I couldn't have gotten thru the 1st month without...

[beckyboo0205]

Braces are going to go on in about a month and I am trying to prepare. Because of my living conditions, I don't have access to store whenever I want. I live very remote and literally get flown into where I live. We get floatplanes (planes that land on the water) twice a week which includes our groceries and stuff.

SO, I need to be extra prepared with lots of stuff that I might need... so finish the sentence...

I COULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN THROUGH THE FIRST MONTH IN BRACES WITHOUT...

This can include foods, products, anything!

[Duendecilla]

I haven't been a month with them yet, but so far I'd say wax and Oraldine.

[Ciara]

Sturdy floss: http://sturdyfloss.net Made flossing "doable".

[kiwibug]

Wax, bonjela for ulcers and floss threaders.

[starfish88]

I found flossing with stiff floss/ threaders really hard especially at the start. Might he good to get some tepe brushes too because I found those much easier and you can figure out what you prefer. A waterpik is great too especially if you like eating salad/spinach! Wax is great too and mouth ulcer gel. I found hot tea or frozen yogurt/ smoothies really helped with the discomfort the first few days.

[lambchop]

WAX, salt water rinses, yogurt, and WINE!!! Not at the same time, lol)

[Sita]

Wax, piksters (size 0), superfloss, ibuprofen, salt water rinses, soup, smoothies, mac and cheese, lip balm (get a good quality one) and wax.

Yes I said wax twice. I'm almost 12 months in and still use it regularly. My gums toughened up pretty quickly but as my bite changes I keep biting holes in the my cheeks and need the brackets covered with wax to stop the rubbing. Don't know if that will happen to you or not but honestly it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

[2XRound]

Advil

[SmilinginCO]

Lots of Silicone wax, Colgate peroxl mouth wash, Advil, glide ortho floss, and a water pik. Good luck!

[TMJJill]

*Glide threader floss. Superfloss if you have gaps. (It shreds on tight teeth.)
*Waterpik if you can afford it.
*Silicone wax. I love the silicone wax. Macks's ear pillows is my favorite brand. It goes a long way and is affordable
*Tweezers. (In case you have any wire or bracket issues to help you get through until you can see your orthodontist.)
*Lots of those small "Christmas tree" proxabrushes. They are great for cleaning the stuff that gets stuck in the braces or the teeth.
*A travel/portable dental kit. dentakit has some good products for this.
*Ice. (I had some muscular issues as I adjusted to having them on. The ice helped. Heat might also help.)

*A camera if you want to document your own progress.

*Soft foods of your choosing. Things that don't need a lot of "bite".

[Tobilei]

*Superfloss
* A SUPER soft toothbrush. Normal soft one's hurt my gums a lot.
* Soft foods you like (I ate tinned spaghetti, tomato soup, custard, LOTS of yoghurt, smoothies are good, pikelets are good once you can chew a little, pasta is handy).
* Sterile Gauze-I've had zero luck with my silicone wax. It....just....won't...stick so when things get tough I chuck some gauze in between my brackets and my cheeks and it helps the ulcers heal (I use it in conjunction with kenalog for really bad ulcers that won't get better-thankfully not many of these-and braces relief or bonjella-someone on here mentioned it to me when I was miserable not that long ago).
*Panadol (paracetamol).
*Piksters (tree toothbrushes).
*Dry mouth mouthwash-day 2 my braces and mouth felt SOOO dry. Lasted about a week and a half. I thought it would never end, but it does and things go back to normal

[Slack]

Silicone Wax, my life-saver.
Some pain-killers can be useful as well, just in case.

[Mary Crawley]

Silicone wax (I love the Mack's Pillow Soft Ear Plugs- more bang for your buck), regular wax because I couldn't get the silicone to stick to my bottom front teeth, floss threaders and Crest Glide floss. I love the Glide floss because it doesn't shred on molar bands.

Oops, I forgot to add interdental brushes to that list. Those are wonderful for after meals and before you can brush. I use narrow tapered DenTek Easy Brushes. They fit perfectly into those little headgear tubes.

[kennyandrew85]

In my opinion you don't need anything!

Perhaps soft food during the first week or so! possibly some painkillers if you need them as a precaution.

[MrsCharisma]

My water pik!!!!!

I haven't had enough pain or irritation to need wax-thankfully!! But my water pik makes life so much easier