Life With Braces

Life with Braces

Braces have come a long way over the past couple of decades, and we often find that patients are now very excited to start their orthodontic treatment! While there are certain limitations and precautions that one must take while wearing braces, most of our patients find that their treatment with braces does not cramp their lifestyle.

The speed and effectiveness of your treatment with braces is determined by your food choices and oral hygiene. Here are some tips and trips to make sure that your treatment with braces as fast and effective as possible:

What kind of food can you eat while wearing braces?

It is advised to maintain a soft diet for the first few weeks from the commencement of your orthodontic treatment. It is essential to have a diet that will be easy enough to chew and swallow. Dr. Nejat advises to avoid food that is hard to bite, chew, and those that may result in tooth decay such as food that is high in sugar or starch.

Maintain your braces by avoiding the below:

• Sticky food such as caramel or gum. Food such as these can stick to your braces and it will be difficult to pull it out.
• Apples, carrots, corn, nuts, and candy. This food that is firm and hard to bite and may result in breakage of the bracket.
• Popcorn and chips, as they are crunchy food.
• Bagels and granola bars.

Maintain healthy braces by keeping these in your diet:

• Bananas, mangoes, and other soft fruits and vegetables.
• Milk, water, slow cooked meat and poultry.

As the above food is soft, low in acidity, and easy to chew.

How to maintain oral hygiene while wearing braces?

• Brush and toothpaste: It is important to maintain a good oral hygiene while wearing braces. Dr. Nejat recommends that you use a soft toothbrush and a fluoride toothpaste instead of the conventional ones. This will help to clean areas of your teeth without the chance of damaging your braces.
• Cleaning your teeth: Dr. Nejat and the team will instruct you to place the toothbrush at a 45 degree angle against the gums and teeth. While wearing braces, it is essential to take proper care while brushing in the area between the wiring and the teeth.
• Regular rinsing: Rinsing your teeth every day with mouthwash will certainly help to maintain oral hygiene.

Complications that you will come across and how to deal with it.

It is normal to face situations such as irritation, soreness in the mouth, loose wires and bands, and pain in the jaws for a few weeks after wearing braces.

Soreness in the mouth will gradually subside. For a while, you may also start to feel that your teeth are becoming loose. This is completely normal for the sole purpose of wearing braces are to shift your teeth to its correct position.

Sometimes, there might be situations when you will have to come to our office for help to deal with the challenges that you’ll face while wearing the braces, but there are others that you can handle on your own.

• It’s normal to face discomfort such as irritation on the lips, cheeks, and tongue after wearing braces. You can easily resolve this by using the wax that is provided to you by our team.
• Elastics may break, and brackets sometimes come loose. If this occurs then we advise you to make an appointment with us ASAP.

In case a wire starts to stick out and poke the gums or cheek, the eraser end of a pencil is a great option for moving the wire to a place where it won’t cause any further irritation.

• Applying a wet cotton ball over the brace is a good method to relieve pain if any part of the broken wire or brace is causing irritation to areas inside your mouth.

How do I take care of my appliances?

While wearing braces it is crucial to ensure that they are well maintained. Proper care given your appliances can ensure that they last longer and with good results in terms of treatment.

Here are some tips that will prove to be useful:

• Using oral toothbrushes and fluoride toothpaste.
• Using other special brushes and tools to clean under the braces that will be advised by the dentist.
• Regular brushing and flossing of the teeth to ensure that the appliances remain clean.
• Routine checkups in a period of six months.

Are there any limitations that I have while wearing braces?

No. While it’s important to keep in mind of the safety of your braces, continuing with regular activities are fine. We encourage you to continue regular exercise and other activities.

Sports lovers can enjoy playing sports even while undergoing treatment. However, it is a useful tip to protect your teeth and braces by wearing a mouth guard.