Braces - The Official Don't Eat List

THE DON’T EAT LIST

A list of foods to be avoided during your Orthodontic Treatment

Gum – Bubble gum,  Sugarless gum* 

Lollies -  Redskins, Minties, Gummybears, Jelly beans, Snakes, Licorice

Caramels- Mars Bars, Snickers, gooey chocolates

Hard Things – Ice Cubes, Pens & Pencils, Whole Apples, Raw Carrots, Nuts of all kinds, Popcorn seeds, Pretzels, hard chips, Corn on the Cob, Fingernails

In addition to all of the above comes the group called sweets. Sweets can be eaten but it is very important that you brush or rinse your mouth immediately after eating them. The sweets will not cause damage to your braces but they will cause damage to your teeth. This is how you get those white spots on your teeth while wearing braces. The worst of all the sweets are the sports drinks and soft drinks (Coke, Pepsi, Gatorade etc). It does not matter if the soft drink is diet or not their acids will have the same effect on your teeth. We ask that you try to stay away from soft drinks  during your treatment.

Should you have a bracket come loose before an appointment please call the same day that you find out that it is broken. We are not going to be upset with you, but we do want to make sure that we have enough time to fix it during your regularly scheduled appointment. Often broken brackets can wait to be fixed, while others need to be repaired as soon as possible.

The last thing that we would like you to know is that when you bend your wires or knock a bracket loose you run the risk of making your treatment take longer.   If you cheat you will only be cheating yourself in the end. Just remember these things from the start and you should finish your treatment on time.

We all want this to be a positive experience for you and we want to get the job done as quickly as we possibly can. This will only happen with your co operation. Let’s work together to give you the best possible smile in the shortest period of time.

*Sugar-free gum can be chewed for 2-3 days after a visit to help make the teeth more comfortable.  

Questions you may be asking?

How Long Will My Teeth Be Sore

Expect the teeth to be somewhat tender the first few days after your braces are adjusted. Take Ibuprofen (e.g. Nurofen) to alleviate the discomfort. Paracetamol (e.g. Panadol) has been shown to be less effective for Orthodontic discomfort. The teeth usually will not bother you unless you try to eat, but they should not bother you while you are doing other things. The sooner you start chewing the faster you will adjust. Try not to baby the teeth. Sugarfree gum can be chewed for up to 3 days following an appointment and in some cases will help the teeth settle faster.

Cleaning Your Teeth

Mouthrinses are an excellent way to clean around your braces. Swishing around for at least 30 seconds each night, plus thorough brushing and flossing will ensure clean and healthy gums and minimize the chance of decay under and around your braces. A fluoride rinse is the best but other rinses such as Listerine or Savacol are useful too. There are specially made orthodontic toothbrushes available but an ordinary brush is fine as long as it is small and soft and used often enough, long enough, and in all the right places, (like between the brackets and the gum). Electric toothbrushes are also very good as long as you don’t lean on the brackets too hard. Despite having wires between your teeth, dental floss will still get to most places between your teeth. Inter-proximal (between the teeth) brushes can also be used carefully.  Your orthodontic treatment is usually quicker and always more comfortable with clean teeth and gums, and it would be very disappointing to have your braces removed to find unsightly and damaging decay underneath.

Will The Inside Of My Lips Be Sore Forever

Expect, from time to time, that your cheeks and lips may become irritated. You will eventually build up a callous. If an ulcer forms, use wax that we gave you and place it over the brackets or wires that seem to be causing the problem. The wax will usually stay in place even while eating if you make sure that the area is dry before putting the wax in place. Peel off a small piece, roll it up in a little ball and stick it over the braces.

Why Did I Get This Space Between My Front Teeth

Sometimes things look worse before they will look better. The teeth will move in different directions as the teeth are straightening out. You may see a space between your two front teeth that was never there before, or teeth that seemed perfectly straight before  the  braces were placed may not seem as straight. Please be patient and things will start to improve. That space will close and those teeth will line up, we promise. In order to straighten the worst of the teeth, the straighter teeth may have to be pulled out of alignment, but eventually they all work together to give you the great smile that we are all working towards.

I Was Only Eating Ice Cream When The Bracket Came Off

Sometimes braces do not break off immediately after they are loosened.

Sometimes that hard lolly, ice block, or nut weakens the glue but not enough for it to come off. The next thing you know the bracket pops off while you’re sitting in class or eating something soft. The important thing is that you call us ASAP to let us know (not necessary on the weekends!). The bracket does not necessarily have to be replaced right away but we want to know about it, even if you leave a message on the answering machine. If you wait until the day of your appointment to tell us you have a bracket off, we may not have time to fix it that day. If we know ahead of time we can generally make arrangements.

My Teeth Are Loose, Is This OK Are They Going To Fall Out

Yes, this is alright so do not worry about them falling out, unless it is a baby tooth of course. We want them to get loose so that we can move them around. If they get too loose we will let you know but this is rare. Most people notice this after they have been hit with an elbow, basketball or some form of trauma to the mouth. (By the way, no charge for the extraction should a permanent tooth fall out).

How Much Longer Will I Have My Braces On

Remember, the time we told you is a rough estimate. It could take a little longer or it may not take as long. A lot of what happens depends on you. If you do not wear the elastics, plan on adding time. If you chew fingernails, pens, ice cubes, bones, Minties or Redskins, plan on adding time. If you miss appointments, plan on adding time. If you regularly break brackets, plan on adding time. Even if all goes smoothly, it could take longer than normal. No two people have teeth that move the same way and we do not want to rush the final result. Asking at each visit, ‘How much longer’ will not help you get your braces off any earlier. But, no one can blame you for trying!