What are the do's and dont's with braces?

[EdgeofFreedom]

I just read the idiot's with braces thread and started looking for a thred where I could read about the do's and don'ts when we have braces on. Things like food, what you eat, how you eat (cause that seems to be an issue) and all that other stuff. I want to hear from your experiences, it might teach me a lot and save me (and other's) from very embarassing situations once my braces are on!!

Looking forward to reading you all!
Thx!

[dena]

yeah, your ortho will give you guidelines. and you'll soon see that all of our orthos tell us slightly different things. mine is pretty lax...basically he told me i could eat whatever I was able to (do you have braces on yet? if not, you'll soon find that you physically cant eat everythng you want...well, i can't at least!) in terms of food, i find that i can pretty much eat everything as long as i can rip or cut it up into little pieces. however, some of it requires so much time to clean that it's just not worth it!

[bbsadmin]

Hmmmm....let's see...

DON'T EVER bite into a burrito or hamburger or sandwich with your front teeth. You'll need 20 minutes of cleanup time afterward! YUCK! Bite from the side if you can.

DON'T eat nuts or cookies that contain nuts. They get stuck between your brackets and are very pesky. Popcorn can also be equally pesky.

DON'T eat tortilla chips in the first few months after getting braces. They're like little daggers in your mouth when you begin to chew them.

DON'T try to take really big bites out of sandwiches because it will be really hard to chew that much food. Cut the sandwich with a knife.

DON'T think that you're going to eat that piece of sushi in one big mouthful. Ask for a knife to cut it in half. Seriously.

DON'T get caught without a few dental cleaning supplies in your purse or pocket (a little dental pick or toothpick at least). Because you probably DO have that piece of spinach wrapped around your front tooth.

DON'T try to take off your braces with pliers.

DON'T bite on pencils or try to open plastic bags with your teeth.

DON'T freak out when your bite goes out of alignment in wacky ways. It's part of the process and it will improve.

DON'T eat curry or mustard right before an important meeting or date, unless you want your ligs to look dingy.

DON'T change your ligs often by yourself without telling your ortho about it. Changing your ligs too frequently could mess up your treatment.

*****

DO brush several times a day after meals if possible.

DO floss thoroughly at least once a day.

DO smile and be proud that you are taking positive actions to fix your teeth.

DO brush your teeth in public restrooms if you have to. To hell with what other people think!

DO wear headgear or appliances exactly the way your ortho or dentist told you.

DO wear your retainer for as many hours as your ortho says, regularly after your braces come off....unless you want to be back in braces in a few years... (for all you teenagers: do YOU want to pay thousands of dollars for the next round of braces when you are an adult? No? Then keep wearing your retainer, even when you're older!)

DO have patience and trust your ortho's judgement.

[EdgeofFreedom]

Thanks a lot! All this information helps me make my decision and also helps me decide when I will take the plunge! I think I'll wait until summer for financial reasons and also because it will give me the summer to get used to the hygiene routine and to figure out what I can't and can't eat. That way I'll have less chances of looking gross in front of my students when I go back to work in september!

For some reason, having braces sounds like my mother's advice on food when I was a kid: Chew slowly, don't take large bites, watch what you eat... She will be happy with me!

I'm really glad I found this forum, I've learned so many things in the last few days that I feel I can make a well thought-out decision now!

Thank you all, I hope I can contribute positive things to this community in the future!

[sydsmom]

EdgeofFreedom, I don't think you need to get too concerned about having a list of Do's and Don'ts, especially with diet. Everyone's diffferent, but I'm 5 days in, and I still eat my toasted walnuts with my oatmeal each morning (just chop them smaller), I still eat plenty of veggies (just cook them a little longer), plenty of toast and other crunchy things. You'll just need to be more careful, especially if you're sore, and you'll have to cut everything into smaller pieces or "suck" on things a little longer before swallowing. It's no big deal. But, yes, you'll want to stick with meals rather than snacking all day, brush and clean up after *every* meal --and you'll find you're taking much better care of your teeth than you ever did!!

And, I work with teenagers, and honestly they're so used to seeing their peers in braces that it hardly even crosses their mind that I have them.

[xxjudasxxx]

i have read somewher that we (ppl in braces) are not allowed to eat bubblegum, but seriusly guys, after each ajustment i chew one gum for 15 minutes ant the pain is gone.

[Kell]

i have read somewher that we (ppl in braces) are not allowed to eat bubblegum, but seriusly guys, after each ajustment i chew one gum for 15 minutes ant the pain is gone.

I thought they would say not to chew gum but the goody bag from the ortho included a pack of sugarless gum. The assistant told me that sugarless gum was fine and to chew it to help my teeth feel better quicker. She compared it to having sore muscles from exercising and said that the sooner you start to chew the sooner you would feel better and work out the soreness. I'm not a big gum chewer and my teeth are still very tender so I haven't opened it yet to test the theory.