Braces: Patients View

Braces are primarily used to move teeth by straightening, moving and tightening. This article will discuss aspects of braces. And how it will affect your life if you will be getting them, and how you should be looking after them.

Food

When you have braces, orthodontists expect you to give up some food, these include; chewy and hard foods, chewing gum, pop corn, sodas, high sugary foods, meat on bone, coffee, tea.. and the list goes on… You don’t need to give all this stuff up, because its impossible to avoid! The only food i have avoided is popcorn, the shells can stuck in your teeth and rot, so I’ve heard. Coffee stains a bit, so you should rinse your mouth out after, or eat another food along with the beverage.

Cleaning

Brush two times a day and floss. i brush two times a day but i don’t floss, the orthodontist only told me to once a year after treatment started, i think she expected me to know, but i continue to avoid flossing every day and it seems to be okay. Only use it if you have something stuck in your teeth and braces! If you use mouth washes, my orthodontist said to choose one that contained fluorine, Listerine only freshens your breath while the Colgate rinse contains fluorine, it helps to clean the teeth better. there has also been a recent study on the link to mouth wash and cancer, but i don’t think its very much confirmed. But it is very important to keep a healthy mouth while you have braces because food can easily be trapped and build tartar and cause gum disease.

Pain

The first week is the worst, in my experience it doesn’t hurt until the next day after you get your braces put on or after an adjustment, the pain is from all the moving your teeth are doing, so the more pain the better! if the pain is caused by something else like the wire, than you should contact your orthodontist. Pain lasts usually from none to a week after an adjustment. Wax is also available if metal is sticking at you.

Good luck with your braces.