Starting Your Braces Today
Congratulation on getting your braces on we are so excited to see your smile transformation! As soon as the wires and colors are placed you may start feeling pressure or slight soreness. Within a few hours after braces are placed the real soreness will set in. We recommend after your initial appointment eating a good meal before the soreness truly kicks in. It is important to follow our “Eating Habits List” that we went over at your appointment. The first 2-3 days you’ll have discomfort due to your teeth and cheeks getting used to your braces. Ibuprofen and Tylenol work well with managing the pain. It can take you up to a week to feel comfortable using your teeth and getting used to the braces. If you feel like you need to use your wax to make the braces more comfortable please do. Like Dr. Wright always says “After the first week it is all downhill from here!”
Bad Foods With Braces
Please refer to our “Eating Habits List” given at your initial bonding appointment! You should be staying away from anything hard, sticky, chewy, and crunchy! This includes taffy, gummies, caramels, and nuts. Staying away from these foods can help you keep your braces secured to your teeth! Also DO NOT forget to tear/cut your food up into bite size pieces, place in your mouth, and chew with your back teeth! Biting into hard or crunchy foods can put just enough pressure on a bracket to pop it off! If you have a broken bracket and it is causing discomfort, please reference our wax video on how to make it more comfortable.
Brushing With Braces
Brushing your teeth with braces is super important! You should be brushing your teeth 2-3 times a day especially after you eat. When brushing, you should brush the front of your brackets and on top and below at a 45-degree angle in circular motions. Don’t forget to brush your gums, tongue, and roof of your mouth! Brushing is very important to keep good oral hygiene. Not brushing correctly can begin to cause staining and decay on your teeth. Brushing your gums will keep them from getting inflamed and irritated. Please watch our video for a step-by-step guide on how to brush!
Flossing with Braces
Flossing with your braces is super important and should be done after brushing and at least once a day. While it can be difficult to floss with braces there are several different ways to make sure flossing is being accomplished! We offer our patients floss threaders and floss! Don’t forget to push floss gently all the way up to the gums and slide up and down in a “C” like shape on either side of the tooth. Other options available to help are “Platypus Flossers” or “Water Flossers”. You should floss EVERY DAY with regular floss! If you have any concerns about flossing, please discuss with your orthodontic assistant or Dr. Wright.
Placing Wax on The Braces
You should always have a few wax containers at home just in case. Wax can be used to help alleviate any discomfort caused by your orthodontic treatment. When using the wax, make sure the area is super dry and you have enough wax to cover the area that is causing discomfort. Braces can cause discomfort especially the first few days after your appointment. The wax can be used to make the braces more comfortable until you get used to the adjustments. If you are in extreme pain, please call the office as we can guide you to the next steps.
Clipping Pokey Wires at Home
Is your wire long? Wires can definitely be bothersome when shifting occurs on your teeth! Make sure you are double checking the ends of your wires at your appointment before you leave. Usually a pokey wire can mean that your braces are aligning like they should! You can use cuticle trimmers and nail clippers to trim the wire to make it more comfortable! Refer to our Placing Wax video if you continue to have discomfort. Check out our Video to show you the proper way in trimming wires at home.
Rubber Bands
Rubber bands are to be worn 22 hours a day and should only be taken out to eat and brush. Every time you remove them you must replace with a new rubber band! If you are not being compliant with your elastics, it can cause treatment time to go longer than your initial estimated treatment time. This could result in additional fees because of non-compliance. Please call the office if you run out of elastics. You can either stop by and pick some up or we can mail them to you. Click on our Videos to show you how to wear our Class II, Short Class II, Class III, Short Class III, and Triangle Elastics. If you still have concerns, please ask your Wright Orthodontics Assistant for our information/instructions sheet on how to wear your elastics!