Always use a toothbrush with soft bristles and a pea-sized amount of fluoride containing toothpaste. When you brush your teeth, move the brush in small, circular motions to reach food particles that may be under your gum line. Hold the toothbrush at an angle and brush slowly and carefully, covering all areas between teeth, between braces and the surface of each tooth. It will take you several minutes to thoroughly brush your teeth. Brush upwards for the lower teeth, downwards on the upper teeth and the outside, inside of each tooth and chewing surface of your front and back teeth. Also brush your gums, tongue and the roof of your mouth before you rinse.

Especially during orthodontic treatment, brush your teeth after every meal to prevent the accumulation of food particles in between your teeth and braces:

• Morning’s after breakfast
• After lunch or right after school
• After supper
• At bedtime

Replacing toothbrush

You will need to replace your toothbrush more often due to your appliances. As soon as the bristles start to wear down or fray, replace your toothbrush with a new one. It may be difficult for your toothbrush to reach some areas under your archwire. Do not swallow any toothpaste; rinse your mouth thoroughly with water after you finish brushing. It is important to floss and use an antibacterial mouthwash and fluoride treatment throughout your orthodontic treatment and beyond for optimal oral hygiene.

For areas between the teeth that a toothbrush can’t reach, use dental floss to remove food particles and plaque. Flossing takes more time and patience when you are wearing braces, but it is important to floss your teeth every day.

Use the reusable floss threader provided by our office to floss under your archwire daily (you can also find floss picks at your local grocery store and most pharmacy’s for convenience of flossing). Pull a small length of floss from the dispenser through the threader and slide it up and down along the front of each tooth.. Use care around your archwire and do not floss too forcefully around it or put too much pressure on it. After you floss between your archwire and braces, floss between your other teeth and gums. Floss at night to make sure your teeth are clean before you go to bed. When you first begin flossing around your braces, your gums may bleed a little.

A water pick is like a pressure water sprayer for your teeth and gums. Water picks can also be found at your local grocery stores and most pharmacy’s. Water picks help cleans your teeth thoroughly and makes it a lot easier, and faster to get to hard to reach spots when used along with brushing. All while massaging your gums to help prevent and ease sore, swollen, and bleeding gums.

All orthodontic patients must get cleanings prior to getting braces and follow up cleanings every 3 to 6 months. Don’t forget to keep your smile healthy, white, and shiny!!!

What can you eat? Let's talk about what you shouldn't eat! If you've been wanting to drop a few pounds, the first week wearing braces is just your chance! For the first day or so, stick to soft foods. Avoid tough meats, hard breads, and raw vegetables.

Foods to Avoid

For most situations, common sense will tell you what to avoid. Hard foods, sticky foods and foods high in sugar must be avoided. Hard foods can break or damage wires and brackets. Sticky foods can get caught between brackets and wires. Minimize sugary foods; they cause tooth decay and related problems. Nail biting, pencil and pen chewing and chewing on foreign objects should be avoided.

Examples of Sticky Foods to Avoid:

Regular bubble gum
(sugar-free only)
Licorice
Sugar Daddies
Toffee
Tootsie Rolls
Caramels
Starburst

Examples of Hard Foods to Avoid:

Ice
Nuts
Hard taco shells
French bread crust/rolls
Corn on the cob
Apples and carrots
(unless cut into small pieces)
Bagels
Hard Chips
Popcorn
Jolly Ranchers
Pizza crust
Uncooked carrots
(unless cut)

Minimize Sugary Foods like:

Cake
Ice Cream
Cookies
Pie
Candy
Only Once a Day:Soda
Sweetened tea
Gatorade
Kool-Aid
Drinks with sugar

It's important to regularly check your braces for bent or loose wires and brackets. In the event of a loose/broken wire or bracket, save your broken pieces and bring them with you to your appointment and call our office immediately to arrange for a longer appointment for repair.