What to expect after placement of braces
- Your teeth and lips may be sore for about 1-2 weeks (everyone is different).
- If you have BITE GUARDS placed on your teeth you will only be able to bite on the bite guards. Your other teeth won’t touch until about 2-4 months into treatment.
- You will get used to eating with the BITE GUARDS. Hang in there!
- Use wax and Ibuprofen (or other pain meds) to help aid with discomfort as needed.
- During the first few weeks, you can place Six Month Smiles wax on parts of the braces that may be bothering you (wires or brackets).
What to do for pain management
During the first few weeks with your braces you are likely to have areas or your mouth that get sore. To help with the discomfort, consider the following:
- Place wax on the parts of the braces that may be bothering you.
- Use over the counter pain medication. We recommend combining two Ibuprofens (such as Motrin) with two Acetaminophens (such as Tylenol).
What to do if one of the brackets come off
On occasion a bracket may fall off your tooth. (This almost never happens to patients who carefully follow the instructions below regarding foods to avoid and how to care for your teeth with braces.) Sometimes the bracket may come off in such a way that it comes out of your mouth all together. Other times the bracket may fall off the tooth, but remain attached to the wire. If either of these scenarios happen to you, don’t panic. If the loose/missing bracket is not bothering you, you can simply wait until your next regularly scheduled appointment to have it fixed. If it is bothering you, call the office at (513) 245-2200 to have the bracket placed back onto the tooth.
Foods to avoid
- Anything that is harder than a PRETZEL.
- Crusts, nuts, bagels, chicken wings, popcorn kernels, raw vegetables, whole fruit, candy, taffy and ANY OTHER FOOD THAT COULD DISLODGE ONE OF YOUR BRACES.
- Many highly colored foods and drinks can stain your braces, such as spaghetti sauce, red wine, coffee, tea, strawberries, blue berries, curry, dark sodas, red juices, etc. Try to limit eating or drinking these items.
How to care for your teeth with braces
Keep in mind that teeth move slower if plaque and tartar are in the way and your adjustments will be easier if your teeth are clean. You need to clean your teeth with braces just as you normally should:
- Brush 3 times a day for 2 minutes each time.
- Floss at least once a day
- Keep all plaque off of your teeth so that it doesn’t harden up and turn into tartar.
To see a video on how to floss with braces, click on the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMWxevSctIU
** Six Months is the average treatment time and not a guarantee.
