Brace yourself
Your braces are extremely delicate.
To do the best job in the shortest time great care is required.
WE HAVE REGULAR PRIZE DRAWS FOR OUR BEST PATIENTS!!
Food
Your braces are nowhere near as strong as your own teeth, therefore care is required with what you eat.
The initial wires are very fine, hard or sticky foods will break them or break the braces off your teeth.
Think before you eat!! Avoid very hard, sticky or chewy food. Please cut food up into small pieces and gently chew food on the back teeth.
Foods to eat
(Thanks for all the great suggestions)
- Smoothies with any fruit are great
- Cheese, yoghurt, custard and ice cream
- Instant pudding and creamed rice
- Noodles and pasta eg. Spaghetti, lasagna
- Soups, stews, tender meat cut into small pieces, mince, sausages
- Scramble eggs
- Fish pie, chicken pie and cottage pie
- Cooked vegetables
- Fruit: hard e.g. apples must be sliced into little pieces and stone fruit cut the flesh from the stone
- Pancakes and pikelets
- Soft crusted bread
Please ask any questions about food whenever necessary.
Foods to avoid
- Hard, sticky and chewy lollies, toffees, minties etc and chewing gum
- Hard biscuits e.g. gingernuts and anzac biscuits
- Nuts and crunchy chips, hard pizza crusts
- Biting into an apple or stone fruit (cut in little pieces)
- Roll ups
- Biting into hard uncooked vegetables e.g. carrots (grate or cut in thin pieces)
- Pork crackling
- Eating meat on the bone (cut the meat of the chops or drumsticks)
- Well cooked toast or baguettes (French stick, ciabatta)
- Corn on the cob - take the corn off the cob
Brushing and flossing
As a matter of personal hygiene you MUST keep the gums, teeth and braces clean.
You should brush immediately after eating (this may mean carrying a toothbrush with you).
You must use two brushes when you brush.
- First, the end-tufted brush to get under the wire, around the brackets/tubes and gums.
- Second, the large headed brush for a general clean of the surfaces of all the teeth.
Scrub the three surfaces of the teeth – the biting surface, the side next to the cheeks/lips and the side next to the tongue.
We advise flossing daily as well.
It may all take time and effort BUT you will be rewarded with a speedy and successful treatment.
Your braces should shine!
Please ask if you are having any problems and require further guidance.
Please ask anyone in the team when you require NEW brushes!
A fluoride mouthwash or tooth mousse may be beneficial during treatment to prevent tooth decay.
Pain
The braces are going to feel strange and your teeth tender for the first week or so as they first start to move.
- Try to keep yourself occupied and you will forget the discomfort.
- Paracetamol may be required to relive persistent or excessive pain.
- After each visit you may also experience some mild tenderness.
- Use the wax as shown to relieve any rough or irritating areas.
- If you have no wax try using a damp piece of cotton wool for relief.
Parts of the braces
Bracket – the little square attachment ‘glued’ on the front and side teeth.
Tubes – the attachment or brace on your back teeth.
Band – the ‘ring’ of metal that you may have around your back (or molar) teeth. Not everyone has bands.
Archwire – the wire that connects all the teeth.
Modules or ligos – the colourful tiny elastic that hold the archwire into the bracket. These are changed at each appointment.
Chain – as above but joined together to close spaces.
Buttons or hooks – small attachments placed instead of brackets to help move those tricky teeth.
Elastics – or rubber bands used to close spaces. VERY important and must be worn as instructed. These are like the motor of a car -they ensure your treatment progresses. Generally worn 24 hours per day and changed once per day. New bags of elastics can be picked up from the clinic.
REMEMBER TO VISIT YOUR DENTIST OR SCHOOL DENTAL THERAPIST REGULARLY DURING TREATMENT