Clean Teeth
First and foremost, it’s more important than ever to keep your teeth clean! Be sure to:
- Brush after every meal, paying close attention to the areas around the bands, brackets, and under your wires
- Floss, proxy brush, and use a fluoride rinse daily
- Limit foods and drinks that are high in sugar and acid (soft drinks and sports drinks)
- Be sure to keep up with your cleaning appointments with your dentist
Broken Appliances
You’ll also need to watch what foods you eat to keep your appliances in top shape. Try to avoid:
- Hard foods, such as ice, pizza crust, nuts, chips, (this isn’t hard!), candy, carrots, apples, ribs, corn on the cob
- Sticky foods, such as taffy, caramel, and gum
We can’t stress enough how important it is to do your part to keep your braces intact. While we certainly understand the occasional slip-up with the food list, repeated broken brackets will significantly delay your treatment. By following these guidelines, you can keep your orthodontic treatment running smoothly.
Compliance
The success of your treatment takes a combination of our skill and your compliance. Not only do we need you to brush well and take care of your braces, but we also need your help in moving your teeth! From time to time, we may ask you to wear some elastics (rubber bands) to help your teeth fit better, not to mention retainers to hold them straight when we are finished. We promise we are not asking you to do these things just for fun-they are absolutely necessary to get a great result!