Life with Braces
When you get braces at Kalimian Orthodontics, you’re making a commitment to getting straight teeth and a beautiful smile. While braces do work relatively quickly, you’ll need to make a few lifestyle changes while you have them. Keeping your teeth and braces clean is one of the most important parts of your orthodontic care, as is following the dietary guidelines given to you by Dr. Kalimian.
Braces and Eating
If you have traditional fixed braces (brackets and wires), you’ll need to adjust your diet to eliminate any foods that could potentially damage your appliances. The most common reasons why wires break and the bands become loose is because patients do not follow instructions and each hard and sticky foods.
Here’s a list of some of the most popular foods we tell our patients to avoid:
- Chewy foods — bagels, licorice
- Crunchy foods — popcorn, chips, ice
- Sticky foods — caramel candies, chewing gum
- Hard foods — nuts, hard candies
Foods that require biting into, such as corn on the cob, apples, and carrots, can be eaten as long as you cut them up into bite-sized pieces first.
Brushing and Braces
Brushing and flossing with braces is more difficult, but not impossible. The braces have a tendency to hold onto food particles. But, if you take your time and look in the mirror, you can do a great job.
Brush regularly, two to four times a day. Use circular motions and make sure to brush the gum area. Don’t forget to brush on the tongue side of the teeth as well! Floss around each tooth and underneath each wire. We will provide floss threaders to make it easier to slide the floss between the tooth and the wire.
Braces and Discomfort
When you first get your braces, you may experience a day or two of mild soreness. Feel free to take over-the-counter pain medication (as directed on the bottle) to take the edge off. After a few days there should no longer be any discomfort.
If you ever have questions about your braces, your treatment progress, or your home hygiene routine, don’t hesitate to ask a member of our Great Neck, NY orthodontic team!