Hygiene/Diet

Brushing and flossing are even more important when you are wearing braces. This is because braces create a lot of nooks and crannies for food and plaque to collect. If these areas are not kept clean, they can lead to decalcification spots, cavities and gum problems.

You can eat most of your favorite foods with braces, but there are some foods that you should stay away from. Sticky, hard, and crunchy foods can actually pull braces right off your teeth! This leads to additional appointments to repair the damage and longer treatment time.

Following the brushing and eating tips below will help keep your teeth looking great and your orthodontic treatment on track.

BRUSHING
Brush your teeth after every meal and before you go to bed. This may be more than what you are used to, but it is very important. Besides, you don't want to walk around with food between your teeth and braces! A fluoride toothpaste is best to help fight cavities, we may even prescribe a special fluoride toothpaste for you. Be sure to brush all surfaces of your teeth: front, back, and chewing surfaces. When brushing the front side of the teeth around the braces, be sure to work extra hard on the gumline areas--this can be the toughest area to get clean. Proper brushing should take at least 2 minutes.

FLOSSING
Good brushing is great, but it is not enough to keep your teeth and gums healthy. The toothbrush cannot reach between your teeth, so those areas are NEVER getting clean by brushing alone. Flossing once a day helps. A floss threader helps you floss with braces. It takes a little time, but it's well worth the effort. Start by threading the floss through the loop on the threader. Then use the threader to pull the floss under the archwire. Now you are ready to floss as usual.

FLUORIDE
Use a fluoridated toothpaste. We may also recommend a prescription fluoride toothpaste. Also, it's a great idea to use a fluoride rinse after brushing at bedtime. This helps give your teeth extra protection against decalcification spots and cavities. An over the counter brand of fluoride (like Act, or PhosFlur) will work fine, or we may prescribe one for you.

EATING TIPS
Common sense usually will tell you what foods to avoid. The three major categories are HARD, STICKY, and SUGARY. Some examples of each are listed below, but just because a particular food is not on the list does NOT mean it's okay to eat.

Hard foods can break or damage your brackets and wires. Sticky foods can get caught in your braces. Either one can knock or pull the braces right off your teeth. Minimize sugary foods; they give the bacteria in your mouth more chances to cause spots and cavities. Also, don't chew on pens or pencils; these are a common cause of loose brackets. Remember, every loose bracket adds at least a month to your treatment time!

Examples of foods to avoid:

Hard Food:	Sticky Food:	Sugary Food:
Ice	Sugary Gum	Ice Cream
Nuts	Caramel	Cookies
Pizza Crust	Gummy Candy	Soda
Carrots and Apples	Licorice	Candy
(cut them up)	Taffy
Corn chips--Doritos, etc.