Braces Painter

Before and After

Instructions for Patients in Braces

A SMILE IS FOREVER!
It’s Up to You!

How to be a Happy Patient
We do everything we can to keep our patients happy during their orthodontic treatment, and there are three things that we ask our patients to do to keep themselves happy!

1. Brush and Floss! This is so important! Brushing and flossing can mean the difference between a great orthodontic result
   and a poor one. We don’t want you to have a poor one, and
   after all the time and effort that will be going into your braces, you probably don’t want a poor one either. Remember: you’ll
   be graded on your hygiene (how well you are brushing and flossing) once you are in braces. If you have poor hygiene, we
   let your parents AND your dentist know!
   
   If you need to see some pictures of poor hygiene, let us know! They’re pretty awful, and you definitely don’t want YOUR teeth
   to end up like that!
   
   You must use your Sonicare once in the morning, after breakfast, and once at night before you go to bed. You should also brush with a regular toothbrush when you get home from school. Also use your Phos-Flur Rinse each night right before you go to bed. Remember: Do not swallow this rinse, and do not rinse after using this, or eat or drink anything for 30 minutes after use.



2. Keep Your Appointments! If you miss a lot of appointments, guess what? You will be in braces longer than you have to be! Also, if you miss appointments without calling us to let us know, you may end up getting charged for these.
   
   It is very important that Dr. Clare sees you on a regular basis. If not properly monitored, braces can cause problems that you don’t want to have.



3. It is important to do what Dr. Clare and any of the clinic staff ask you to do (rubberbands, brushing and flossing) in order to keep your treatment going as scheduled. Not doing what you are asked to do will beyond a doubt extend your treatment time. You will be in braces longer if you do not follow directions.



4. Be Patient! All treatment times that we have talked about are only estimates. Everyone is different, and everyone’s teeth move at different rates.
   
   Your teeth will “look done” to you long before they really are. The part of the tooth that you see moves faster than the root, which you don’t see. If you take the braces off before the root has moved, guess what? The tooth will move right back to where the root wants it. Remember that Dr. Clare is a specialist in orthodontics, and he is trained to see many things about our teeth that the rest of us do not. He will not keep you in braces any longer than he has to, but at the same time, he doesn’t want to let you out of them before you are totally done. He takes your teeth seriously!



5. If you ever have questions about when your braces will come off, ask while you are here and while you are still in the chair! We can’t answer that question for you if you are not here!

Spacers

Simply stated, spacers create space. Eventually, you will have a couple of bands around your back teeth, and right now, there is probably no room to put those bands. Spacers are little rubber bands that separate those back teeth from the rest of your teeth just enough to place a band around them.

You may be getting spacers today, or you may be getting them next time you come in. They may be a little uncomfortable, but taking ibuprofen or some kind of pain reliever either before the appointment or as soon as possible afterward should help.

Once you get your spacers in, you will be given further instructions on what to do and what not to do while you have them in.


Rubber Bands/Elastics

When and if Dr. Clare tells you to wear your rubber bands, just wear them! Why? First, if you don’t wear them, you are going to be “stuck” in braces for much longer than you would normally be. Second, Dr. Clare is going to know! He can tell if you’ve been wearing them, no matter what you might try to tell him.

Rubber bands are a GOOD SIGN! They mean you are getting close to the end of your treatment, so don’t stop now!

Parts of Your Braces

Here is a diagram of everything that will be in your mouth for the next couple of years. It is important to learn a few basics so that if something does break or come loose, you can tell us what it is. Some things can wait, and some can’t. If you know exactly what it is that’s broken or loose, we can tell you if you need to come in right away or not.

You, Your Braces and Food!

We know you are worried about this, but rest assured, you will not starve! It will be difficult to eat for a few days, but you will get used to your braces pretty quickly and be eating normally soon.

Have some soft food on hand for the day you get your braces on. Things like soup, yogurt, pudding, mashed potatoes, macaroni & cheese, & scrambled eggs will help you get through those first few days.

Next, there are things you MUST AVOID with braces! These are:

1. Gum of any kind (even sugarless)
2. Sticky, chewy, and hard candy of any kind (like Skittles, Now and Laters, Gummi Bears, Caramels, and Tootsie Rolls)
3. Foods that are really hard like nuts, some taco chips, some bagels, and the hard outer edge of pizza crusts
4. Corn on the cob. Just cut the corn off the cob, and you’ll be fine.
5. Pure, non-diluted lemon juice. Lemon in your iced tea or on your fish is fine, but don’t eat raw lemons! (Yes, some people actually do this.) The pure lemon juice can eat away at the enamel on the surface of your tooth. Not good!
6. Chewing on ice
7. Popcorn -- This is ok one kernel at a time!
8. Avoid carbonated drinks for the first 24 hours

Sweets are okay in moderation, but you must stick with the “softer” sweets like ice cream, brownies, Three Musketeers, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Then brush your teeth afterwards! Get that sugar off before it permanently damages your teeth! If you are not home and can’t brush, get a drink of water, swish, and spit.