Things You Need To Know!

The things you need to know that relate to your orthodontic treatment include:

discomfort
breakages
foods
hygiene
visits to Dentist

Discomfort - Having braces fitted is not painful. The small movements of your teeth in response to the pressure from the braces can leave the teeth feeling tender. This will happen in the first few days after your braces are fitted, and each time they are adjusted. Eating soft foods and, if needed, taking a mild pain reliever are the best ways of dealing with this.

You might also feel the braces rubbing against the insides of your cheeks and lips. We will give you some special wax to put over the part of the braces that is causing any irritation, which will help stop any ulcers.

Breakages - Braces can be damaged or broken. If so, and they are not repaired in a reasonable time, you may need to wear them for longer than was originally planned. Individual teeth can quickly move back to their original position if the pressure from the braces is removed.

Children (and adults!) should be discouraged from:

chewing pens, pencils or rulers, or even finger-nails
playing with braces
opening bottle-tops with their teeth!

It’s also important to avoid certain types of food, and to treat other foods with caution. See the Food information on this page.

If something feels loose or broken:

use the wax that we give you to cover any wire that is pushing into your cheek or gum
take care when you are eating, brushing or flossing
visit your orthodontist to have your braces repaired.

Foods - There are some foods that simply don’t go with wearing braces. They include:

toffee or caramel sweets and toffee apples
other firm or sticky sweets such as Minties, Red Skins, jelly babies, jaw breakers etc
bubble gum
nuts and hard muesli bars
corn chips
corn on the cob
ice
bones (remove the meat with cutlery).

Anything that is hard to crunch or too sticky might damage your braces.

There are some other foods that need particular care:

hard fruit and raw vegetables like apples or carrots
crusty bread rolls.

These are fine if they are cut into bite-size pieces, but it’s best not to bite down on a whole one. Chew these foods with your back teeth only.

Hygiene - Naturally the hygiene of your mouth is important, to avoid gum disease and keep your teeth healthy. It needs more care to keep your mouth clean when you have braces. Here’s what to do:

brush your teeth, your gums and your braces after every meal. Take any elastics off first. Start by brushing your teeth. Brush around your braces last, first from the top and then from the bottom. Use the mirror to make sure that you have removed any food in the braces.
floss between your teeth at least once daily. It’s best to do this before you go to bed.
use your "christmas tree" brush provided for cleaning under the wire
regularly check your brushing with the disclosing tablets provided

Visits to Dentist - Keep visiting your dentist as usual- he or she takes care of the health of your mouth and all of your teeth, whether or not they have braces on them.

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