While you are getting used to your new braces, things will feel different. You may or may not notice some of these changes:
You may temporarily have excess saliva
Your bite (how your teeth fit together) may be different both initially and after adjustments
Your teeth may feel loose. We have to loosen them a bit in order to move them. Don’t worry this isn’t permanent.
Your teeth may be sore when biting into food
Soreness
You may be uncomfortable for a few days after first getting your braces and after regular appointments but everyone is different- some people will be sore, and some won’t. Remember, it doesn’t have to hurt for it to work. If you do get sore, a few things can help relieve that uncomfortable feeling:
Warm salt water rinses- mix 1 teaspoon salt in a glass of warm water and swish for 1 min several times per day
Tylenol, Advil or other normal over-the-counter pain reliever
Diet of soft and/or cold foods (milkshakes!!)
Eating
Certain foods can damage braces and appliances, so you’ll need to take special care to avoid certain foods while in treatment. Broken braces could potentially prolong your time in treatment.
Foods to AVOID:
Chewy, sticky foods- gum, caramels, taffy, tootsie rolls, starburst, now and laters, Swedish fish, gummy bears
Hard, crunchy foods- hard candies and lollipops, nuts, popcorn, big hard pretzels
Avoid chewing on non-food items- pens, pencils, bottle tops, fingernail
Foods to eat DIFFERENTLY:
Anything you would normally bite into with your front teeth should be cut or torn into pieces.
Place the pieces on your back teeth to chew.
Apples, carrots, pears, other fruits
Bagels, hoagies, thick sandwiches
Pizza crust, bread with thick crust
Ribs or chicken on the bone- remove meat from bone to eat
Corn on the cob- cut kernels from cob to eat
Foods you CAN eat:
Soft and/or cold foods soothe sore teeth
Ice cream, milkshakes, yogurt, pudding, smoothies, cheese
Pasta, rice, meatballs, well cooked meat/poultry, fish, lunchmeat
Mashed potatoes, well cooked vegetables, cooked beans
Bananas, applesauce, canned fruit
Pancakes, muffins, oatmeal, eggs
Cleaning
Food gets caught around your braces when eating, as there are many more places for the food to get stuck. In order to keep your teeth and gums healthy throughout treatment, you’ll need to brush after each meal and floss every day. Complete brushing and flossing instructions, along with a demonstration, are found in our video “Burkland’s Best Brushing with Braces” located on our webpage and YouTube.com. Don’t forget to see your general dentist for your regular check-ups too- he or she will help you maintain your healthy smile.
Brushing
It’s important to brush your teeth 3 times per day. After each meal is ideal, however many patients in braces are at school and can’t brush after lunch. In this case, brushing should be done before school, after school, and before bed.
It should now take a total of 6 minutes to brush your teeth, as you now need to keep not only your teeth and gums clean but your braces too. Brush your top teeth for 3 minutes, then your bottom teeth for 3 minutes, then brush your tongue. Use the sand timer provided at your initial visit to gauge your time or play some music during brushing- 1 song for your upper teeth then a second song for your lower teeth.
Flossing
It’s important to floss your teeth daily as no amount of brushing can clean the parts of your teeth that floss does. Nighttime is best for flossing so your gums can stay clean all night while you sleep.
Proxabrush (Christmas Tree Brush)
This skinny brush is great to have with you at all times. It can remove pieces of food from your braces when you don’t have time to do a thorough brushing (ex. at school or business lunch, after snacks). Simply slide the brush under your wire with the tip pointing away from your gums to push food and plaque out.
Disclosing Tablets
It can be hard to tell if you’ve removed all of the plaque after brushing since plaque is the same color as your teeth. Disclosing tablets will stain any leftover plaque a bright color so you can easily see it to finish removing it. After brushing at night, take 1 tablet, chew it and swish it around for 30 seconds. Carefully spit and inspect your mouth. Any areas that are now bright pink or purple are areas missed when you brushed. Now, go back and re-brush those areas until no color remains. The next time you brush, pay more attention to the areas that were colored the time before. That’s how you’ll learn to brush perfectly with your braces.
Tip- apply chapstick to your lips before chewing a disclosing tablet to prevent your lips from becoming pink.
Poor Hygiene – Why is it so important to clean your mouth really well while wearing braces? Some problems can occur if you leave plaque accumulate in your mouth for prolonged periods of time. Remember, these problems are not caused by braces but by not cleaning your braces well.
Cavities- holes, or structural damage, in teeth
Gum Disease- infection in your gums that cause them to bleed and become swollen and red
Bad Breath
Decalcification- fancy word for a scar on your tooth; just like any other scar on your body, tooth scars are permanent
At your regular visits with Dr. Burkland, your hygiene is checked. If there are any areas that are not clean, we will show you where and help you learn to better care for your smile.
Wax
Braces can be rough on the insides of your cheeks. At times, wires can poke or become sharp and loose braces can be irritating. They can rub causing blisters or sore spots to form. Over time, your cheeks will toughen and not be as prone to these sores as they are initially but, in the meantime, wax can help make you more comfortable. Roll a small piece of wax into a ball, blot the offending area dry, and press the wax into the brace. Remove the wax to eat or drink and replace with a new piece of wax if needed. Use as much or as little wax as you need- it doesn’t affect your treatment at all. In a pinch, a wet cotton ball can be substituted for wax if you are caught without it.
Loose or Broken Braces
A loose or broken brace is one that is no longer attached to your tooth. It may move around inside your mouth. Most often a broken brace does not cause discomfort, it is simply annoying. Use wax to prevent the brace from sliding around and call us immediately. A broken brace is not considered an emergency (unless you are truly in pain) but we do need to know about it before your regularly scheduled appointment, even if the break occurs on the same day as your appointment. It takes extra time and materials to repair a breakage and without notice, we won’t have enough time allotted for you to do the repair and your regularly scheduled appointment together.
Sports
It is ok to play all sports while in braces, but only while wearing a mouthguard. A mouthguard will protect your teeth and appliances from damage if you are accidentally bumped in the mouth during play. Be sure to use one that is specially made for braces or orthodontics, i.e. one that you don’t mold to your teeth.
Other Orthodontic Care
Spacers
Spacers are tiny rubber bands that are temporarily placed in between your teeth to create room to slide a band (a type of brace that looks like a metal ring) around your tooth. Spacers feel like a piece of food stuck between your teeth and may cause minor discomfort that your normal pain reliever can alleviate. Spacers are normally left in for 1-2 weeks. During that time, you can brush your teeth as you normally would but only floss the areas that don’t have spacers. Please avoid eating chewy, sticky foods as these can pull the spacers out from in-between your teeth. Call us if your spacers fall out before your appointment.
Elastics/Rubber Bands
Rubber bands are used along with your braces to gradually move your teeth in ways the wires alone cannot do. Elastics should be worn 24 hours a day (unless otherwise instructed) and only removed to brush your teeth. That means rubber bands should be removed 3 times per day and immediately replaced with a new rubber band. You should be eating, sleeping and going to school wearing your rubber bands- (take the bags of elastics with you wherever you go). Cooperation and consistent wear is the only way your teeth will move with elastics. If they’re not in all the time, its as though you’re not wearing them at all and your teeth start to resist the movement rubber bands are trying to accomplish. Initially, your will be sore from the movement. Take your normal pain reliever but keep wearing your rubber bands. After a few days, your teeth will become accustomed to the pressure and you will not experience any more discomfort. If you are not sure where to hook your elastics or you run low on your supply, please call us so we can help.
Retainers
Retainers are worn after braces are removed to keep the teeth in their new position. Without a retainer, your teeth will “remember” where they were and drift back into their original position. Wear your retainer as directed. For most people that means 7 nights a week for 8 hours a night for at least 7 years, or as long as you want straight teeth. Brush your teeth before inserting your retainer and clean your retainer as soon as you remove it in the morning. Clean it only with your toothbrush and toothpaste. Do not use anything else to clean it, even if the product says its safe for braces, dentures, or retainers. Once it is clean, return your retainer to its case for safekeeping. Pets and young children may be tempted to play with your retainer and break it accidentally or it may become lost if it is left lying around. Bring your retainer to each appointment so we can make sure it fits well.
Palatal Expander
Expanders are used to widen your upper arch. Just like any other appliance, they take time to get used to. Initially, they may cause your speech to be altered but with a little practice, your speech will return to normal. They will also cause some excess saliva to pool in your mouth temporarily as your brain thinks your expander is food. After a few days, this returns to normal as well. Parts of the expander may rub on your lips and cheeks causing blisters to form. Any irritated areas can be cushioned with wax (see above for instructions) and sore teeth can be helped with your normal pain reliever.
Dr.Burkland would like to turn your expander 30 times, once a day. The best time to do this is at night, just before bed. To turn the appliance:
Place the key firmly into the hole in the front of the appliance
Push the key towards the back of the mouth until the next hole is visible at the front
Remove the key by pulling straight down, not forward
Check to make sure you can insert the key in the next hole at the starting position in the front of the expander
If you have accidentally removed the key before completing the turn, you will have to reinsert the key into the hole and complete turn
Please call the office for questions or concerns about the expander
The expander must be kept clean in order to see the keyhole and complete the turns so be sure to brush the portion of the expander that is along the roof of your mouth. As the expander is turned, a large space will develop between the front teeth. This is only temporary and will close shortly. Also be sure to avoid chewy, sticky foods (see above) as these can cause your expander to become loose.