Hamilton Orthodontics
Life with Braces
Life with Braces
Now that you have your braces, how do you take care of them? It’s important for you to know how to properly take care of your braces throughout your entire orthodontic treatment.
The three main parts of your braces are:
- Brackets – Brackets are attached to the teeth using special glue that bonds them to the tooth surface and holds them in place. Traditional metal braces are made of high quality stainless steel or titanium.
- Archwire – The archwire is the thin metal wire that connects each bracket and puts pressure on the teeth to help guide them into place.
- Ligature Elastic (also known as the “elastic ties”) – Elastics, or rubber bands, are the coloured ties that hold the archwires to the brackets. These will be changed at each appointment. Elastic ties may come in a variety of colours. Not all brackets require ligature elastics to hold the archwires in place. We also use self-ligating brackets that have a clip to hold the arch wire in place and eliminate the need for additional elastic ties.
Eating with Braces
Don’t worry, you’ll be eating popcorn and enjoying corn on the cob again in no time! However, before you can start enjoying some of the treats you love, you will need to take special care to avoid any foods that could damage your new appliances. Foods that are too chewy or sticky (licorice, starburst candies, sticky gum), crunchy foods (popcorn, nuts, ice), hard foods (hard candies, hard granola bars, raw carrots), be cautious of all foods that require biting into.
You will be able to continue to eat most of the foods you enjoy on a daily basis. We ask that you take caution when it comes to biting into items like chicken wings, pizza, apples (must be cut up), corn on the cob (needs to be removed from the cob), etc.
Soreness Caused from Braces and Appliances
When you first get your braces, you may notice that your teeth and mouth feel a little tender or sore. This is perfectly normal and we promise your mouth will not be sore forever! To relieve the pain, we recommend dissolving one teaspoon of salt in eight ounces of lukewarm water. Swish and gargle this solution in your mouth for just a couple of minutes (do not swallow the saltwater).
It is also not uncommon for your lips, cheeks, and tongue to become irritated for one to two weeks as they toughen and become used to the braces. We provide wax that you can put over the braces to lessen the tenderness. If you need more wax, please let us know. We also recommend warm saltwater rinses, dissolve one teaspoon of salt in eight ounces of lukewarm water. Swish and gargle this solution in your mouth for just a couple of minutes (do not swallow the saltwater). If necessary, you can also try taking a pain reliever such as Tylenol.
Loose Teeth
If your teeth begin feeling a little loose, don’t worry; this is normal! Your braces must first loosen your teeth to move them into the right position. Once your teeth have been repositioned, they will no longer be loose.
Playing Sports with Braces
Of course you can play sports with braces. You will still require a mouth guard but a special orthodontic mouth guard (no form fitted as your teeth will be moving).
Our Location