Braces Care

Here are some tips on how to take care of your braces.

Brushing – It’s not how often, it is how WELL you brush. Make sure you are brushing both your teeth AND the braces. Angle the brush towards your gums and apply moderate pressure. You should be brushing for no less than 2 minutes after every meal.

Flossing – Now that you’ve got your braces on, it’s time to use a floss-threader to make sure you are flossing underneath the wire.

Foods to Avoid – Simple rule: avoid hard and crunchy things (popcorn, hard pretzels, chips) and sticky and chewy things (Swedish Fish, gummy candy).

Poking wires – Once in a while you may have a pokey wire. Not a problem- this is what ortho wax is for. Roll up a pea-sized ball of wax and squish it right one the wire or brace that is poking you. You can repeat this as many times as you need to.

Broken Braces – Once in a while, a brace will disconnect from the tooth, and either come off or hang loose on a wire. Call the office if this happens. Depending on where you are in your treatment, we may want you to come in to fix it or recommend waiting to fix it at your next scheduled appointment.

Check out Dr. Neil demonstrate this: