Shortcuts: The Greatest Oral Hygiene Principle in the World!
Oral Hygiene | General Dental Care
Foods, Beverages, and Pernicious Oral Habits | What to Expect
Appliance Management and Elastic Wear | Activities and Your Treatment

The Greatest Oral Hygiene Principle in the World!

The only time food should be in your mouth is while you are eating it. All other times your appliances, teeth, gums, tongue, palate and inside of your cheeks should be clean and free of food debris.

Microbial fermentation of food debris left in the mouth between meals and snacks produces dangerous acids and sulfides at 98.6 degree Fahrenheit or 37 degrees Celsius. The acid produced is damaging to your teeth and gums. The sulfides cause bad breath. Compliance with this concept requires cleaning following all meals and snacks.

Oral Hygiene

Braces are natural food traps and require extra effort on your part to avoid damage to the teeth and gums.

Teeth, braces and appliances should be thoroughly cleaned after eating. Cleanliness should be determined by careful visual examination with good lighting.

A Water Pic can be used to aid the removal of food debris lodged on and between the teeth but will not remove plaque. Plaque must be removed with toothbrush bristles, dental floss and other mechanical aids.

Floss at least once daily. Use a floss threader to pass floss under the archwire or brace.

Thoroughly brush, floss, and rinse with a supplemental fluoride after your last snack or meal of the day. Your mouth will remain clean until breakfast.

Maintain a well-balanced, soft-textured diet that is free of hard, sticky, acidic and high sugar foods.

Clean your teeth and appliances before orthodontic appointments. Otherwise, visibility is obscured and early decalcification or damage to your teeth may not be seen.

Tongue-in-Cheek, Clean only the teeth you want to keep.

General Dental Care

We recommend a thorough dental examination and professional tooth cleaning before braces are placed on your teeth. Clean, healthy teeth move faster!

Follow your general dentists guidelines for periodic dental examinations, cleanings, and fluoride treatments.

Food entrapment during orthodontics imposes a period of increased oral hygiene risk. To minimize this risk, we encourage an increased frequency for dental examinations, cleanings, and topical fluoride treatments. The final decision regarding your general dental care remains between you and your dentist, and appointments should be scheduled as your dentist recommends.

Remain under the periodontal supervision of your general dentist or periodontist throughout appliance therapy. This is of added importance for adult patients and those with preexisting gum disease or loss of bone support for the teeth.

Foods, Beverages, and Pernicious Oral Habits

Maintain a well-balanced, soft-textured diet that is free of hard, sticky, acidic and high sugar foods. Hard and sticky foods cause mechanical damage to your braces and appliances. Acid produced during the fermentation of sugar encourages gum inflammation and tooth decay.

Foods and beverages to avoid:

• Chewy foods: bagels, hard rolls, licorice
• Crunchy foods: popcorn, ice, chips
• Sticky foods: caramels, taffy
• Hard foods: nuts, candy
• Foods you have to bite into with the front teeth: corn on the cob, apples, carrots
• Candies: Sweet Tarts, Jolly Rancher candies, peanut brittle.
• Acid and sugar containing beverages: colas, fruit and vegetable juices

Foods to enjoy:

• All the rest!

Don't chew gum, tobacco, or had objects!

• Pens, pencils, and fingernails can damage your braces.
• Damage to your braces will increase treatment time.
• Chewing gum causes repetitive stress on your braces or appliances.

What to Expect

What should I expect when I receive a new appliance or braces are first placed on my teeth?

You may feel tenderness of the teeth and gums, and experience increased salivation and difficulty swallowing, speaking and eating. The soft tissues opposing your new appliance or braces may become irritated. These problems are temporary and soon subside as the teeth begin to move. Tylenol, aspirin, or other over-the-counter analgesics are seldom needed.

Slight mobility of teeth is necessary for teeth to move

This is to be expected throughout treatment. Don't worry! It's normal. After the corrective movements, teeth will again become rigidly fixed in their new, corrected positions.

When a wire, bracket, or band breaks or loosens

Don't be alarmed. This will occasionally happen. If a poking wire, loose band or bracket irritates the inside of the mouth, place wax or wet cotton over the offending appliance to reduce the annoyance. Call us without delay, describe the problem, and a scheduling coordinator will arrange a suitable appointment for adjustment or repair. Save and bring any loose pieces of your appliance to this appointment.

Appliance Management and Elastic Wear

The success of your treatment depends upon responsible care and wear of your appliances

When you begin treatment you will receive a Guide to Successful Treatment with a section devoted to Appliance Management. Compliant wear, cleaning, inspection, detection, reporting, and prompt adjustment and repair of appliance problems are essential.

When elastic wear is prescribed

Elastics may be used to apply motive force to move the teeth. Your teeth must be subject to light, continuous force if they are to be moved. When prescribed, elastics must be worn at all times unless otherwise directed. If elastics cannot be worn according to prescription call our office without delay.

Tenderness of the teeth is common when elastic forces are first applied to the teeth. This initial discomfort will subside as your teeth begin to move. Occasional or intermittent elastic wear not only produces discomfort but will not move teeth. Adherence to our guidelines for elastic wear is essential for the success of your treatment.

Activities and Your Treatment

Athletic Participation, Swimming, and Playing of Musical Instruments

Please consult our office regarding the advisability of appliance wear during athletic participation, swimming and playing of musical instruments.

If you play sports, consult your athletic supervisor and us for special precautions. A protective mouth guard should be worn while playing contact sports. After any accident involving the face, check your mouth, teeth, and appliances immediately. If teeth have been loosened, the soft tissues lacerated, or the appliances damaged, phone at once for an appointment. In the meantime, treat your discomfort as you would treat any general soreness.