Caring for Your Braces

Cleaning your teeth and braces

It is extremely important to keep your teeth and braces clean to avoid permanently damaging your new smile. Mark will instruct you on how to care for your teeth and braces at the braces on appointment. A quick overview is given in the Colgate brochure on Oral Care during Orthodontic Treatment.

Be careful what you eat

You can eat most foods. Though to reduce the possibility of permanently marking/discolouring or damaging your teeth and gums, it is best to minimise the amount of sweet, sugary and acidic foods and drinks. To avoid breaking your braces, hard, sticky and chewy foods should also be avoided or cut into very small pieces.

It is rare to have an emergency in orthodontics. The most common annoyances are:

A protruding wire

Use a small strip of wax to reduce the irritation. Contact us to arrange for the wire to be adjusted.

Ulcers or sore spots on the inside of the lips and cheeks

If this occurs, use a small strip of wax to cover the part of the braces causing the irritation. This will help to reduce the irritation, until the ulcer heals.

A breakage of part of the braces

If there is a risk of inhalation or where wax is not suitable, carefully remove that part of the brace, and then contact us. If this is not possible, please call us for advice as soon as possible to arrange a repair appointment.

Accidents

If a severe accident has caused possible damage to your teeth, lips or jaws, please notify your family dentist and arrange to see them immediately. Then contact us to arrange a repair appointment.