Braces
Life with braces
Now that you have your braces, how do you take care of them? It’s very important for you to know how to properly take care of your braces so that you finish with a beautiful, healthy smile at the end.
Brushing your teeth with braces on is more important than ever! Braces are great at building your beautiful, healthy smile, but they are also great at collecting food debris. If your teeth and gums are not kept healthy, you may develop PERMANENT, unsightly white stains or cavities on your teeth.
All toothpastes contain fluoride which helps harden the tooth enamel making it less susceptible to staining and cavities. Dr. Steiman strongly recommends nightly rinsing with a fluoride mouthwash in order to strengthen the enamel while you sleep. Regular checkups and cleanings with your regular dentist are strongly advised during the entire orthodontic treatment period. Adults with a history of gum or bone disease may need to see a periodontist before, during or after orthodontic treatment.
Flossing is just as important as brushing. Food debris still needs to be cleaned away from in between the teeth when you have braces on. Superfloss, or floss threaders, makes flossing with braces easy. Water jet flossing devices work really well with braces too. Our staff are experts on keeping teeth clean. When your braces go on, we will show you how to keep them clean and every time you come in to get your braces adjusted, we will tell you how well you are keeping your teeth and gums healthy.
If you play contact sports, it is important that you protect your teeth and braces with a sports mouth guard. At Steiman Smiles Orthodontics, mouth guards are complimentary with your treatment. We will give you the size that suits you best. Mouth guards are always in stock so you can always ask for them the day your braces go on.
In the event of a sports accident, check your mouth and all orthodontic devices immediately. If anything is broken, call our office right away so that we can arrange to get you all fixed up and back on the road.
Dr. Steiman will design a treatment plan for you, but every patient has some homework to do in order to create your beautiful, healthy smile. Your teeth and jaws will only move into their ideal positions if you follow the instructions that Dr. Steiman and his staff give you. Consistent wear of elastics or any other orthodontic device, is critical to the final outcome of your bite and smile. Biting on pens, pencils, and fingernails are the worst habits that causes a brace to break off a tooth. If you have any of these habits, please stop them immediate. Inconsistent wear or broken devices only leads to longer treatment times, compromised results and increased costs.
In order for a tooth to move, it must loosen up in the bone. This is absolutely normal for everyone. Don't worry, because after the treatment is finished, your teeth will tighten up in the bone again. That’s what retainers are for.
Braces don’t hurt, but your teeth will probably be sore for the first 2-4 days after your teeth first start to move. For some people, this soreness can last up to a week. After a regular wire adjustment appointment, the teeth may be sore again. This only lasts for a few hours. If your teeth are sore, it is best to eat softer foods. You can take a pain reliever like Advil or Tylenol if you wish.
Most times, the lips, cheeks, and tongue will get used to your braces without you even knowing it. However, should any of these areas become irritated, you can use the soft clear wax that was given to you in your start-up kit. Simply place the wax right over the face of the brace. In a very short time, your lips, cheeks, or tongue will toughen up and you won't need to use the wax any more. Of course, our office has lots of extra wax if you need it.
The great news about today's modern braces and tooth bonding materials is that you can pretty much eat anything that you want! We ask you to avoid sticky, chewy, gummy things. This includes jube jubes, sour keys, gummy bears and chewing gum. These foods wrap around the wire which slows down the speed of tooth movement. That means your braces will stay on longer. These foods are also very high in sugar and are difficult to clean. This can easily cause stains and cavities around your braces. Hard, crunchy foods, such as hard candies and popcorn, will break braces off the teeth and slow down your treatment as well. There are also some foods that should be eaten a little differently. These foods include carrots, apples, and corn on the cob. Our well-trained staff will teach you how to eat these foods and avoid problems with your braces.
When the wrong foods are eaten or the right foods are eaten in the wrong way, a brace may break off your tooth. This will make your orthodontic treatment longer to finish.