Caring for Your Braces
Looking after your braces and your teeth during orthodontic treatment is essential for the success of your treatment.
Please select from the different types of braces below for specific instructions on how best to look after your brace.
Keeping your teeth and braces clean and healthy is really important during you treatment. With your help and co-operation, we can straighten your teeth, but whether you end up with a beautiful smile is up to you. If you don't keep things clean you could end up with marks on your teeth, gum disease and even holes that then need filling.
Do:- Clean your braces after every meal/snack. You can take the travel toothbrush to school or work.
- Pay special attention to the area where the gum and teeth meet. If anywhere bleeds it means you need to brush that area more, not less.
- Use the Green TePe brushes after normal brushing to clean around the brackets, in-between the teeth and the wire and any springs fitted in the palate of the mouth. Please always follow the instructions provided by your orthodontist.
- Use the Pink TePe brushes to clean in-between your teeth. Please always follow the instructions provided by your orthodontist.
- Use the disclosing tablets once a week after you have brushed to check you are cleaning away all the plaque.
- Use the Fluoride mouthwash every night after you have brushed your teeth before you go to bed to help toughen up and protect your teeth. Do not eat or drink anything after you have used the mouthwash.
- Eat sweets (including toffees, chewing gum, mints, chocolate…) or any kind of fizzy drinks; including "diet" varieties or fizzy/flavoured water.
- Play with your brace
- Eat hard or sticky foods (e.g. apples, baguettes, toast, carrots…)
- Chew gum
- Play contact sports without a dentist made gum shield
Sometimes you can get soreness and rubbing from your braces. You can use a little bit of the silicone over the brace where it's rubbing to ease this.
After fitting or activation of your braces, you might expect some discomfort or aching for a couple of days. A soft diet will help and you can use your usual painkillers. Always read the instructions for the correct dosage and never take medicines without consulting a parent or guardian.
Breakages
If there are any breakages or loose brackets contact the practice as soon as possible for an appointment. If there is a delay it can result in prolonged treatment and discomfort.
Keeping your teeth and braces clean and healthy is really important during you treatment. With your help and co-operation, we can straighten your teeth, but whether you end up with a beautiful smile is up to you. If you don't keep things clean you could end up with marks on your teeth, gum disease and even holes that then need filling.
Do:- Wear your brace all the time including eating and sleeping.
- Clean your braces after every meal/snack. You can take the travel toothbrush to school or work.
- Keep your brace in a plastic box if it isn't being worn.
- Contact the practice as soon as possible if you lose or break your brace.
- Take it out after every meal and clean it over a sink of water (so if it is dropped it does not break). Use your toothbrush to gently remove all traces of food.
- Use the Fluoride mouthwash every night after you have brushed your teeth before you go to bed to help toughen up and protect your teeth. Do not eat or drink anything after you have used the mouthwash.
- Eat sweets (including toffees, chewing gum, mints, chocolate…) or any kind of fizzy drinks; including "diet" varieties or fizzy/flavoured water.
- Play with or click your brace with your tongue
- Wear your brace for contact sports
- Hold the brace by the wires or bend them
- Eat hard or sticky foods (e.g. apples, baguettes, toast, carrots…)
- Chew gum
Sometimes you can get soreness and rubbing from your braces. You can use a little bit of the silicone over the brace where it's rubbing to ease this.
After fitting or activation of your braces, you might expect some discomfort or aching for a couple of days. A soft diet will help and you can use your usual painkillers. Always read the instructions for the correct dosage and never take medicines without consulting a parent or guardian.
Breakages
If there are any breakages or loose brackets contact the practice as soon as possible for an appointment. If there is a delay it can result in prolonged treatment and discomfort.
At the end of your active treatment, to keep your teeth in their new position, you will need to wear your retainers as instructed by your orthodontist.
Do:- Use a toothbrush and soap to clean the retainers. Only use cold water or your retainer may deform.
- Keep the retainers in a box when not being worn.
- Bring your retainers to every review appointment.
- Contact the practice as soon as possible if you lose or break your retainer.
- Eat or drink with the retainers in.
- Clean the brace with hot water or toothpaste.
In order to maintain your new smile, even after you have reached the end of the review stage of your treatment and finished seeing the orthodontist, you will need to keep wearing your retainers indefinitely to prevent any movement of your teeth.
Over time, your retainers will wear and become loose. When this happens, even if years after treatment, contact the practice to arrange to have new retainers made.