Live With Braces
Foods To Enjoy
Soft foods, Cold foods, and foods that are sliced into small portions.
- Breads such as sandwich breads, pancake
- Cheese, yogurt, ice cream and other dairy
- Pasta and grains, including quinoa, rice, noodles
- Steamed veggies
- Fork-tender meats
- Peanut butter
- Stew and soup
- Fruit cups
- Mashed potatoes
- Smoothies
- Applesauce
- Pudding
- Tofu
- Guacamole
- Beans
Avoid These Foods
Chewy, Crunchy, Hard, Sticky foods and foods having to be bitten into.
- Caramel
- Toffee
- Hard bagels
- Tough meats
- Nuts
- Pizza crust
- Hard and Sticky candies
- Ice cubes
- Gum
- Popcorn
- Corn on the cob
- Apples
Emergencies
Brackets off or Loose bands
If a brace or band comes out, leave it in place if it still attached to the wire. In case the loose bracket has rotated on the wire and is sticking out and you can't come to our office immediately, you can put wax on it temporarily to alleviate discomfort and prevent further damage. Give us a call at the office to replace it.
When the bracket breaks and comes off of your wire, wrap a piece of tissue around it and take it out of your mouth.
We encourage all patients, especially those with braces, to wear a protective mouth guard while playing sports.
Protruding wire / Wire poking
Sometimes when a bracket is loose or breaks, you can be left with a long piece of wire that pokes into your cheek. If that’s the case, gently use the eraser end of a pencil or a clean cotton swab to push it out of the way and against the nearest tooth. Dry it off with some tissue and then cover it in orthodontic wax before giving us a call.
Loose Metal wire ties or Elastics
Tiny rubber bands that hold the wire to the bracket sometimes come loose. If a rubber ligature should come off, you may be able to put it back in place using sterile tweezers, but if wire ligature comes loose, simply remove it with sterile tweezers.
When it is causing discomfort cover with wax and call the office to have the elastics or ties replaced
Mouth Sores
You can relieve irritation with a salt water rinse. Add a teaspoon of salt to a glass of warm water and swish it around in your mouth before spitting it out. You can repeat this several times during the day as needed.
Warm up a small piece of orthodontic wax between your fingers and place it on the areas of your braces that are bothering you.
You can get over the counter topical anesthetic and apply it directly to the area with sores using a cotton swab.
Soreness
- Take over the counter pain medication (Tylenol/Advil).
- Try eating soft foods.
- Use a warm salt water rinse to help promote healing.
- New braces can irritate your mouth. Try to apply wax. Pinch off a small piece and roll it into a pea sized ball. Apply it to area and flatten the ball and place it completely over the area of the braces causing irritation.
