This page is designed to give you some tips on how to care for your orthodontic tools and teeth throughout the entire orthodontic process. If you have any additional questions, we will always be here to help! We will always offer any additional care if you need it. We are happy to schedule you a checkup or a consultation and even jump into action during emergency situations!
Components That Make Up Your Braces
Braces are made up of many different parts! All together, these parts are called an appliance. These parts all work closely together to help straighten your teeth. It’s also important for you to know the various different parts of your appliance. This way, when you stop by for your appointment, we can easily discuss your treatment plans and any changes to your appliance! Below we have listed the parts that compose your braces appliance.
- Brackets: When you think of braces, the brackets are typically the first piece that you imagine. Brackets are the small, square metal or ceramic pieces that are glued onto the front of each tooth. Brackets contain a small door that opens and closes to better place the archwire inside.
- Archwire: One of the most important parts of your appliance is the archwire. This is because it is the part that aligns your teeth in the straighter formation that we have planned for you. We will bend the archwire in a calculated way to make sure that your teeth move to where they are supposed to. This piece is usually made of stainless steel or titanium and is replaced each visit.
- Band: The band is what holds your appliance in place! Bands are thin pieces of stainless steel that are fitted to your back teeth. The bands are also glued in with a special dental glue that we call cement. This is to make sure that they don’t move during the course of your treatment!
- Elastic Ties: This is the part of your appliance that gives your braces colour! Elastic ties are small rubber bands that are placed around brackets to help hold the archwire in place.
- Elastic Bands: Elastic bands are usually hooked on to one lower and one upper tooth that have a small hook on them. These elastic bands help create a gentle pressure to get your teeth to move in the direction we want them to.
- Springs: Sometimes, metal springs are needed in certain orthodontic situations. Springs can be used to open or close gaps in between your teeth. These are usually connected to brackets and wrapped around the archwire.
The Importance of Maintaining Oral Hygiene
When you have an appliance in your mouth, it’s incredibly important that you maintain good oral hygiene. By using an appliance, it is easier for food particles to get stuck in between brackets or other attachments. Once food items start to break down in your mouth, bacteria and plaque build up will appear. Read below to learn about how to properly maintain your oral hygiene while you are going through your orthodontic treatment.
The Importance of Brushing Your Teeth
One of the easiest ways to maintain oral hygiene while you have an appliance is brushing your teeth! While wearing braces or other orthodontic tools, make sure you spend a little more time than usual brushing your teeth. Instead of brushing for 2-3 minutes, try 4-5 minutes. This will help ensure that most debris is cleared from your brackets, wires, bands, or attachments.
When deciding what type of toothbrush you should use, a soft bristled brush is best. Use toothpaste and small circular movements around each bracket to make sure every corner is cleared! Make sure you are also brushing the inside of each tooth as well as the chewing surface! Your tongue is a place where bacteria likes to grow. By brushing your tongue, you can reduce the presence of bacteria and lessen the chances of bad breath.
Sometimes when brushing your teeth, your gums can bleed. This is usually an indication that you don’t have the best brushing habits. Bleeding gums can also indicate other potential issues like gum disease. If you keep up with brushing, your gums should hardly ever bleed.
The Importance of Flossing Your Teeth
People tend to skip out on flossing their teeth. This is a bad idea! It is essential in maintaining the overall oral health of your mouth. It is even more important for you to floss your teeth when you have braces. Like we mentioned with brushing, it is so much easier for food and other debris to get caught in and around your teeth and appliance. We won’t deny that brackets and wires can make flossing more difficult than usual, but in order to maintain even colouring and a lessened chance of gum disease and tooth decay, you must take the time to complete proper flossing.
To make the flossing process easier and less daunting, we have come up with some flossing tips! Our first tip is to use floss that is specially designed to poke between crowded teeth or brackets. This type of floss will often have one end that is stiff to allow for easier gliding. The second tip is to try flossing at the base of your tooth, nearest to your gumline. The special floss will make it easy to slip between each tooth close to the gumline. This type of floss will be easier to use when you have brackets. If you have any questions about the best way to floss your teeth, don’t hesitate to ask your orthodontist, dentist, or hygienist.
Other Beneficial Hygiene Tools
There are other tools that you can use to help manage your oral hygiene. One of these tools is called a proxabrush. This is a mini toothbrush that is designed to easily slip between wire and brackets. It looks similar to a tiny tree, with bristles circling the entirety of the tip of the brush rather than on just one side.
There are other tools that you can use to help make sure your teeth shine! These tools include mouthwash, water flossers, or toothpicks.
Common Concerns with Orthodontic Tools
When you have braces, there are some common problems that can appear. These problems are generally nothing too big to worry about, but they can be uncomfortable. If any of these problems are too uncomfortable to bear, please reach out to us here at Green Valley Ranch Orthodontics and we will help you!
Sore, Aching or Tender Teeth
When you receive an adjustment, it is normal and often expected for your teeth to hurt a little. This is simply because a new part was installed and is creating some pressure or force on your teeth. This pressure is necessary when adjusting your teeth. This feeling will go away after about 2 to 4 days. Some ways to help relieve or lessen the discomfort is taking over the counter painkillers, using a saltwater rinse, and eating soft foods like scrambled eggs, soup, and pasta. If the pain lasts for too long or interrupts your daily life too much, give us a call!
Minor Cuts on Your Lips or Cheeks
It’s normal to experience some small, minor cuts on your lips or cheeks. The inside of your mouth is generally quite soft, making it easy for the skin to catch or be irritated by orthodontic tools inside your mouth. It is also important to know that the inside of your mouth can heal quickly! So these types of wounds won’t last nearly as long as a cut on another part of your body would. As your treatment goes on, the skin on your lips and cheeks will become stronger and able to protect itself from whatever may be irritating it. There are some solutions that we can offer you if the wounds become inflamed, too sore, or prevent you from doing essential tasks such as sleeping or eating. One method that we can offer is the use of wax. A small food grade piece of wax can be applied to the part of the appliance that is causing irritation. We can also recommend brands of antiseptic mouthwash, topical anesthetics like Orajel or Orabase to help numb the area and give immediate relief.
Parts of Your Appliance That May Be Loose
Just because some parts of your appliance are glued in, they can still break off. There are multiple reasons as to why your bands, brackets, or wires break. This can be due to eating the wrong foods, impact, or improper care.
Brackets that break off are not usually considered an emergency unless they are the first four on your top or bottom teeth, or if it is a bracket that holds an elastic band. If the broken bracket is irritating, use a piece of wax to cover it up until we can book you in for an appointment.
Your Wires Become Loose or May Be Pokey
Similar to any other part of your appliance, wires can become loose or broken for many different reasons. If the wire is sharp and irritating your gums, lip, or cheek, try and use a clean q-tip or pencil eraser to gently push the wire out of the way. Wax can also be used in this situation to provide some immediate comfort.
Problems With Your Palette Expander
In some cases, a palette expander is installed to make your upper jaw wider. If this breaks, has been damaged in any way, or is loose, call us right away! This is considered an emergency visit. We have prepared a video below that will show you how to give emergency care to your damaged palette expander. Make sure you call us as soon as possible! This way we can book you in for an appointment ASAP!
Missing or Loose Elastic Bands
If you use elastic bands or elastic ties and one is missing or loose, then there is no cause for concern. This is a problem that we can fix during your next appointment.
Accidents to Your Mouth
If there is any kind of accident that involves you and your mouth please call us immediately! A hit to the mouth can be serious and we want to make sure that you and your teeth are healthy! Teeth cannot regrow so we want to make sure that every last bit of the tooth is in the clear. If the injury is significant, we can work on a healing plan to make sure your mouth does not sustain any more pressure and to make sure that the rest of your treatment goes smoothly.
How to Maintain Retainers and Other Removable Parts
After you have completed your braces treatment, you will receive removable orthodontic tools like a pair of retainers. Once you receive your retainers, it’s important to keep up with their care and maintenance too. They must be cleaned daily. Retainers however should not be cleaned with toothpaste. This can damage your tool as toothpaste is typically abrasive. Instead, you can use a very soft toothbrush and antibacterial hand soap. Make sure you are using cool water when cleaning your retainer, not hot water. Hot water can distort the shape of the retainer and cause it to no longer fit. Denture cleaner tabs can also be used if necessary, but make sure you are using a clear tablet as the blue ones can stain clear retainers.
Completing Oral Hygiene Maintenance
Staying on top of maintenance and hygiene during the course of your treatment is essential in making sure everything is going according to plan. If you do not take proper care of your oral hygiene during the course of your treatment, this can lead to problems that would otherwise be easily prevented such as discolouration, gum disease, and cavities. If you have any questions or concerns about your oral hygiene, contact us so we can help you!
We have come up with a list of three tips that will greatly impact and improve your overall dental hygiene!
- Make brushing your teeth after every meal a habit!
It’s always better for food or other debris to have less time sitting and decaying in your mouth. Brushing your teeth after every meal will also positively impact other areas of oral hygiene too such as bad breath and gum disease prevention! Food can easily get stuck between brackets, wires, bands, and elastics. If left for too long, decaying food will create bacteria that will destroy your enamel and start causing decay. This will also cause staining, leaving your teeth with mismatched white and yellow colouration in areas where the brackets were or were not present.Make sure you only use a soft bristled toothbrush. Anything harder than soft can cause damage to your enamel. And of course don’t forget to brush the chewing surfaces and insides of your teeth! - Using threadable floss.
You cannot skip one of the most important parts of oral hygiene! There are special flossing tools that have been developed to help people who have an appliance, other orthodontic tools or crowded teeth. Threaded floss is a type of floss that has a stiff end that can easily fit between teeth. You can also purchase a floss threader, which looks like a sewing needle, and use that to guide regular floss through your teeth. - Use proxabrushes.
Proxabrushes (or Christmas tree brushes) are special tools that are designed to fit and clean in between gaps. This is similar to flossing, but these brushes have multiple bristles that can be used to capture food particles or plaque buildup. This tool is one that everyone with braces should keep on hand. There are multiple large gaps present between brackets, wires, and teeth, leading to many areas where stuff can get stuck.
Foods That Need to Be Avoided
We all have our guilty pleasure favourite sweet, sticky, or hard foods out there! Unfortunately, these favourite snacks can cause a lot of harm to your appliance. But hey! Thankfully braces treatment usually only lasts a year or two, so this is not a long term avoidance. Below we have compiled a list of some food items that you should avoid. If you are unsure of a food item that may be harmful or not, ask us and we will give you feedback!
Hard Foods to Avoid
Crunching on food that is hardened, or is naturally more tough can break or put unnecessary strain on your brackets, wires, bands, or elastics. In the worst case scenario, these food items can completely break your appliance. These types of food can also sometimes cause pain to your teeth if they are crunched down while wearing braces.
- Nuts
- Chips
- Popcorn
- Hard candies like Jolly Ranchers or Lollypops
- Ice
- Crusty Bread like croutons
- Apples
- Carrots
- Whole corn on the cob
Sticky Foods to Avoid
Sticky foods are always so tasty, but they can cause lots of harm to your appliance and the overall health of your teeth, especially when wearing an orthodontic tool. Sticky foods will get caught around brackets, between wires, and wrap around your teeth. These food items can be difficult to properly clean, even without braces. Sometimes, when chewing larger forms of sticky candy like salt water taffy, they can cause a suction effect when chewing and pull off or break your appliance.
- Taffy like Airheads or Salt Water Taffy
- Caramel
- Tootsie Rolls
- Starbursts
- Skittles
- Licorice
- Gum