What can you eat

The braces are cemented to your teeth with a type of cement specifically developed for braces. The cement must be strong, of course, but also weak enough to be safely removed when the treatment is finished. When you bite on something hard, it may cause one of the brackets to come loose. This slows down the treatment. Avoid things like ice, hard candy and nuts.

Sticky candy can also cause some of the bands to loosen and cause delay. Don’t even think about Skittles, Starburst, or Sugardaddies etc.

With braces your front teeth (incisors) don’t slice through food as well. You will need to cut up things like apples, carrots, and corn on the cob to eat them.

Consuming a lot of candy and soda pop is not good. The sugar and carbonation promotes white “scars” and cavities on your teeth.

Discomfort

The techniques used in modern orthodontics have greatly reduced the painfulness of braces. None of the procedures that we use require the use of an anesthetic (no shots). The forces used to move teeth are gentle and gradual. You will notice a remarkable lack of anxiety in the patients visiting our office, because they know they are not going to be hurt. A few hours after you first get your braces put on, or get an adjustment, your teeth will become sore to the touch. This will make the task of eating uncomfortable. For the first few days you will want to eat soft foods, like soup, mashed potatoes and such. Avoid tough meats, hard breads, and raw vegetables. After one week the discomfort will be gone and you'll be able to eat most of your favorite foods again.

Modern braces are much smaller and less irritating than they were even a few years ago. The delicate skin inside your lips and cheeks may at first develop canker sores from the irritation. You will be given some soft wax and shown how to use it to cushion and protect your lips. Your lips and cheeks will develop a “toughness” after a week so that you should no longer need the wax.

Emergencies

Occasionally you may have a problem with your braces. Here are some typical problems with the appropriate solution.

• A loose bracket. This is a minor problem. It is not painful. We will re-cement the bracket at your next regular appointment.
• Bruised and scraped lips. If you get bumped in the mouth the braces can injure your lips. Fortunately, the skin inside your lips eaily heals. Aside from the brace wax, there are some medications which speed healing. Ask one of the staff if you need help.
• A wire poking out the back brace. This hurts the inside of your cheeck. Call the office to come in during regular hours. It just takes a moment to clip the wire. Use some wax to protect your cheek until then.
• Wire out of the bracket. If this is sticking into your cheek, it hurts. If you cannot clip it or tuck it out of the way, call the office to come in ASAP. After hours you can call Dr. Tingey at home.
• Traumatic displacement of front teeth. Whether you have braces or not, if you have been hit in the teeth hard enough to fracture or move your front teeth, you need to be seen by Dr. Tingey ASAP. This type of emergency warrants a call to his home if it occurs after office hours.
• Dr. Tingey shares emergency call with other orthodontists in the area. If he is out of town, another orthodontist will be available for critical emergencies.

Sports

Wearing braces does not prevent you from participation in any sports. The edges of the brackets and wires do, however, make bumps to the mouth more damaging and painful. For this reason we highly recommend wearing a sport mouth guard for any contact sports. We keep several types in the office. At your request, we will fit one to your teeth at the beginning of the season.

Brushing

You will notice that much of your lunch remains in your braces for everyone to see, and you will want to brush out the bits of food every time you eat. When your braces are put on, we will provide you with a pocket toothbrush to carry with you and complete instructions for brushing. Wearing braces makes it more difficult to brush your teeth thoroughly. It takes more time and effort to thoroughly clean your teeth after meals, but failure to do so may result in cavities and gum disease.

Appointments

While you are in active treatment, your braces should be adjusted about every 4-6 weeks. When you arrive for your appointment, check in at the front desk. If you want to brush your teeth before being seen, go right to the brushing area. Have a seat in the waiting area and an assistant will call you back to the clinic. Before you leave the office at the end of an appointment, please stop at the appointment desk and schedule your next visit. Office hours are 8 AM to 5PM Monday through Thursday. If you must cancel an appointment, kindly give 48 hours notice.

Infection control

For your protection we adhere to infection control procedures known as universal precautions. This includes heat sterilization of instruments and handpieces. The Doctor and assistants wear latex and vinyl gloves to reduce the risk of infection.