How to Live with Braces
With your shiny new braces, you are on your way to a beautiful smile, but what
is the best way to take care of braces? It
really is important to know how to take care of braces and your teeth through
the orthodontic process.Braces and Eating
You will need to give up a few crunchy, sticky and hard foods that can potentially damage your braces while you are wearing them. A small sacrifice for the end result of a sparkling new smile!Foods to Avoid
- Crunchy foods — chips, hard taco shells, hard pretzels, hard crackers, popcorn, chips, ice, lollipops, Jolly Ranchers, Now & Laters...
- Chewy foods — licorice, bagels
- Sticky foods — caramel candies, gumballs, jawbreakers, Starbursts, jelly beans, skittles, Good & Plenty, Milk Duds, fruit roll-ups, taffy
- Hard foods — nuts, hard candies
- Foods that require biting into — that you would normally bite into with your front teeth such as corn on the cob, apples, carrots
Foods You Can Eat
- Dairy — soft cheese, pudding, milk-based drinks
- Breads — soft tortillas, pancakes, muffins without nuts
- Grains — pasta, soft cooked rice
- Meats/poultry — soft cooked chicken, meatballs, lunch meats
- Seafood — tuna, salmon, crab cakes
- Vegetables — mashed potatoes, steamed spinach, beans
- Fruits — applesauce, bananas, fruit juice
- Treats — ice cream without nuts, milkshakes, puddings, soft cake
No Chewing on Inedible Items
No
nervous gnawing on pencils or pens -- and no chewing gum or bubble gum.
Soreness Caused from Braces and Appliances
Your mouth, cheeks, gums and teeth may feel a little sore or tender when you first get braces. This does not last long and to relieve the irritation, you can dissolve a teaspoon of salt in 8 ounces of lukewarm water and swish and gargle. Do this for a couple of minutes but do not swallow the salt water.If the discomfort continues for a more than 2 weeks, you can put wax over the braces which lessens the friction of the braces with your skin and helps with tender areas.
If your teeth start to feel a little bit loose, it's normal and all right. Your braces are designed to loosen your teeth slightly, then move them into the correct position. Your teeth will become firm once again after they are repositioned.
