Eating well while you are in braces
The first few days in new braces, or the day after an adjustment, are the tender ones, so lean on soft foods: pasta, eggs, yoghurt, soup, smoothies, well-cooked vegetables. After that you can eat most things with a little care. The habits to keep for the whole of treatment are simple. Hard and crunchy foods, nuts, ice, hard rolls, popcorn kernels, can snap a bracket off, and sticky ones like toffee and gum drag them loose.
You do not have to give up everything you like. Cut apples, carrots and corn off the cob into pieces, go easy on sugary drinks and snacks that feed decay around the brackets, and you will avoid most of the breakages that add weeks to treatment. Sip water through the day rather than fizzy or sports drinks, since constant sugar and acid around the brackets is what leaves marks on the enamel.
Keeping everything clean
Braces give food and plaque more places to hide, so cleaning matters more than usual while you wear them. Brush after meals wherever you can, tilting the bristles to sweep above and below each bracket, and take your time along the gumline. Once a day, floss with a threader or use small interdental brushes to reach under the wire and between the teeth. Interdental brushes are easy to keep in a bag or pencil case for a quick clean after lunch at school or work.
This is not fuss for its own sake. Plaque left sitting around brackets can leave permanent white marks on the enamel and inflame the gums, which is a shame after all the effort of straightening. A couple of extra minutes, morning and night, keeps your teeth healthy and your treatment on time. Our team at Embrace Orthodontics on Spring Garden Road in Halifax will happily show you the knack at any visit.
Soreness, repairs and the finish line
Some tenderness after braces go on or are tightened is normal and passes within a few days; soft foods and an ordinary over-the-counter pain reliever usually see you through, and a warm salt-water rinse soothes a rubbed cheek. If a wire pokes or a bracket comes loose, a dab of orthodontic wax will hold you until we can help. Our emergency care page walks through the simple fixes and when to call.
Keeping your regular adjustment visits is what moves things along on schedule, so try not to skip them. And when the braces finally come off at our Halifax practice, your retainer is what protects all that work, holding your new smile steady while everything settles. Look after it and your straight teeth are yours to keep. If you are ever unsure whether something needs a visit, a quick phone call saves the guesswork.