Life with Braces
Congratulations on your new braces! You may have heard from your friends and family members, who have had braces, that you can't eat your favorite foods anymore. Well, that's only true if your favorite food is hard candies ... :) In any case, you are still able to eat normally, just with some dietary modifications.
Foods You Can Eat:
Dairy - Soft cheese, pudding
Breads - Soft tortilla, pancakes, muffins
Grains - Pasta, Rice
Meats/poultry - Soft cooked chicken, meatballs, lunch meats
Seafood - Tuna, salmon crab cakes
Vegetable Mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, beans
Fruits - Applesauce, bananas, fruit juices
Treats - Ice cream, milk shakes, Jell-O, soft cakes
Foods Not to Eat:
Chewy foods - Licorice, bagels, steaks (Cut up your proteins!)
Crunchy foods - Popcorn, chips, crackers, cookies
Sticky food - Caramel, chewing gums (Unless it's sugar-free!)
Foods that require you to bite into - Corn on the cob, apples, carrots (Cut them into small pieces!)
Soreness & Irritation
When you first get your braces and/or appliance, you may notice that your teeth may feel a little bit sore. Your teeth will not be sore forever. To ease the discomfort, we recommend eating softer food (see above list). You can also relieve the pain by dissolving a teaspoon of salt in lukewarm water and swishing the mix in your mouth for 1 minute. Spit out the mix after! If the discomfort gets worse, you can take over-the-counter pain medication.
Your braces can cause some irritation to your lips, cheeks, and tongue at the beginning. Don’t worry, your mouth will get used to the new environment in a few weeks! We recommend putting wax on the braces that’s causing the irritation too. We would be happy to give you as much wax as you need!
Loose Braces, Bands, and Wires
If your braces or bands become loose, do not hesitate to give us a call! We are happy to check and repair your appliance. In the meantime, you can put wax in the area to prevent discomfort and irritation.
If the wire is long at the end, you can take a clean nail clipper to trim it. You can also use the back of an eraser end of a pencil to push loose wires back into place.