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What should I expect after getting my braces?
After a routine orthodontic adjustment, you may experience some tightness or even a slight amount of pain. If this discomfort or pain does not quickly dissipate, or becomes extreme, you should consult your orthodontist. Over-the-counter pain medications may be used to relieve the discomfort, but only if the patient does not have any contra-indications to that particular drug. Concerns about your appliances, and any problems with broken parts, should also be brought to your orthodontist's attention immediately.
How often should I visit my regular dentist?
It is important that you continue with regular visits to your general dentist while undergoing orthodontic treatment. We recommend that our patients visit the general dentists every 4 months or three times per year. Some primary or general dentists may recommend to see them even more frequently, every 3 months.
Routine checkups are necessary to spot cavities and signs of gum disease. Your dentist or hygienist may also perform frequent fluoride treatments to provide additional protection to tooth surfaces from decay while you’re wearing braces.
Your home oral care techniques will be monitored by your dental professional and changes will be recommended as necessary. As always, be sure to follow their instructions.
How do I avoid breaking my braces?
Breakage of braces or other orthodontic appliances during treatment can be an unfortunate and unnecessary source of aggravation and cost. The braces are attached to the teeth in such a way as to permit use over the course of a few years, yet at the same time, allow removal without harming the enamel. The balance between bond strength of the braces and ease of removal when the treatment is complete necessitates cooperation from the patient during treatment.
Diet modification and a change in how food is eaten are critical to preventing breakage. The best way to avoid breakage during treatment is to follow these instructions:
Avoid hard foods: caramel, tootsie rolls, other hard candy, chips, meat on bones, popcorn, jerky, nuts, hard fruit cores or pits, etc.
Avoid chewing on hard objects such as pens, pencils or ice cubes.
Eat foods such as apples and carrots by first cutting them into smaller pieces
The cost of breakage may not be entirely monetary. Patients who repeatedly break braces and appliances may be charged additionally by their orthodontist. The treatment that has repeated broken appliances will take longer and the results may end less than ideal.
Every time a bracket comes off of a tooth, that tooth is no longer functioning as a part of the arch. This will tend to slow the progress of the treatment if it happens on a regular basis.
There may be other factors involved in breakage of the braces. This may include a very deep bite (the top teeth overlap and hit the lower braces when biting and chewing), appliances that may need adjustment (a headgear rubs against the braces when worn), or a bonding failure. Bonding failure is rare and is more likely to occur in a patient where saliva and moisture control is difficult, or if the bonding is attempted in a difficult area of the mouth.
Sports and accidents tend to be additional sources of appliance and braces breakage. Hockey, football, wrestling, martial arts with sparring and any other contact sport runs the risk of damage to the mouth, teeth and braces, especially if a mouth guard is not worn. Some sports such as basketball and soccer, where mouth guard use is generally not mandated by schools, can have high contact situations and may have instances where a bracket could come loose.
Oral Hygiene
Why is hygiene important while wearing braces?
You should be prepared for the fact that taking care of your teeth will be more difficult once you get braces. Braces have an increased potential for trapping food and plaque. A basic oral hygiene is therefore very important when learning how to maintain your hygiene with braces.
We always recommend learning the basics of oral hygiene prior to getting braces. Each patient should also visit their general dentist before braces are placed, so a dental cleaning can be done and all caries or dental decay repaired.
Once the braces are placed, it's very important to brush your teeth three times a day, to rinse with mouthwash, and to floss at least once a day. This may seem tedious or excessive, but neglecting your oral hygiene can lead to serious oral health problems, force you to spend additional time in braces, lead do increased gum inflammation or cause permanent staining on your teeth. The extra responsibility needed to care for braces properly is something that both a patient and parents of a child patient should be prepared for.
In addition to brushing and flossing, another important way of minimizing the decay potential and gingival inflammation is adjusting your diet. Please avoid eating big amounts of sugar containing foods. This may increase the amount of plaque and its negative effect on your teeth causing faster decay or caries.
How do I brush my teeth while wearing braces?
Prepare to brush. Take off elastics and any other removable parts of your orthodontic appliance.
Do not use hard or medium brushes, these may cause damage to your gums and cause recession in some cases. Only use soft and extra soft bristled toothbrushes.
Hold your brush at a 45-degree angle to clean around the wires and pins of your braces. Brush horizontally across, first above the brackets and then below the brackets. Brush from the gum line to the end of each tooth. Tilt the brush as needed to better reach the insides of smaller front teeth. You may also brush using circular motions. Once you are done with brushing the outside surface, please brush the inside of your teeth.
Use small proxy brushes to access areas around the braces or spaces where food gets easily trapped.
Take your time to ensure that all plaque and debris are removed, and that you work all the way around upper and lower teeth. Please always check in the mirror or have a parent check to make sure that most of the plaque was removed. The teeth surface should look shiny and smooth after proper brushing.
Rinse and check your teeth. Rinse thoroughly with water or mouth rinse, and examine your teeth and braces in the mirror.
Step 1 : Place your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to your gum.
Step 2 : Brush gently away from the gum and in a circular motion.
Step 3: Brush the outer, inner, and chewing surfaces of each tooth.
Step 4: Use the tip of your brush for the inner surface of your front teeth.
How do I floss while wearing braces?
Floss once a day, before bedtime. Always use a floss threader. We recommend using colored waxed floss. It helps to better visualize the plaque that is being removed from a tooth surface.
Step 1: Using a piece of floss about 18 inches long, carefully thread the end between braces and wire. You may find a floss threader helpful.
Step 3: Carefully floss around the gum areas. The floss has to wrap around the tooth forming letter “C”. Scrape off plaque from the tooth.
Step 2: Carefully floss around the braces.
Step 4: Carefully floss around each tooth.