Post-Operative Instructions for Braces Treatment

Getting braces is an exciting step toward a healthier, more confident smile! During the first few days, it’s normal to experience some soreness as your teeth and mouth adjust. The information below will help you care for your braces, manage discomfort, and learn which foods and habits to avoid during treatment.

In the Beginning

For the first day or so, stick to soft foods like soup, mashed potatoes, yogurt, or pasta. Before long, you’ll be able to eat tougher foods again. But you’ll need to protect your orthodontic appliances when you eat for as long as you’re wearing braces. This page includes a list of foods and actions to avoid.

General Soreness

When you get your braces on, you may feel general soreness in your mouth, and your teeth may be tender to biting pressure for three to five days. This can be relieved by rinsing your mouth with a warm salt water mouthwash. (Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in 8 ounces of warm water, and rinse your mouth vigorously.) If the tenderness is severe, take Advil (Ibuprofen) or whatever you normally take for headaches or similar pain. Drinking cold fluids will also help to alleviate some of the soreness associated with the new arch-wires. Your lips, cheeks and tongue may also become irritated for one to two weeks as they toughen and become accustomed to the surface of the braces. You should put wax on your braces to lessen this.

Loosening of Teeth

It is normal for your teeth to loosen throughout your treatment. Don’t worry! Your teeth must loosen before they can be moved. Your teeth will once again become rigidly fixed in their new, corrected positions.

Care of Appliances

To successfully complete your treatment plan, you must follow Dr. Derek’s home-care instructions. Your teeth and jaws can only move toward their corrected positions if you consistently wear your rubber bands, headgear or other appliances as prescribed.

Brushing

It is more important than ever to brush and floss regularly when you have braces, so your teeth and gums are healthy during and after your orthodontic treatment. Patients who do not keep their teeth clean may require more frequent visits to the dentist for a professional cleaning. Adults who have a history of gum disease should also see aperiodontist during orthodontic treatment.

Loose Wire or Broken Bracket

Don’t be alarmed if a wire or bracket comes loose. This happens occasionally. If a wire protrudes and is irritating, use a blunt instrument (the eraser end of a pencil) and carefully, gently push the irritating wire under the arch wire to get it out of the way. If irritation to the lips or mouth continues, place wax or wet cotton on the wire to reduce the annoyance. Call our office as soon as possible for an appointment to check and repair the appliances. If any bracket comes off, SAVE IT and bring it with you to our office!!! Foods to Avoid for the Duration of your Braces Treatment The following is a list of foods that you should NOT eat while you are in braces. Please use this list as your guide and follow it for the entire duration of your braces treatment. If you have any questions about anything on this list please refer to our website, or feel free to call our office!

Chewy, Crunchy, Sticky, or Hard foods; or foods that you have to bite into, such as:

• Bagels, Pizza Crust
• Hard Breads, Rolls, Taco Shells, Pretzels, Chips, (Tortillas, Doritos, Kettle, etc.)
• Nuts (And any other foods/candy that contain nuts, like Crunchy Peanut Butter, Snickers, etc.)
• Popcorn (The kernels can get stuck in your brackets and under your gum-line, which can lead to
• inflammation/infection of the gum tissue)
• Ice
• Corn on the Cob
• Meat on the Bone (Chicken Wings, Ribs, etc.)
• Raw Vegetables (Carrots, Celery, etc.)
• Hard Fruit with peels (Apples, Pears, etc.)
• Pickles, Cucumbers
• Dried Fruit, Fruit Chews, Fruit Roll-Ups
• Crunchy or Chewy Granola Bars, Granola Cereal, Hard/Crunchy Cereal
• Beef Jerky
• Candy (Twizzlers, Licorice, Gummy Bears, Gummy Worms, Sour Patch Kids, Lollipops, DumDums, Gum, Peanut
• Brittle, Hard Cookies, Ice Cream with nuts in it, Tootsie Rolls, Snickers, Taffy, Toffee, Starburst, Skittles, Peanut
• M&M’s, Chocolate Covered Nuts, Caramels, etc.)

Healthy Alternatives for some of the above foods are:

• Cooked Beans instead of nuts
• Cooked Edamame (Soy Beans) instead of popcorn
• Cooked Vegetables instead of Raw Vegetables
• For Corn on the Cob cut the kernels off the cob
• For Meat on the Bone, cut it off the bone and into small pieces
• For Hard Fruit with peels, cut them into small pieces
• Soft Snack Bars or cereal instead of Granola Bars, Fruit Chews, etc.
• Soft Breads, Rolls, Flour/Corn Tortillas, Pretzels, Chips instead of their hard alternatives

Actions that should be avoided at all times:

Tearing things with your teeth, biting your lips, pushing your teeth with your tongue, biting on hard things like pens/pencils, or your fingernails.

Damage to your braces will prolong your treatment time, and will increase the amount of visits you make to our office!

Please be careful with your braces so you can have the best possible experience with us!

PLAYING SPORTS WITH BRACES

You can still play sports with braces! If you do play sports, we recommend that you wear a custom mouthguard to protect your teeth and appliance. We will help you decide what type of mouthguard is best for you and your sport! In the event of a sports emergency, check your mouthguard and mouth for any sign of damage. If you notice any loose teeth or damage to the appliance, call our office immediately