Caring For Braces At Home:
Braces are a big investment but only work if you take care of them and wear your elastics!
WILL MY BRACES HURT? Most patients notice some discomfort 24-48 hours after an appointment. This is because your teeth are moving. Any discomfort should subside within a few days. Any over the counter pain reliever can be used to help ease any discomfort (similar to what you would use for a headache. We will give you orthodontic wax that you can place over the bracket in case the brackets feel like they are irritating the inside of your mouth
How to keep your braces clean:
Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and a small strip of fluoride toothpaste. When you brush your teeth, move the brush in small, circular motions to reach food particles that may be under your gum line. Hold the toothbrush at an angle and brush slowly and carefully, covering all areas between teeth, between braces and the surface of each tooth. It will take you several minutes to thoroughly brush your teeth. Brush up on the lower teeth, down on the upper teeth and the outside, inside and chewing surface of your front and back teeth. Brush your tongue and the roof of your mouth before you rinse.
You will also want to make sure you maintain good flossing habits while in braces. To assist with flossing you may use "flossers" or a waterpik. Flossers are available in our office free of charge and Waterpik devices can be purchased from Target, Costco, and Amazon- just to name a few!
- It is very important to keep your teeth and gingiva (gums) clean during orthodontic treatment. Bacteria (dental plaque) often sticks to our teeth (especially by the gum line and between the teeth). Adding brackets to your teeth creates more surfaces that the bacteria can hang on to. This is why it is so important to brush your teeth regularly and as often as possible after eating. If brushing is not ideal we will have to remove your braces early to avoid scarring and cavities from forming on your teeth and we do not want your braces to be done before your teeth are perfect. Make sure to brush along the gums, in addition to the top, side and bottom of the brackets.
WHAT ELSE CAN I USE TO KEEP MY TEETH CLEAN? Waterpiks are great products to help wash out food from around brackets. Think of them as small water guns to spray the food off your appliances. Also proxy brushes are useful for getting food out from behind the wire and are easy to carry with you. And lastly, using orthodontic flossers to help you easily floss under the wires
DO CLEAN TEETH REALLY MOVE FASTER? We aren’t trying to trick you into cleaning your teeth (you should want to have nice fresh breath and clean shiny teeth!) but it is true that clean teeth move faster! Why? Plaque and bacteria cause gingival inflammation. Inflammation inhibits bone forming cells that are necessary for tooth movement. Inflammation also creates thicker and larger tissues that the tooth has to move through to straighten out. Inflammation can also cause recession and other periodontal problems that can require costly restorative work later.
WHAT ARE WHITE SPOTS? Bacteria in your mouth is an irritant and they create acids that can break down the enamel of the teeth. This can create areas of demineralization (often around a bracket where the bacteria is sitting) which show up as white areas on the teeth. Unfortunately they can not be removed without costly restorations.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I BREAK SOMETHING? Always call or email our office to let us know if you have broken a bracket. If you are not sure of something, please take a picture with your phone and email us so that can help. We will let you know if you can wait until your next scheduled appointment or if you should come in sooner to have an adjustment made. Always place any pieces in an envelope and bring it in with you. Use the diagram below to help tell us what needs repair.
WHAT CAN I DO IF MY WIRE IS POKING ME? If the wire has come out of the last bracket, you can try to put it back into the tube by directing it with a tweezer. If the archwire has slid around to one side try using a tweezer to slide it back to it’s original position. If the wire just seems to be long, first try putting some of the orthodontic wax on it. If that doesn’t work, you or a parent can cut the wire with a nail clipper at home. Cut the wire as far back as you can. If you can’t reach all the way to the back, cut in between two other brackets and pull the end piece of the wire out of the brackets. We will fix your wire at your next appointment. If a smaller wire is poking you (not the main archwire), push the end of the wire toward your teeth with either your finger or pencil eraser. This will move the wire away from your lip or cheek. You can also put wax over the wire as well.
Foods to Avoid:
As a general rule, patients with braces should avoid anything sticky, crunch, or hard. Some of these foods include popcorn, peanuts, gum, caramel, and hard chips. These foods can cause brackets to break, which can lengthen orthodontic treatment time and cause emergency visits.
Elastics:
When we use the word 'Elastics' in our office we are referring to tiny rubber bands. These tiny rubber bands apply pressures to the teeth in certain directions that braces alone can not. These elastics are connected to tiny hooks on your braces or Invisalign trays. The elastics can be taken in and out, and Dr. Pfeffer will instruct you on how often to wear them, and what configuration they should be worn in. Elastics should only be worn as prescribed by your orthodontist.
Should you run out of elastics between appointments you are always welcome to stop by the office and get more. You can also give us a call and we will ship them directly to your home.
Braces Emergencies:
- Broken Brackets
- Broken brackets are uncommon when avoiding the appropriate foods. However, if it does happen do not worry. Broken brackets on the back teeth can be clipped at our office or at home and will be re-glued at your next scheduled appointment. Broken brackets on the front teeth will be re-glued within a week or two of breaking. Please call our office at 858-756-6878 to schedule your emergency visit if it is needed.
- Poking Wires
- If your wire is poking your cheeks give our office a call to we can schedule you to come get them clipped. This is a normal and means that your teeth are moving and space is closing, which is why we refer to them as "progress pokes". If this happens over the weekend or when you are out of town you can always trim the wires yourself with a clean nail clippers or wire cutters.
For more information regarding the care of your braces, please visit our Youtube Channel!