Eating with Braces What can you eat? Let's talk about what you shouldn't eat! If you've been wanting to drop a few pounds, the first week wearing braces is just your chance! For the first day or so, stick to soft foods. Avoid tough meats, hard breads, and raw vegetables. Before long, you'll be able to bite a cucumber again. But you'll need to protect your orthodontic appliances when you eat for as long as you're wearing braces. Foods to Avoid Chewy foods: bagels, hard rolls, licorice Crunchy foods: popcorn, ice, chips Sticky foods: caramels, gum Hard foods: nuts, candy Foods you have to bite into: corn on the cob, apples, carrots Chewing on hard things (for example, pens, pencils or fingernails) can damage the braces. Damaged braces will cause treatment to take longer. General Soreness When you get your braces on, you may feel general soreness in your mouth and teeth may be tender to biting pressures 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 aspirin or whatever you normally take for headache or similar pain. The 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 can put wax on the braces to lessen this. We'll show you how! Loosening of Teeth This is to be expected throughout treatment. Don't worry! It's normal. Teeth must loosen first so they can be moved. The teeth will again become rigidly fixed in their new – corrected – positions. Care of Appliances To successfully complete the treatment plan, the patient must work together with the orthodontist. The teeth and jaws can only move toward their corrected positions if the patient consistently wears the rubber bands, headgear or other appliances as prescribed. Damaged appliances lengthen the treatment time. Brushing It's more important than ever to brush and floss regularly when you have braces, so the teeth and gums are healthy after 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 a periodontist during orthodontic treatment. Retainer Instructions WHY:  Retainers hold your teeth straight. If not worn, your teeth will try to return to their original positions and your retainers will no longer fit. Your jaw bones, gums, and muscles need time to adapt to the new tooth positions. Even after these structures have adapted, your teeth can still shift due to oral habits, growth, wisdom tooth development, and teeth grinding. WHEN:  Retainers need to be worn every night to bed. Additional daytime wear may be recommended in some cases. Because of the variety of factors that can cause teeth to shift, we recommend you keep and wear your retainers indefinitely. Please wear your retainers exactly as we instruct. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS: Keep your retainers clean by brushing them with your toothbrush and cold water. Do this after every use or else they will get yucky and foul smelling! Do not attempt to "sterilize" them in hot water or leave them in/on a hot surface. They may change shape and no longer fit. It is okay to soak them in mouthwash or denture cleaners. Always store your retainers in the case provided when not being worn. Never leave them lying around or wrapped in a tissue. They could get damaged, lost, or accidentally thrown away. Think of your retainer as an expensive piece of jewelry. Be especially careful if you have dogs in your house; they love to chew on retainers! If you have a permanent retainer (a wire bonded to the inside surface of the teeth), please use floss threaders or superfloss to floss underneath it every day. Permanent retainers are only used in certain cases since they make maintaining proper oral hygiene more difficult. Your retainers should fit comfortably and securely. If they don't, let us know. Always bring your retainers to your appointments. Fixed Expander Instructions Turn your expansion screws as instructed. Insert the key into the hole and turn toward the arrow. If you are unable to keep your scheduled appointment, stop turning the expander. Athletics If you play sports, it's important that you consult us for special precautions. A protective mouthguard is advised for playing contact sports. In case of any accident involving the face, check your mouth and the appliances immediately. If teeth are loosened or the appliances damaged, phone at once for an appointment. In the meantime, treat your discomfort as you would treat any general soreness. Loose Wire or Band Don't be alarmed if a wire or band comes loose. This happens occasionally. If wire protrudes and is irritating, use a blunt instrument (back of spoon or the eraser end of a pencil) and carefully, gently push the irritating wire under the archwire. Simply 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 piece comes off, save it and bring it with you to the office. Emergency Care As a general rule, an emergency appointment may be made when there is severe pain, a loose band, a broken wire or something sticking out that you can't take care of. It's important to know the names of the parts of your appliances. It will help, when you phone the office, to be able to identify what part is broken or out of place. 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Orthodontist Wayne L. Sankey | 2845 Morriss Rd | Flower Mound, TX 75028 | Tel: 972-539-4747 | Fax: 972-539-6657

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