BRACES CARE

The care of your braces is necessary for maintaining your gums during the orthodontic treatment.

Braces Care

Braces often causes mild to severe discomfort in most patients, for majority of patients the symptoms subsides over a few days or a week. Please follow these simple guidelines for a more comfortable experience.

General Soreness

  • General Soreness can be relieved by rinsing the mouth with a warm water & salt mouthwash.
  • Dissolve one teaspoon of salt in 8 ounces of warm water, and rinse vigorously.
  • Paracetamol (Crocin, Calpol), mild anti-inflamatory (Combiflam, Duoflam) can be taken to alleviate any pain.
  • Soreness should end by the third or fourth day.

Loosening of Teeth

  • Teeth may feel loose during treatment. This is expected and normal.
  • One has to understand that teeth will loosen a bit first, to move to a new position.
  • Teeth will again become rigidly fixed in their new positions.

Eating

  • Be careful when eating, not to break your orthodontic appliances.
  • For the first few days, soft foods are more appropriate & rinse after every meal.
  • Brush 3 times a day - circular & vertical motion.
  • Food should be cut into small pieces, and chewing should be done with the back teeth.
  • NEVER bite into anything with your front teeth - your braces will break off.
    • Such as, apples, pears, guava, raw carrots, sugarcane, cucumber, chips, chewing gums, corn, popcorn, chicken wings, and any fibrous meat on the bone.
  • Hard foods are off limits or must be cut up in small pieces and chewed with your back teeth.
    • Such as, hard cookies, pizza crust, hard breads, hard pretzels, bagels, hard candies, frozen snacks, ice cubes, coconut, chaklis nuts and raw vegetables.
  • Chewy, sticky candies are OFF LIMITS. There are absolutely no exceptions.
  • Chewy sticky things may not immediately cause damage but, they will do damage over time.
  • Keep things that aren't food out of your mouth.
  • Do not chew on pens, pen caps, pencils, straws or finger nails.
  • We put bends in the wire to move your teeth in a certain direction. If you put a bend in your wire by chewing something you should not have, you will shift your teeth in the wrong direction lengthening treatment time and causing problems.
  • Mild ulcerations due to sharp wires might appear. Apply Dologel or Dentogel or just plain glycerine as and wen required.