Getting Started with Braces
This guide is meant to help you adjust to life with braces and ensure the success of your treatment. Getting through the first week is a big milestone — you will likely experience some soreness and irritation from your new hardware đ This information will guide you through the process. Our team is also here to help you through your entire orthodontic journey. You got this!
- During the first 48 hours after starting treatment, we recommend taking Acetaminophen (Tylenol), if no allergy exists. If that isnât taking the edge off, you can also take Ibuprofen (Advil). Alternating between the two can provide added relief as well!
- We provide one pack of sugar-free gum in your start kit, and we recommend chewing this during the first week after starting treatment to help you adjust to having braces. This helps encourage your teeth to move, which will help you get through the initial discomfort more quickly!
- While your mouth adjusts to braces, you will notice some irritation to your lips, cheeks, and gums. We recommend covering any part of your braces that is causing irritation with the provided wax. We also strongly encourage brushing any irritated areas on the cheeks or lips with a toothbrush to help the tissue adjust and heal more quickly. Warm saltwater rinses will also help with this.
- It is very common to place turbos (small colored bumps on certain teeth) that prevent all teeth from touching. These allow for more efficient tooth movement and bite correction in the early stages of treatment, and also prevent you from biting into any brackets. It can take a few days to adjust to how your bite feels, but you will quickly get used to it. We do recommend softer foods and slower chewing during this initial adjustment period to help ease the transition.
- It is also very common to include elastics (tiny rubber bands) as part of your treatment plan. These allow us to make necessary adjustments to your bite. As a patient, wearing these consistently is one of the #1 things you can do to ensure success during your treatment. Not only does it allow you to achieve the bestm outcome possible, it is something you can do to speed up your treatment.
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Avoiding broken brackets is the best way to prevent delays in treatment progress. Below are recommendations to help set you up for success.
- Sugary and acidic beverages, such as sodas (including diet), sports drinks, energy drinks, and fruit juices should be avoided as much as possible. These beverages break down the bond that holds braces on your teeth and lead to cavities and permanent staining.
- Hard, crunchy, or sticky foods should be avoided during treatment.
- Avoid playing with any part of your braces with your tongue, fingers, pencils, etc.
- We recommend you brush your teeth and massage your gums after consuming anything other than water. If that is not possible, rinse with water to help remove any food debris.
- We recommend and will provide a mouthguard (if requested) to use during contact sports.
- If you have a broken bracket, please contact our office so we may make arrangements to correct the issue. If you arrive for a regular appointment with something broken or loose without having called ahead, the extra time required to correct it may make it necessary to reschedule your appointment.
- One of the best ways to reach out to us if you are experiencing an orthodontic comfort concern is via text at 509-735-7591. We use a 100% HIPAA-compliant texting platform. Send us a photo of the area that is bothering you and we will evaluate the situation. We can workshop almost all concerns via texting or a phone call!Â
- It is crucial that you continue your routine dental visits and cleanings with your general dentist during orthodontic treatment. We do not have the equipment in our office to perform routine dental care during your adjustment appointment.
- The effort you put into your treatment directly impacts the quality of your results.
Top 5 things you can do to rock your treatment:
- Attend your regularly scheduled appointments.
- Be diligent with your oral hygiene to keep your teeth healthy and help avoid broken brackets.
- Be gentle with your brackets and be aware of foods or habits that will cause breakage, which will delay your treatment progress.
- Be compliant with your elastics, if you have them.
- Make sure to #smilelikeyoumeanit đ.
