Life during orthodontic treatment will include periodic visits to the orthodontist, possibly some minor changes in diet for the duration of treatment, and more frequent toothbrushing along with daily flossing.
You are a partner in the process. Keep appointments, maintain oral hygiene and continue to see your primary dentist. Follow all care instructions regarding your appliances and the wearing of removable appliances or rubber bands. In many cases full-time wear of removeables will shorten overall treatment time significantly.
When you start orthodontic treatment, your orthodontic team will give you specific instructions on brushing and flossing, but in general, you should brush for two minutes after every meal or snack, and before bed. Carry a travel toothbrush and small tube of toothpaste with you, so you can brush when you’re away from home. If you can't brush, make sure to at least rinse your mouth with water. It can help you get rid of some food particles or traces of beverages. Floss at least once a day. Make sure your teeth are thoroughly clean before bed.
TOOTHBRUSH & TOOTHPASTE.
Manual or power toothbrush? Use the toothbrush that works best for you. Make sure you brush for two minutes each time you brush! Change the toothbrush or power toothbrush head at the first sign of wear, or at least every three months. Fluoride toothpaste is recommended, approved by the American Dental Association, preferably without any whitening.
Why is all this brushing and flossing necessary?
Brushing and flossing keep teeth and gums clean by removing plaque and food debris. When plaque and trapped food are left on the teeth and around braces, the outcome can be cavities, swollen gums, bad breath and permanent white marks on the teeth. Maintaining good oral hygiene helps to minimize your time in treatment, and contributes to a healthy result.
HOW TO BRUSH.
Use fluoride toothpaste and a soft-bristle toothbrush or power toothbrush. Begin brushing with water only, so you can see what you're doing. Look for clean and shiny braces, where you can see all the edges of the brackets clearly. Next, add toothpaste. Brush around all the parts of your braces and every surface of your teeth in small circles for at least two minutes. Brush your tongue, roof of the mouth and gums. Rinse thoroughly after brushing with water or a mouth rinse. Finish with inspecting your braces for loose or broken brackets. Change your toothbrush or toothbrush head at the first sign of wear or at least every three months.
HOW TO FLOSS.
Slide dental floss up and down the sides of each tooth to remove plaque between the teeth. Floss threader, pre-threaded floss and small interproximal brushes are available to help you get under your wires more easily.
How often should you floss? A minimum of once a day. Flossing is crucial to successful orthodontic treatment, and to on-going oral health. Flossing removes plaque from parts of your teeth that brushing alone can’t reach. Plaque is the enemy – it’s the source of disease processes in teeth and gums.
HYGIENE HELPERS.
Here are three handy oral hygiene tools:
Interproximal brush – Slip this tool under your archwire to help remove plaque and food particles. These are great at dislodging plaque and food particles trapped between teeth, and to clear out debris that catches on brackets and wires.
Fluoride toothpaste or rinse –Whether over-the-counter or prescription strength, a daily fluoride rinse can strengthen tooth enamel and help prevent white marks (decalcification). Use with your interproximal brush for best results.
Water irrigators – These can flush out food particles in a jif!
RISKS OF POOR ORAL HEALTH?
Plaque and food can accumulate around your braces and lead to permanent white marks (decalcification), cavities, gum disease, periodonitis or advanced periodontitis (where the gums start to pull away, forming gaps or pockets between teeth or teeth begin to fall out).
Visits to the orthodontist to adjust braces or to pick up new aligners, at which time your orthodontist will evaluate the progress of treatment and assess the health of the teeth and gums, will be scheduled about every 6 to 10 weeks.
The length of treatment is different for each patient because each patient has a unique problem. Dr. Samuelson will give you an estimated length of treatment during your Treatment Plan Consultation.
Here are five tips to make your treatment go as quickly as possible:
Follow Dr. Samuelson’s instructions on the frequency of brushing and flossing, and see your dentist for a professional cleaning at least every six months during orthodontic treatment, or more often if recommended.
Watch what you eat if you have braces. Stay away from hard, sticky, and crunchy foods. Opt for foods that are soft and easy to chew. If you have aligners, be sure to remove them before you eat or drink anything besides tap water, and put them back in after you’re done eating or drinking and you have thoroughly cleaned your teeth.
Beware of sugary, acidic soft drinks including regular and diet soda pop, fruit juices, fruit drinks and sports drinks. Water is recommended.
If prescribed, wear your elastics (rubber bands) as instructed.
Keep scheduled appointments with your orthodontist.
It’s CRITICAL that you continue seeing your family dentist during orthodontic treatment. Your dentist will provide professional cleanings and check-ups, and like your orthodontist, will keep an eye on oral health. Visit your dentist at least every six months during orthodontic treatment, or more often, if recommended.
There may be some time away from work or school during your orthodontic treatment, but we will do our best to minimize it. If you have braces, the longest appointments will be to place and remove your braces, and will likely be scheduled during the work/school day. Appointments to adjust braces or pick up a new set of aligners, scheduled every 6 to 10 weeks, are usually short.
EATING WITH BRACES.
A healthy diet supports the body as it undergoes the biological changes that occur during orthodontic treatment. You are encouraged to enjoy a variety of healthful, easy-to-chew foods during orthodontic treatment. Soups, stews, casseroles, pasta, scrambled eggs and smoothies can be good choices. You can enjoy fresh fruits like apples and pears, but they should be sliced rather than bitten into. Similarly, sandwiches and pizza are OK, but they should be cut into bite-sized pieces. Cut corn off the cob before serving.
FOODS TO AVOID.
Avoid sugary, crunchy, sticky, chewy and hard foods such as caramels, taffy, hard candy, popcorn, pizza crusts, nuts, etc. Eating ice, chewing on pencils or pens and biting into whole apples can cause damage to your appliances. Maintain a healthy diet to provide essential nutrients to bones and tissues undergoing change during treatment. Also, avoid carbonated drinks that may create white spots around your braces.
What about drinks?
Water is your best choice to drink while braces are on. Beverages like coffee, tea and red wine can stain teeth. Try to avoid these, or keep them to a minimum. Avoid regular and diet soft drinks when wearing braces. These drinks include soda pop, sports drinks/energy drinks, flavored bubbly waters and fruit drinks (juices, punch). These drinks contain acids and/or sugars that dissolve tooth enamel and can lead to cavities. Be sure to brush right away after drinking a soft drink. If brushing is not possible, rinse thoroughly with water.
EATING & DRINKING WITH ALIGNERS.
A healthy diet supports the body as it undergoes the biological changes that occur during orthodontic treatment. You are encouraged to enjoy a variety of healthful foods during orthodontic treatment. Just be sure to take your aligners out before you eat, and before you put them back in, clean your teeth thoroughly.
What can’t you eat? Nothing is off-limits. Just be conscious of the need to take out aligners to eat, and to clean your teeth before putting your aligners back in.
What about drinks? Water is the only beverage that is safe to drink when your aligners are in. When wearing your aligners, avoid everything except tap water. You can remove your aligners to drink anything other than water. You’ll need to brush your teeth before putting your aligners back in. Except for water, remove aligners when drinking. After drinking, brush right away before putting your aligners back in.
This diagram below illustrates and names the parts of a typical set of braces.
There can be some initial discomfort when braces are placed, or for a short time after braces are adjusted, but this is temporary. Overall, orthodontic discomfort is short-lived and easily managed. Once patients become accustomed to their braces, they may even forget they have them on.
Are there things I can do at home to treat discomfort?
Keep supplies on hand to address possible situations. Here are six suggestions:
Orthodontic wax
Dental floss
Tweezers
Interproximal brushes.
Topical anesthetic (such as Orabase or Ora-Gel).
Over the counter pain relievers (such as one taken for a headache)
A warm salt water rinse can be soothing, as well (1 tsp. salt to 8 oz. warm water).
Occasionally things happen to braces or aligners during orthodontic treatment. They may require a call or an unforeseen visit to the orthodontist – what your orthodontist will consider an “emergency visit.” Check out our Handling Orthodontic Emergencies Guide.
Will we have to see the orthodontist?
Whether you will need to be seen by Dr. Samuelson will depend on what has happened to your appliance. Contact our office to explain the problem and determine if you need to be seen.
When does the orthodontist need to know something has happened?
If you notice a bracket is loose or if a wire has worked itself out of place, or if there is unusual discomfort, notify our office.
What do I do if a bracket or wire comes loose, or if I misplace an aligner?
If a bracket or wire comes loose, or if you lose or break an aligner, please give our office a call. Broken braces cannot deliver the right forces to move your teeth, and that could prolong treatment. Aligners should be worn in a particular sequence. Please give us a call for advice about next steps, and to advise whether a lost aligner will extend your treatment time.
Yes, but make sure to talk to Dr. Samuelson about the type of mouth guard to wear.
Courtesy of American Association of Orthodontists