new braces instructions
Congratulations on getting your new braces! With a little help from you, Drs. Hime and Salome will be able to make your orthodontic treatment an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Without your help, however, treatment time will be extended, your final result may not be as perfect as we have planned for it to be, and you could even get decay and gum infections around your braces. Let's work together to assure that these things don't happen!
Be careful with your braces...Please take a moment to review the Band and Bracket Food List below for a list of foods that commonly break appliances. It is very easy to lose an entire month of progress with only one broken bracket. You can imagine the consequences of five or six loose brackets!
Call us if something seems loose or broken...if we are unaware that something is broken, it may be impossible to fix the problem at your regular appointment. The best way to avoid unnecessary appointments is to call us as soon as you are aware that something is wrong.
Proper brushing and flossing will keep your teeth and gums healthy and keep your breath smelling fresh. Don't forget to keep regular appointments with your family dentist. Unless we have said otherwise, we'd like you to have a checkup and cleaning every six months.
Orthodontic Brushing and Flossing Procedures
Brushing (Soft Bristles Only)
Brush after every meal. If you cannot brush right away, rinse well with water.
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| 1. Use a dry brush with a small amount of toothpaste. Place bristles where gums and teeth meet. | 2. Use circular, vibrating motions around the gum lines, 10 seconds on each tooth. |
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| 3. Brush slowly, each arch separately, every tooth. | 4. Brush the lower teeth up and the upper teeth down. Brush your tongue and the roof of your mouth too! |
Flossing
Floss nightly after brushing to remove plaque your toothbrush misses. Use a floss threader between gums and braces.
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| 5. Carefully pull unwaxed floss between wire and braces. A floss threader may be helpful. | 6. Floss carefully around the braces. |
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| 7. Floss carefully around the gum area. | 8. Floss carefully around each tooth. |
Band and Bracket Food List
Foods To Avoid
- Ice - the ultimate brace destroyer!
- Foreign objects such as pens, pencils, fingernails, and straws.
- Hard candies such as /Jolly Ranchers, hard peppermints, Blow Pops, etc.
- Sticky chewy candies such as Starburst, Now-N-Later, Tootsie Roll, Skittles, etc.
- Chewy snacks such as Power Bars, Rice Krispy treats.
- Tough breads such as thick pizza crust, bagels, hard rolls, etc.
- Hard snacks such as Fritos, pretzels, etc.
- Thick or hard tortilla chips, nuts, etc.
- Popcorn… the hulls get under your braces and cause gum infections
- Sugary drinks. Also, carbonated soft drinks, which contain phosphoric acid and can cause enamel staining and cavities.
Foods To Enjoy
- Apples, carrots, celery are good for you, but they should be cut into bit sized pieces and eaten with care.
- Chewing gum is O.K.; in fact we recommend chewing gum, as it stimulates saliva flow, which helps keep the teeth clean. We prefer that you only chew sugarless gum such as Trident.
- Soft candies such as chocolate, Milky Way, Three Musketeers, etc.
- Ice cream and frozen yogurt.
Remember: use your common sense when deciding which foods you can eat and those to be avoided. If a band or bracket comes loose, please call and let us know, as it is not always possible to repair appliances at your regular appointment without prior warning.
Brushing Techniques Poor Hygiene |
Brushing with Proxabrush Poor Hygiene |
Brushing Techniques with Braces |
Brushing with Proxabrush |
Flossing with superfloss Poor Hygiene |
Flossing with superfloss |
Elastic Tooth Separator |
