Taking Care Of Teeth After Fitting Braces

After fitting your orthodontic appliance (brace), it is important to follow some simple but important instructions. We have also provided some useful information and advice regarding after care.

Oral hygiene is critical to the success of treatment. Please brush normally 2-3 times a day using a manual or electric toothbrush. It will be very difficult to floss your teeth but interdental brushes can still be used, which are very effective. The use of a mouthwash is advised on a regular basis, ideally containing fluoride.

The latest developments in interdental hygiene include devices such as the Airfloss by Philips and Waterpik units. These are excellent adjunctive techniques and highly recommended for the hard to reach areas. They use a combination of pressure, air and water (or mouthwash) to flush debris away from the contact areas of the teeth.

Adhering to a sound oral hygiene regime coupled with the use of fluoride toothpaste and mouthwash will generally prevent any decay around the brace. However, you should also carefully monitor sugar intake throughout the day. High frequency of sugar throughout the day will increase the risk of tooth decay considerably especially when wearing braces. Now is the time to really cut down on those sugary snacks and drinks!

We strongly advise using MI plus paste by GC. This is excellent at reversing early decay within the tooth enamel and will help to prevent decay or dimineralisation around the orthodontic brackets. Simply rub a small amount of the paste around the brace with your finger and tongue and discard the excess. Then leave overnight, do NOT rinse with water or mouthwash afterwards.

It is important to adopt a soft diet for the first few weeks. This is especially important with lingual braces. Foods to avoid are:

• Hard crunchy foods such as crusty bread

• Sticky foods such as toffees

• Chewy meats

• Un pitted olives and stone fruits

If you have a tooth coloured brace or elastics have been placed to aid rotation, please avoid staining foods which could discolour the temporary elastics. These include:

• Curries especially with tumeric

• Rich tomato based sauces with oil

• Beetroot

• Effervescent table drinks such as vitamin supplements and Berroca

• Red wine

• Coffee

• Smoking

• Fried foods

Braces can cause irritation to the tongue or lip after fitting. This will settle once you have become accustomed to the appliance. In the meantime, orthodontic wax or putty placed over the brackets can help to provide some temporary relief. We will provide this for you. With lingual braces, tongue irritation will occur as the braces is on the inside of the teeth. The tongue will adapt and toughen up but this will take some time. Please see the photo below.

Due to the modern technology, there is much reduced pain compared to systems of the past. However, there may be some intermittent pain. Regular pain relief such as paracetamol, ibuprofen or a combination of both should be effective. If there is prolonged severe pain, please seek the advice of the orthodontist or dentist.

It is common to develop problems such as a lisp after fitting of the orthodontic appliance. Speech should return to normal within two to three weeks. Please practice and allow your tongue to adapt to the new appliance. Reading out loud at home is a good training exercise.

If you make contact on the brackets whilst biting it is advisable to use a night guard to protect the brace and the teeth whilst sleeping. We can supply a temporary thermo formed one which is easy to form and comfortable.

If you experience any prolonged problems with the orthodontic appliance, please contact us and we will advise accordingly.