain foods that you should avoid while undergoing treatment. In general, you should avoid hard foods, high-sugar foods, sticky foods, and very chewy foods. Hard foods, such as peanuts, ice, apples, and carrots can break brackets, loosen bands, and bend wires. If you must eat these foods, exercise care and be sure to take small bites.
High-sugar foods such as candy, chocolate, and other sweets can give the bacteria in your mouth extra fuel to produce acids and other compounds which can damage or stain your teeth. With the extra appliances in your mouth and on your teeth, these bacteria have many more places to hide. Be especially sure to brush and floss thoroughly after eating any sweets.
Another concern for you will be sticky and chewy foods. Aside from their tendency to get stuck in brackets and wires, these foods are much more likely to pull off brackets, bend wires, and, in general, cause problems for your braces.
Emergencies
Unlike regular dental emergencies such as a tooth ache or a swollen face, orthodontics has very few emergencies that can not be handled at home until the office reopens. As long as you are not in great pain you will be amazed that you can tend to your own “emergency”.
A loose bracket that is still affixed to the wire can be secured with wax until we can either replace it or remove it from the wire until your next appointment. A long wire can be bent away from your tissues with an eraser from a pencil or by using a spoon. This is the only time we will allow you to put a pencil near your braces J. A wire that can not be moved can be clipped with a sharp pair of nail clippers. Just ensure that you rinse them with rubbing alcohol and then rinse them under water before using. You will clip the wire behind the next bracket that is still securely fastened to your teeth. A lost elastic or tie wire can wait until the office reopens or your next appointment. A broken wire will have to be replaced.
In the case of any change to your appliances we ask that you call the office when we re open and allow us to make the decision with regard to a return emergency visit.
Brushing and Flossing
Now that you have started down the path to a straighter, healthier smile it is important to maintain good oral health along the way. We also urge you to keep your regularly scheduled appointments with your dental hygienist in conjunction with proper home care.
Extra time will be needed to keep your teeth and braces clean during your orthodontic treatment with our office. It is imperative that the plaque be removed from your teeth and gums several times per day. The bacteria in the plaque is what is responsible for many of the common dental problems we face such as periodontal inflammation (red gum tissue), decalcification (breakdown of enamel) as well as tooth decay. With proper brushing and flossing techniques you should not encounter any of these problems. The brackets themselves do not cause any of these common problems; it is improper maintenance of your oral health that does this. So be sure to take great care of your mouth and brackets during your treatment.
Our office will provide you with the necessary tools to do this job properly as well as give you training to free your teeth and brackets from plaque and food debris. The best way to do this is to brush after every meal, floss your teeth once per day and use the interdental brush to get between the brackets and the arch wires.
Sports
When participating in sporting events a mouthguard may be the only thing between you and costly dental work, especially for people who wear dental braces. You can continue to participate in any sport you choose. When playing sports where there is a possibility of getting hit in the mouth, a specially designed mouthguard will need to be worn.
Using a mouthguard can prevent damage to any orthodontic appliance, dental braces as well as prevent mouth lacerations and tooth damage. However the kind of mouthguard you use can made a big difference. Custom-made mouthguards are best according to the Academy of General Dentistry. A perfect fit can better protect teeth and disperse impacts to the mouth. Gaps between the teeth and mouth guard, common with commercially manufactured mouthguards, allow leeway from injury to occur.
