Eating with Braces

Food to Avoid with braces: For the first day or so, stick to soft foods. Avoid tough meats, hard bread, and raw vegetables; for as long as you wear braces, you'll need to protect your braces when you eat.

Foods to Avoid:

• Ice (even if you're careful)
• Lollipops, Snickers, and other hard candies or toffees
• Chewing Gums of any kind
• Hard chips like Doritos, Lays, or Kurkure
• Carrots, apples, pears, etc. should be cut into small pieces
• Stay away from the bottom of the popcorn bag – the hard kernels are bad news
• Meat should not be chewed off the bone – it should be cut off
• Corn of the cob should be sliced off
• Pizza crust, burgers, and waffles should be broken into bite-sized pieces
• Pens, pencils, and fingernails should not be bitten as they will damage your braces

General Soreness

After getting braces on, you might have overall mouth soreness and teeth sensitivity to pressure from biting for three to five days. Because the wires we place are thermally activated, you can ease this soreness by rinsing your mouth with cool water. Use a painkiller that you would typically use for a headache or other similar symptoms if the tenderness is very bad. As the lips, cheeks, and tongue are getting accustomed to the braces' surface, they may also experience irritation for a duration of one to two weeks. Wax can be used for the braces to minimize this.

Loosening of Teeth

This is normal during the course of treatment. Remain calm. It's typical. In order to shift teeth, they must first become loose. The teeth will again become rigidly fixed in their new, corrected positions.

Athletics

It's crucial that you speak with us about taking extra safety measures if you play sports. A protective mouth guard is advised for playing contact sports. Check your mouth and braces right away in the event of any facial injury. Make an appointment right away with our clinic if your braces have been damaged or your teeth have come loose. In the meantime, treat your discomfort as you would treat any general soreness.

Oral Hygiene Maintenance

Brushing: It's more important than ever to brush and floss regularly when you have braces, so your 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 stay current with their periodontal therapy during orthodontic treatment.

Cleaning All Three Tooth Surfaces: The first thing to consider when cleaning your teeth is that there are three surfaces of each tooth that need to be brushed. When brushing the outside surfaces of your teeth, try to make a 45-degree angle toward the gum line between the head of your toothbrush and the tooth itself. It is especially important to make sure the area between the brace and the gum stays clean. Try to brush three teeth at a time. Make sure these teeth are completely free of food and plaque before moving to the next few. Once you're done with the outsides of the top and bottom teeth, you can move to the inside.

When brushing the inside surfaces of your teeth

Try to maintain a 45-degree angle towards the gum line as you did with the outside surfaces. Again, try to brush three teeth at a time and make sure that they are clean before moving on.

Cleaning the chewing surfaces of your teeth is straightforward.

Interdental Brushing:

Traditional toothbrushes often struggle to reach the spaces around braces and wires, where food particles and plaque can easily accumulate. This is where a small bristles, interdental brush comes in handy. The narrow and tapered design of interdental brushes allows for more effective cleaning around the brackets and wires. They can reach between the wires and around the braces to remove debris that might be challenging to address with a regular toothbrush.

Interdental brushes can help remove plaque and food particles from between the teeth, reducing the risk of cavities and gum disease.

What if I Have an Emergency?

If you have an emergency, such as a broken bracket, loose or poking wire, or something else that is causing you discomfort, please call our office. We care about our patients and their comfort during treatment with us and will try to correct any problem you might have as quickly as possible.

Care of Your Braces:

To successfully complete your treatment plan, you’ll need to work in partnership with our office. Your teeth and jaws can only move toward their corrected positions if you consistently wear the rubber bands, headgear, or other appliances as prescribed.

We look forward to working with you to complete your orthodontic treatment plan.

How to Care for Your Braces

Dr. Paul Serrano and Dr. Andrew Serrano are known for creating beautiful smiles. Here are our tips to take care of your braces.

Ortho Care

Take especially good care of your teeth during orthodontic treatment.

By brushing and flossing regularly, you'll keep your teeth and gums at their best and ensure that your orthodontic treatment will deliver the healthiest smile possible.

When your braces come off, you'll see that your extra efforts have been rewarded with a healthy, great-looking smile that'll last the rest of your life.

If you fail to spend a little extra time caring for your braces, you may end up with white spots on your teeth once the braces are removed. This is an unsightly condition that no one wants.

Doing Your Part

To get the healthy and beautiful smile you want, you, your family dentist, and Dr. Paul Serrano and Dr. Andrew Serrano will have to work together as a team.

As the patient, you play the key part. It's up to you to make sure that your treatment is successful. Most importantly, you must keep your teeth clean and maintain good dental hygiene while you're wearing braces.

Proper dental care will take a little extra time and effort, but the results are well worth it. It will help you enjoy the best possible smile from your orthodontic treatment.

Plaque Is Your Enemy

Plaque is a sticky, colorless film that collects on your teeth. It's made of bacteria, food, and saliva. If you let plaque and trapped food stay on and around your braces, they can cause swollen gums, bad breath, cavities, and permanent marks on your teeth.

As your Smile Wellness Clinic orthodontist, we advise brushing your teeth regularly to remove this plaque.

We teach all of our patients the correct way to floss while wearing braces to make sure you remove all plaque regularly.

When to Clean

Brush thoroughly each time you have a meal or snack. If you can't brush right away after a meal, be sure to at least rinse your mouth well with water until you can brush.

Carry a travel toothbrush so that you can brush when you aren’t home. At least once every day, brush your teeth and braces thoroughly until they are spotlessly clean, and then floss.

This takes a little extra time, so you may want to do it at night before going to bed.

How to Brush

During your braces treatment, you will need to relearn the basics of brushing your teeth. Relearning this everyday task will teach you to pay attention to the cracks and crevices not only between teeth but around brackets and wires.

These tips can help you keep your teeth clean and healthy.

Step 1: Start with the outside of the teeth with the brush at a straight angle. Use circular, vibrating motions.

Step 2: Check the area between the gums and the braces by angling the brush down (up for the lower jaw). Keep moving in a small circular motion.

Step 3: Clean the rest of the outside of the teeth by angling the brush up (down for the lower jaw).

Step 4: Carefully brush the chewing surface of both the upper and lower jaw.

Step 5: Finish by brushing the inside of the teeth.

Step 6: Inspect your teeth and braces carefully to make sure they are spotless. Look closely in a well-lighted mirror. This is a good time to check for loose or broken brackets. If you find a problem, contact Serrano Orthodontics to see if it needs to be checked out and if we need to schedule a time to make a repair.

How to Floss

Our helpful Smile Wellness Clinic orthodontist staff will help you learn proper flossing techniques when you choose us for your orthodontic care.

These tips for flossing with braces will make the process smoother for you, and you'll be a pro in no time.

Step 1: Floss at least once a day. The floss needs to be pulled under the archwire if you have braces. A floss threader can facilitate this. Start by pulling floss through the threader.

Step 2: Push the end of the floss threader under the archwire and pull the floss through.

Step 3: Pull the floss up between the teeth and gently move it up and down the side of both teeth. Remember to move it up all the way under the gums.

Step 4: Pull the floss out and use a different section of it for the next tooth.

Antibacterial Mouthwash

Peroxyl, a hydrogen peroxide antiseptic mouth rinse, will reduce inflammation of your gums and cheeks. Peroxyl helps to prevent infection and decrease irritation that may develop from your braces.

Rinse your mouth with two teaspoons of Peroxyl (half a capful) for one minute and then spit it out. You may use Peroxyl up to four times daily following your brushing schedule: after meals (or after school) and before bed.

Just like using peroxide for a scrape on your skin, Peroxyl helps the inside of your mouth heal. Peroxyl can be used for general irritation caused by your braces or for canker sores, cheek bites, and other minor temporary injuries to the gums.

Rinsing

When you are finished brushing and rinsing, rinse your mouth carefully with water or an antiseptic dental rinse.

An antiseptic dental rinse can help minor gum inflammations and irritations from orthodontic appliances.

Also used to cleanse canker sores, minor wounds, and other mouth and gum irritations, this mouth rinse removes debris, enabling natural healing to occur.

Retainers

It’s important to brush your retainer every time you brush your teeth during the retention phase as they can accumulate food particles and plaque.

Once a day, you should soak your appliance in a glass of room-temperature tap water with a denture-cleaning tablet, such as Polident or Efferdent. This will help prevent plaque build-up and oral infections and will keep your appliance tasting better.

Do not use hot water as it can distort the appliance.

Interdental Toothbrushes

An interdental toothbrush (proxabrush) is another aid you might find useful in keeping your teeth, braces, and gums clean and healthy.

It can be used to clean under orthodontic wires and around braces. Use this device slowly and carefully so you do not damage your braces.

PROBLEMS CAUSED BY POOR ORAL HYGIENE

Good dental hygiene is critical during orthodontic treatment. Without it, plaque and food can accumulate around your braces.

The bacteria in plaque react with sugars and starches in food and form an acid that can eat away the enamel on your teeth, leading to white marks, cavities, or gum disease.

If plaque accumulates around your braces, it can leave permanent stains on your teeth called decalcification. Lines and spots from decalcification will remain on your teeth for life.

Periodontal disease, caused by the buildup of plaque, occurs in three stages. In the first stage, plaque accumulation irritates the gums. Your gums may be puffy or swollen. They may bleed when you brush or floss. This is called gingivitis.

Over time, the buildup of plaque may harden into a substance called tartar. As tartar accumulates, gaps or pockets may form between your gums and teeth. Even more tartar can collect in these pockets. This is called periodontitis.

Pockets of bacteria form and deepen beneath your gums, attacking and destroying the bone that anchors your teeth. This can even cause healthy teeth to loosen or eventually fall out. This is called advanced periodontitis.

OTHER HYGIENE HELPERS

In addition to the regular dental hygiene tools we are familiar with like toothbrushes and floss, there are a few products we can recommend that make brushing teeth with braces a little easier to manage.

Interproximal Brush: This tool slips under your archwire to more completely remove plaque and food particles near your brackets.

Prescription Fluoride Toothpaste or Fluoride Rinse: Use once a day as part of your cleaning routine, if prescribed by Dr. Serrano or Dr. Andrew. For the best results, use with your interproximal brush to deliver maximum fluoride protection to your teeth.

Power Toothbrush or Waterpik: These devices, such as the Oral-B Professional Series toothbrush, are designed to make brushing easier and more efficient.

Prevent Gum Disease

Early gum disease is reversible with professional help and good home care, but if you ignore it, it can get worse.

Gum disease is usually painless, so you need to pay attention to signs like bleeding or swollen and puffy gums. Carefully follow Dr. Paul Serrano and Dr. Andrew Serrano’s directions on hygiene to avoid these problems.