Welcome to braces! You are on your way to having a healthy and beautiful smile. There are a few things you need to know in order to get the most out of your treatment and protect your investment.

Eating a healthy and nutritious diet during treatment is essential to your teeth, bone, and tissue, which are undergoing change. Soft, nutritious foods are great choices since they won’t damage your braces. On the other hand, avoid sticky, chewy, or hard foods. They can break brackets and wires, which may delay treatment, cause discomfort, and injure your mouth. Also avoid biting into hard foods with your front teeth. It is best to cut or break up hard foods.

Dental hygiene during your orthodontic treatment is critical. Brackets and wires create ideal places for plaque and debris to hide. If not removed, plaque irritates your gums and eats away at your enamel – causing tooth decay, permanent white spots, gum disease, and bad breath. You can minimize or prevent these oral health problems with good dental hygiene. Start by brushing after every meal and snack. A sonic toothbrush is easier to use, promotes longer brushing, and helps you remove more plaque. Less plaque means a healthier mouth.

The second important step to combating plaque is to floss at least once a day. Even the best sonic toothbrush cannot reach and remove all plaque, so this second step is essential. Using string floss with braces is difficult. It removes plaque trapped between teeth but misses plaque around braces and the gum line. An easy and effective way to remove plaque around braces and improve gum health is to use the Water Flosser. Glide the tip along the gum line and brackets to blast away remaining plaque and debris.

Finally, make sure to visit your dentist every six months for regular checkups and cleanings. Achieving a healthy beautiful smile is a team effort that involves you, your orthodontist, your dentist, and your dental hygienist.

If you follow these three steps, your orthodontic treatment should go smoothly and when you get your braces off, you’ll be much happier with your results.