Now that you have your braces, how do you take care of them? It’s important for you to know how to properly take care of your braces throughout your entire orthodontic treatment. Following these simple steps can help to speed up your orthodontic treatment and avoid problems.

Don’t worry, you’ll be back to eating like normal in no time! However, before you can start enjoying some of the treats you love, you will need to take special care to avoid any foods that could damage your new appliances.

Examples of Foods to avoid with braces:

– Chewy foods — bagels, licorice

– Crunchy foods — popcorn, chips, ice

– Sticky foods — caramels, chewing gum, bubblegum

– Hard foods — nuts, hard lollies

– Foods that require biting into — corn on the cob, apples, carrots

– Sticky, sugary foods not only pull the brackets off your teeth and bend the wires, they also wear the enamel away, which causes cavities. We always recommend you drink lots of water with sweets to wash the sugar off your teeth.

Examples of Foods you CAN eat with braces:

– 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, peas

– Fruits — grapes, bananas, kiwifruit, watermelon, mango

– Treats — ice cream without nuts, milkshakes, jelly, soft cake

It’s also important to have your teeth clean by your Dentist every 4-6 months to make sure your teeth and gums stay healthy and clean while you’re having orthodontic treatment.

It is harder and takes longer to keep your teeth clean with braces.
Do brush your teeth every time after eating where possible. Brushing teeth well both above and below the braces.

Inter proximal brushes OR Inter dental brushes will help to clean food stuck under and around the braces.

The use of a Vibrating Electric Toothbrush would make it quicker to brush teeth clean after eating.
Use a Water Pik water flosser will make it so much easier and quicker to get rid of food stuck under the braces and in between teeth.

It’s also important to have your teeth clean by your Dentist every 4-6 months to make sure your teeth and gums stay healthy and clean while you’re having orthodontic treatment.

Once your braces have been on for a few hours, you may notice that your teeth and mouth feel a little tender or sore. This is perfectly normal and we promise your mouth will not be sore forever!

If the pain is more severe and does not go away, you can also try pain relief like Panadol or Nurofen. It is also not uncommon for your lips, cheeks, and tongue to become irritated for one to two weeks as they toughen and become used to the braces. We will give you wax that you can put over the braces to lessen the tenderness.

If your teeth begin feeling a little loose, don’t worry; this is normal! Your braces must first loosen your teeth to move them into the right position. Once your teeth have been repositioned, they will no longer be loose.

The wires and bands on your braces may come loose if you eat hard or chewy foods. If this happens, please contact us as soon as possible so that we can check and repair your appliance. If any piece of your appliance comes off, be sure to save it and bring it to the office with you.

You can temporarily fix the loose wire by using the back of a spoon or the eraser end of a pencil to carefully and gently push the wire back into place. If the loose wire is causing irritation to your lips or cheeks, put wax or a wet cotton ball over the broken wire to relieve the pain.

Damaged appliances can increase the length of your treatment process, so be sure to take care of all your appliances. Your teeth and jaw can only move into their correct positions if you consistently wear the rubber bands, retainer, or other appliances prescribed by your doctor.

You may still play sports even while undergoing orthodontic treatment! If you do play sports, it’s recommended that you wear a mouthguard to protect your teeth and your appliance.

Click here to find out where to buy this mouthguard.

Mouthguard for braces do NOT offer as good protection from sport injury in compare to normal mouthguard. You can get injury to your teeth and your braces from contact sport even when wearing these mouthguard.  We there fore recommend you to avoid splaying contact sport where possible while getting braces.  In case of an injury, it will cost extra to fix your teeth and your braces.

In case of a sports emergency, be sure to immediately check your mouth and appliance for damage. If you notice any loose teeth or appliance damage, please contact our office on 02 47314655 right away.

Be sure to follow these instructions to Taking Care of Your Braces