Life with Braces: What to Expect
Your mouth will go through a lot of changes during your orthodontic treatment, and you'll probably experience some changes in your daily routines as well.
From oral hygiene habits and eating to social considerations and even athletics, your braces will probably impact almost every facet of your life while your condition is being treated. Knowing what to expect when you start your orthodontic treatment can really help to make the process go more smoothly for you.
The information below should help you start wrapping your head around what to expect on a daily basis during your braces treatment. For more details or personalized advice, be sure to talk to your orthodontist.
Adjustments
After your braces are adjusted, you can expect to feel some tightness, typically progressing to soreness that lasts for approximately 4 to 6 hours after your appointment.
This soreness is a direct result of the replacement wires tightening the teeth into position.
Over-the-counter pain relievers are suggested to help relieve this pain, which you will find is very similar to what you experienced when your dental braces were initially placed.
Elastics
Orthodontic elastics wear out over time. When they lose their elasticity, they can't provide effective pressure to your teeth and jaws. For this reason, it's important to change your elastics after every meal, even when they are not broken. Always carry some elastics with you in case.
If you forget to wear your rubber bands one day, don’t double up the next day to catch up — just continue to follow your regular instructions.
If your rubber bands break frequently, or if the hook for your rubber bands breaks off, call our office as soon as possible.
Mouth Guards
Having braces doesn't have to stop you from playing the sports you love. You just have to take extra care to protect your orthodontic appliances and to protect the inside of your mouth from them, too. The presence of braces in your mouth can cause a lot of damage if you sustain a blow to the face, and they can be expensive to fix.
We recommend a protective mouth guard for playing sports to protect you from potential injury. With the use of an orthodontic mouth guard, most contact sports can be played with braces.
Eating
Wearing braces doesn't mean you have to stop eating your favourite foods. With just a little extra care, and keeping a few limitations in mind, you'll be able to safely eat most of the foods you normally do.
- First Day With Braces
- For the first day or so after getting your braces, your mouth will likely be feeling a little tender, so stick to soft foods until the discomfort subsides. Avoid tough meats, hard bread and raw vegetables. You'll need to protect your orthodontic appliances when you eat for the full duration of your treatment. This means there will be a few dietary limitations and adjustments you'll have to keep in mind..
- Using a regular, soft toothbrush, brush down from the top and then up from the bottom on each tooth with braces.
- You may also want to use a Proxabrush, which is a toothbrush specially designed for cleaning out the spaces between braces. Insert the brush downwards from the top and then upwards from the bottom between two braces. Make several strokes in each direction before moving to the next space.
- Foods to Avoid
- Chewy foods: bagels, licorice
- Hard foods: candy, nuts
- Sticky foods: caramels, gum
- Crunchy foods: popcorn, ice, chips
- Foods you have to bite into: corn on the cob, carrots, apples
Retainers
Your retainer is a very important element of orthodontic treatment. Follow these instructions carefully in order to help your appliance be as effective as possible!
- Learn More About Retainers
- Always wear your retainer as instructed by your orthodontist.
- When you take your retainer out to eat, always put it right back in its case so that it does not get lost or damaged. If your retainer is lost or broken, call us immediately. Retainer replacement is expensive ... but with proper care, they will last for years!
- Clean your retainer thoroughly once a day with a toothbrush and toothpaste. Use warm but not hot water. Brushing retainers removes the plaque and eliminates odours. Efferdent or other orthodontic appliance cleaners can be used but do not take the place of brushing.
- You may find it difficult to speak with your retainer at first. Practise speaking, reading, or singing out loud to get used to it faster.
- Always bring your retainer to your appointments.
- Keep your retainer away from hot water, hot car dashboards, pockets, the washing machine and napkins.
Hygiene
Your oral hygiene routine is important when you're wearing braces because your braces create many more small spaces and crevices where plaque can build up on your teeth.
- Brushing
- We recommend brushing with fluoride toothpaste after every meal or snack. A Waterpik or air flosser can also be helpful in flushing out stuck-on food particles.
- Using a regular, soft toothbrush, brush down from the top and then up from the bottom on each tooth with braces.
- You may also want to use a Proxabrush, which is a toothbrush specially designed for cleaning out the spaces between braces. Insert the brush downwards from the top and then upwards from the bottom between two braces. Make several strokes in each direction before moving to the next space.
- Flossing
- To floss teeth while wearing braces, feed the floss through the space between the arch wire down from the top. Gently move the floss up and down each side of the two teeth that the floss is between. Take care to avoid pulling with too much force around the arch wire.