Learning to live with braces can pose challenging within the first few days. Patients who are new to braces must learn how to properly care for them over the course of treatment. By maintaining oral hygiene while wearing braces, you can expect healthy, aligned teeth when the treatment is finished.

Eating with Braces

Avoid sticky foods, hard candy and gum along with popcorn, hard cookies, chips and ice. Foods such as these can break the brackets and wiring that hold your braces in place. Cut up or break hard foods like fruit, burgers, sandwiches, corn on the cob and burgers. Maintain a nutritious diet and evade breaking braces with foods like yogurt, bananas, soft breads, seafood, soft cooked vegetables and icecream.

Handling Discomfort

A few days after receiving braces, your mouth may feel sore or tender. This is due to your teeth and mouth adjusting to the change. To remedy this, create a salt solution of 1 teaspoon of salt and mix it with 8 ounces of lukewarm water. Make sure to swish this rather than swallow. Shortly the pain should subside.

Loose Wires or Bands

If wires or bands become loose, contact your dentist immediately. When braces become loose, modifications must be performed to the appliance in order to repair it. In the case where your orthodontic appliance completely falls off, make sure to save it and bring to your dentist so it can be replaced.

Ready to get started with braces? Contact Lindner Dental for a consultation! We offer orthodontic treatment for children and adults, infant dental care and Invisalign.