Life With Braces
We hope getting braces was easy and comfortable compared to what you might have imagined. Now that you have the braces please keep in mind the following instructions so that your braces work smoothly to eventually give you a beautiful smile and a good bite.
On Eating with Braces:
- Braces are simply glued to the surface of teeth enamel by special bonding material. This material is strong but NOT permanent. The bond can be broken especially if you DO NOT watch WHAT you eat and HOW you eat.
- You should not eat anything Sticky, Chewy, Crunchy or Tough food items:
a. No chewing on ice, carrots, candies, gum, crunchy chips, nuts, etc. - No nail biting or pencil/pen chewing or picking on braces.
- You should NOT take a bite into anything with your front teeth because the bond has good strength for pull or push force but will NOT stand any peel kind of force like biting into something.b. So you should NOT take a bite into an Apple or Pizza or Big Subway sandwich or Fried Chicken etc. You can eat all these but cut them with a knife or tear them and eat with side teeth.
On Brushing:
- Remember braces are fixed to your teeth. Hence, what happens to the food every time you eat from today? Yes, it will get trapped around braces!! Hence you do not have any option but to Brush your teeth EVERY TIME you eat.
- Remember human mouths have a million bacteria. These bacteria can grow on the food very rapidly; they can rot the food and in turn rot your teeth.
- Hence IF you DO NOT brush Every time immediately after eating, then you may get White Braces Marks or Cavities on teeth which are seen once the braces are removed. It does not make sense to have straight teeth but with big holes of cavities in them. Also, this may cause gum infection with inflammation, bleeding and gum disease.
- Remember, you do not need to have tooth paste every time you brush. Just use the given sample travel tooth brush and water to wash all the food around braces.
- Most important thing to remember is to look in the mirror while brushing or after brushing to make sure the teeth and braces are absolutely clean. It does not matter how you brush so long as everything is clean and teeth and braces are shining!
Getting used to Braces:
- It takes a few days to get used to braces. The teeth might be slightly sore the next day. The lips and inside of the mouth may get sore spots from rubbing of braces.
- Generally, your mouth will form new skin layers from inside and you will get used to the braces within a week or two. Any normal pain killers are suggested only if needed.
- Your braces kit contains an emergency wax supply in form of a rope of wax. You can take a pinch of wax and make a small roll to put on the any point on braces ONLY if something poking sharp for temporary relief.