Braces are absolutely the best tool to give you the best smile, with straight teeth in the least time. We want you to know what will make that happen – a great smile as quickly and comfortably as possible.

Three things will really help your braces go well.

One – Wear your elastics.

Elastics work with wires to guide your teeth. Not wearing the elastics or wearing them less than the teeth need will lead to a crumbier result and it’ll take more time to get there.

Two – Keep your teeth clean.

Braces make it harder to keep your teeth clean, but not much harder. You need to brush by the gum line. A lot of people miss the gum line before their braces but the bristles get to the gum line at least some of the time. With braces, you have to be sure to put those toothbrush bristles by the gum line. It’s easy but really important – feel those bristles by the gum! Healthier gums make teeth move faster and feel better. That might sound like dental propaganda, but it’s true – clean teeth lead to healthier gums and that promotes good stuff in the tooth moving department. It feels better too.

Three – Be a little gentle eating with your braces and wires so they don’t break.

Not all breakage will slow down your treatment, but it’s always a hassle for you and your orthodontists want things to go smoothly for you. Keep the pressure of eating over on the teeth and away from the braces. So smaller, softer, and slower. Braces break from too much pressure, from eating or playing with the braces.

So that’s it – three things – elastics, cleaning, and a bit gentle on the braces.

One more thing. Keep seeing orthodontists regularly. The wires and elastics they use work over a longer period, but they normally want to see you every 4 to 8 weeks to make sure your treatment is on track. Longer periods aren’t always a problem, but they want to keep your teeth moving and make any adjustments along the way. Always contact them with anything curious going on with your teeth. They want to see you regularly.

Another – some people will tell us they want to get their braces off for a great smile as soon as possible so crank them up. “Tighten those braces good to move them faster.” But high pressures don’t move your teeth faster – it actually moves your teeth more slowly and it definitely feels worse. Your orthodontists totally get it. They want your treatment to be as quick and as comfortable as possible and steady gentle pressure is the best for this. A great smile – quick and comfortable – peace and happiness for you – that’s what they want.

Any questions? Feel free to leave a comment below.