What can you eat?
Let's talk about what you shouldn't eat! If you've been
wanting to drop a few pounds, the first week wearing braces
is just your chance! For the first day or so, stick to soft
foods. Avoid tough meats, hard breads, and raw vegetables.
Before long, you'll be able to bite a cucumber again. But
you'll need to protect your orthodontic appliances when you
eat for as long as you're wearing braces.
- Chewy foods: bagels, hard rolls, licorice
- Crunchy foods: popcorn, ice, chips
- Sticky foods: caramels, gum
- Hard foods: nuts, candy
- Foods you have to bite into: corn on the cob, apples,
carrots
- Chewing on hard things (for example, pens, pencils or
fingernails) can damage the braces. Damaged braces will
cause treatment to take longer.
When you get your braces
on, you may feel general soreness in your mouth and teeth
may be tender to biting pressures for three to five days.
This can be relieved by rinsing your mouth with a warm salt
water mouthwash. Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in 8 ounces
of warm water, and rinse your mouth vigorously. If the tenderness
is severe, take aspirin or whatever you normally take for
headache or similar pain. The lips, cheeks and tongue may
also become irritated for one to two weeks as they toughen
and become accustomed to the surface of the braces. You can
put wax on the braces to lessen this. We'll show you how!
This is to be expected throughout
treatment. Don't worry! It's normal. Teeth must loosen first
so they can be moved. The teeth will again become rigidly
fixed in their new – corrected – positions.
To successfully complete the treatment
plan, the patient must work together with the orthodontist.
The teeth and jaws can only move toward their corrected
positions if the patient consistently wears the rubber
bands, headgear or other appliances as prescribed.
Damaged appliances lengthen the treatment time.
It's more important than ever to brush
and floss regularly when you have braces, so the teeth and
gums are healthy after orthodontic treatment. Patients
who do not keep their teeth clean may require more
frequent visits to the dentist for a professional
cleaning. Adults who have a history of gum disease
should also see a periodontist during orthodontic
treatment.
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Eating with Braces