The First Step to a Beautiful Smile

Getting braces is an exciting milestone for people of all ages. Establishing your new routine can be challenging, but your team at Pioneer Orthodontics has you covered.

Your New Routine

Braces can do so much to improve your quality of life; they create a more beautiful smile, increase self-esteem, and help achieve better dental health overall.

You’ll be reaping the benefits of your orthodontic treatment for many years to come, which makes the dietary restrictions and extra oral hygiene totally worth it!

As a patient of Dr. Tewes, you’ll be treated like an individual, with a treatment plan specifically tailored to you.

Plus, we offer advanced Damon® Smile braces, as opposed to traditional braces, for a more comfortable, faster treatment. In fact, we are the only Damon provider in the Lincoln and York, Nebraska areas!

Eating With Braces

Don’t worry, you’ll only have to follow dietary restrictions for the months you’re in treatment — it won’t last forever! In the meantime, before you can resume enjoying some of the treats you love, you will need to avoid any foods that could damage your new appliances, including:

  • Sticky foods like: caramel, toffee, starbursts, skittles, taffy, gummy worms, gummy bears, suckers, mints, jolly ranchers, bubble gum, fruit snacks, fruit roll-ups, etc.
  • Crunchy foods like: nuts, sunflower seeds, popcorn, ice, bagel chips or hard pieces in snack cracker bags or Chex mix, jaw breakers, mints, crunchy granola bars, croutons, tortilla chips, hard pizza crusts, hard breading on fried foods, etc.

Additionally, if you follow these eating tips during treatment, you’ll be back to eating your favorite sticky and crunchy foods again in no time!

  • Chew all foods gingerly
  • Pay attention to what you are eating before you put it in your mouth
  • Cut up hard fruits and vegetables into bite-size pieces
  • Do not rip and tear foods with your teeth; cut them up instead
  • Refrain from bad habits like chewing on fingernails, toothpicks, pen caps, etc.
  • Chew sugar-free gum

Brushing & Flossing

Poor oral hygiene habits, like not brushing and flossing daily, can accentuate the dental disease process.  Tooth decay, cavities, and disease are all risks that you take by not flossing daily and brushing after every meal—whether you have braces or not.

Brushing your teeth with braces is a bit more difficult because there are more things on your teeth to clean around. It’s more time-consuming, but it’s well worth the reward of a healthy smile once orthodontic treatment is complete.

Extra attention spent brushing around each bracket and under the archwires is important. You’ll want to brush the gumline with a light pencil grip in small circular motions to keep your gums healthy.

Flossing keeps the gums healthy as well. To floss with braces you need to place the floss underneath the archwire before pulling the floss between your teeth.

What To Expect From Braces

While you’re working toward a beautiful smile, there are a few things to be aware of when living with braces.

Soreness

Braces are more versatile and comfortable today than they were even ten years ago! Even so, after your braces are placed, your teeth will be tender for about a week’s time, give or take. Luckily, the tenderness won’t keep you from your daily activities.

You may also experience occasional tenderness throughout the course of treatment depending on how and when your teeth move with your braces.

After archwire adjustments, you will usually experience a day or two of tenderness.

You can treat all tenderness with an over-the-counter pain reliever like ibuprofen or Motrin — just follow dosage instructions on the bottle. You’ll notice soreness the most when you’re using your teeth, like when you’re chewing. Just know that it is only temporary.

Loosening Wires or Bands

Occasionally, your wires will appear loose. Typically, this means your braces are working exactly as they should!

Sometimes, bands can get loose if you have eaten a sticky food that breaks the bond with the tooth. If this happens, contact our Lincoln or York offices immediately so we can replace the band.

Loosening Teeth

Over time, your teeth might start to feel loose. That is all a natural and expected process of braces.

Your teeth will not fall out, and they won’t feel loose forever. During the retention phase of treatment, your teeth will become more stable in the bone.

If You Have Questions, Give Us a Call!

Getting braces can be the start of a very exciting journey but don’t forget you have the entire Pioneer Orthodontics team by your side!

If you have questions about taking care of your braces, be sure to give our Lincoln or York office a call.