Reviewed by Dr. Benjamin Wright, board-certified orthodontist
Braces work around the clock, and the daily habits that go with them determine how quickly you finish and how good the final result looks. None of it is complicated, and most of our patients at Wright Orthodontics settle into the routine within about two weeks. Here is what the first month actually asks of you.
Eating with Braces
You will eat normally again. For now, a handful of foods can bend a wire or knock a bracket loose, and every loose bracket means an extra appointment and a longer overall treatment.
Four textures cause nearly all the damage. Chewy foods such as bagels and licorice pull at brackets, while crunchy foods such as popcorn, chips, and ice crack them. Sticky foods such as caramel and chewing gum lift a bracket straight off the tooth, and hard foods such as nuts and hard candy break things outright. Add a fifth rule: do not bite directly into corn on the cob, whole apples, or raw carrots. Cut them into pieces and chew with your back teeth instead.
That still leaves most of dinner available. Soft cheese, yogurt, and pudding are fine, along with pancakes, muffins without nuts, soft tortillas, pasta, and rice. Chicken, meatballs, and lunch meat work well, as do tuna, salmon, and crab cakes. Mashed potatoes, steamed spinach, beans, applesauce, and bananas are all easy. Ice cream without nuts, milkshakes, and soft cake are still on the table.
Brushing and Flossing
Brackets give plaque considerably more places to hide, so hygiene matters more now than it did before. Brush after every meal, angling the brush above and below each bracket, and give the gum line the attention it deserves. Two careful minutes beats a fast scrub.
Floss once a day with a threader or an orthodontic flosser, which slides the floss underneath the wire. It is awkward for the first week and quick after that. Keep a travel brush and a threader in your bag so lunch at school is never a problem.
This part is genuinely not optional. Plaque left sitting around a bracket leaves a permanent white mark on the enamel, visible on the day your braces come off. Continue seeing your family dentist every six months during treatment, and we will coordinate with them whenever you need additional care.
Soreness and Comfort
Your teeth will feel tender for a few days after your braces go on, and again for a day or so following each adjustment. That tenderness is the teeth moving, which is the entire point. Stick to softer food until chewing feels comfortable again.
For irritated gums, dissolve one teaspoon of salt in eight ounces of warm water, rinse thoroughly, and do not swallow it. If you want a pain reliever, choose acetaminophen. Ibuprofen, aspirin, and naproxen all slow tooth movement, so they are worth avoiding as a routine habit during orthodontic treatment.
Your lips, cheeks, and tongue need one to two weeks to toughen against the brackets, and orthodontic wax makes that stretch considerably easier. Ask us for some at any appointment, and take more than you think you need.
Loose Teeth and Careful Appliances
Teeth often feel slightly loose partway through treatment. That is normal and expected. Teeth have to loosen before they can move, and they firm up in their new positions once they get there.
Rubber bands, retainers, and any other appliance we give you only work while they are being worn. Skipped elastics are the single most common reason treatment runs long. Damaged appliances are the second. If you play a sport, wear a mouthguard over your braces, which we cover on our teen orthodontics page.
If something breaks, comes loose, or starts poking, do not try to live with it. Our emergency care page walks through what to do first, then call us at 410-544-0072 so we can repair it properly.
Frequently Asked Questions About Living with Braces
What foods should I avoid with braces?
Anything chewy, crunchy, sticky, or hard, plus anything you would normally bite straight into. Bagels, popcorn, ice, caramel, gum, nuts, hard candy, corn on the cob, and whole apples are the usual offenders. Cutting hard fruit and vegetables into pieces solves most of it.
How do I brush and floss with braces?
Brush after every meal, angling the brush above and below each bracket and along the gum line. Floss daily using a threader or an orthodontic flosser to get under the wire. A water flosser is a useful addition, though it does not replace floss.
Can I chew gum with braces?
No. Gum sticks to brackets and wires and can pull a bracket loose or bend a wire without you noticing. That includes sugar-free gum, since the problem is the stickiness rather than the sugar.
Will braces stain my teeth?
Braces themselves do not stain teeth, but plaque left around a bracket will leave a permanent white mark on the enamel. Thorough brushing prevents it. Dark drinks such as coffee, tea, and cola can also discolor the clear elastic ties, which we change at every visit.
Questions About Your Treatment? Call Us
Call 410-544-0072 with anything that is not covered here, or ask at your next visit. Cost and insurance questions are answered on our cost, insurance, and financing page. Wright Orthodontics is at 479 Jumpers Hole Road, Suite #203, Severna Park, MD 21146, and Dr. Benjamin Wright, a board-certified orthodontist, oversees every case personally.