New to Braces, a few Q's

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#1 Post by **newtobraces** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 9:51 pm

Hi everyone,

Must say I love this site having lurked around for the few weeks before I got braces (Damon's all metal) put on a week ago. Would love some advice from the experts

1. My ortho's assistant advised me firmly not to break a bracket as it would add 3 months to treatment time due to the fact that a bracket can't be glued on the same area twice. That doesn't sound right to me, after reading several threads on here where others had brackets replaced several times etc Was that info correct?

2. Hydrogen Peroxide - I've got 3%...is it ok to dip that small brush thing (unsure of name, sorry) into it and apply to teeth, or must it be diluted first? Does it erode teeth, or ruin the bonding/glue?

3. I have no pain now, but am still basically swallowing soft foods as I am too scared to chew at all, after the assistants warning on brackets. When is it ok to chew again? Ever? Or do I stick to swallowing small peices for the duration of treatment? I'm just not sure how strong braces are and what they should or shouldn't withstand.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to reply.

Cheers,

Josh.

#2 Post by **juf_84** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 10:07 pm

Hi Josh and welcome!

Must say I love this site having lurked around for the few weeks before I got braces (Damon's all metal) put on a week ago. Would love some advice from the experts

Isn't this site fantastic! I can honestly say I would never have gotten braces if not for ArchWired!

1. My ortho's assistant advised me firmly not to break a bracket as it would add 3 months to treatment time due to the fact that a bracket can't be glued on the same area twice. That doesn't sound right to me, after reading several threads on here where others had brackets replaced several times etc Was that info correct?

I'm not sure about this. I haven't broken a bracket yet (touch wood!). I suppose it would depend on how long the bracket was off, and most people get them fixed pretty quickly. Hopefully someone else will have a more informative answer soon!

2. Hydrogen Peroxide - I've got 3%...is it ok to dip that small brush thing (unsure of name, sorry) into it and apply to teeth, or must it be diluted first? Does it erode teeth, or ruin the bonding/glue?

There are a few people on here that use Hydrogen Peroxide to clean their brackets- KK is one of them, I'm sure she'll be along soon to let you know about this one. To be on the safe side until somone can answer this one, I would dilute it.

3. I have no pain now, but am still basically swallowing soft foods as I am too scared to chew at all, after the assistants warning on brackets. When is it ok to chew again? Ever? Or do I stick to swallowing small peices for the duration of treatment? I'm just not sure how strong braces are and what they should or shouldn't withstand.

If you can chew without pain, then go for it! The brackets are a lot stronger than we all think at first, and it's normal to be a bit worried at first. Just avoid food that has a higher chance of breaking them, such as chewy, hard, sticky lollies, nuts, and other really hard foods. You'll be fine.

Best of luck with your treatment, Josh!

Jennifer

#3 Post by **Kimber** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 10:53 pm

Welcome to the club, Josh. I'm not too sure about your first two questions, but as for chewing, if you don't hurt, don't be afraid to chew. As Jennifer said, just stay away from the real hard, crunchy or sticky stuff -- that includes hard raw vegies like carrot sticks, tortilla chips, ribs and the like -- BUT you really only have to avoid biting directly into those. If you cut them up into small pieces and then chew them with your molars, you should be OK with most stuff, as long as it's not the really sticky stuff. You'll just have to stay away from candy apples, caramel corn and the like for a while.

#4 Post by **jaswi** » Sun Aug 27, 2006 12:03 am

Funny you should ask about peroxide. I just picked some up today because I've got a hole in the side of one cheek/lip(whatever), a chunk out of my tongue, and the soft spot behind my bottom left wisdom tooth has been swollen and painful. All this has been around about 4 days. Anyhow, bottle of peroxide says dilute 50/50 with water to rinse with, so thats what I'm doing, and hoping this cures me, cause these sores are making it unbearable to eat ANYTHING, if its not a mild liquid(tea is good) its agonizing.

#5 Post by **lionfish** » Sun Aug 27, 2006 12:06 am

Broken brackets adding 3 months to treatment? That doesn't sound likely.

I've had two brackets come off and new ones glued onto the same area of the tooth, with no further trouble.

I'd agree with the others about starting to chew your food. You'll find that there is very little you can't eat with braces. The harder stuff requires a little more care, that's all.

I do not bite into corn on the cob or rip the meat off ribs with my teeth; like meryaten, I use a sharp knife.

As the sun is dipping under the yard arm right now, I might go and dip into some cashews. Carefully, of course.

#6 Post by **hippyhippo** » Sun Aug 27, 2006 7:39 am

1. My ortho's assistant advised me firmly not to break a bracket as it would add 3 months to treatment time due to the fact that a bracket can't be glued on the same area twice. That doesn't sound right to me, after reading several threads on here where others had brackets replaced several times etc Was that info correct?

Hrm.. not entirely sure about this. The ortho assistant told me not to worry too much if I broke brackets, as it's pretty common early in the treatment. It could just meant that the bonding wasn't very strong. Early in the treatment she also told me that broken brackets aren't a big deal...waiting a week before getting it fixed won't doing any harm. Though she did say that once you're nearing the end of the treatment, due to the wires they use a broken bracket needs to be fixed ASAP (within a day or two) or else it can really set you back. Maybe that's what she meant?

<<2. Hydrogen Peroxide - I've got 3%...is it ok to dip that small brush thing (unsure of name, sorry) into it and apply to teeth, or must it be diluted first? Does it erode teeth, or ruin the bonding/glue?>>

My bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide says that it can be used as a mouth rinse when diluted with equal amounts water, so you may want to try that. Personally, I only use a capful in my waterpik once in a while, so I can't offer more advice than that.

<<3>>

If you can chew, chew! Just avoid anything super hard or sticky that might break brackets. I'm still eating soft foods, so I'm envious at your no-pain status!

#7 Post by **MS1** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 10:12 am

I think your ortho's assistant was just using a scare tactic. I broke 2 brackets in my first month. I was very embarrassed about it, but my ortho's assistant told me not to worry. That it happens to a bunch of people. The key is to get them fixed/replaced as soon as possible.

After I got my upper braces on, I thought I would not eat any "hard" food until they came off. My teeth were so sore for much longer than I anticipated. Give yourself some time. I'm still a bit cautious, but I have eaten thin crust pizza and chips. Good luck on your journey.