Braces are an excellent option that your orthodontist would recommend for aligning or straightening your teeth. They also help you with other dental problems like bridging a gap or treating an overbite or underbite. Getting braces can drastically improve your teeth, but you should know how to properly take care of them during your entire orthodontic treatment so that you don’t damage them.
What is an orthodontist?
An orthodontist is a dental specialist who prevents, diagnoses, and treats dental and facial irregularities with the help of:
- Dental braces
- Retainers
- Headgears and facemasks
Orthodontist in San Diego
While looking for the best orthodontist Rancho Bernardo, visit Hekmat Dental Care which aims to provide you with the most advanced and best orthodontic care in San Diego, California. The luxurious, comfortable, and spa-like office of Dr. Hekmat and along with his skilled dental professionals offers the best care. They are dedicated to providing the best family and cosmetic dental care available in San Diego.
The dental clinic helps you to accomplish and maintain a healthy, long-lasting beautiful smile by offering services like:
- Dental cleanings and check-ups
- Root Canal Treatment
- Porcelain Veneers and Crowns
- Dentures and Partials
- Teeth Whitening
- Tooth-Colored Fillings
- Dental Emergency
- Additional Services
Dr. Hekmat has years of experience as being the most reliable orthodontist offering the best care that is combined with the latest technological equipment like:
- Clarity ceramic braces
- Self-ligating braces
- Invisalign
Soreness due to braces
You may notice soreness or tenderness in your mouth and teeth when you first get your braces. This is perfectly normal and it goes away within a few days or a week. Follow these few tips to get relief from pain:
- Take a glass of warm water of a teaspoon of salt
- Gargle for a few minutes
- Do not swallow the water
- If the pain is unbearable then take a pain killer.
You might also experience some irritation in your lips, cheeks, and tongue for a week or two as they gradually get used to braces. Apply some wax that can be put over the braces to reduce the tenderness. The dental clinic from where you are getting the treatment done will provide you with some wax for this purpose.
Foods to eat and avoid with braces
Getting braces won’t hurt, but you can expect some sensations around the mouth and teeth that will improve in a few days or a week. However, eating hard food items immediately after getting braces could cause pain. Your orthodontist 4S Ranch will recommend you on eating only soft food items for the initial days.
Foods you can eat with braces:
- Dairy products- pudding, soft cheese, milk-based drinks
- Grains- soft-cooked rice, pasta
- Bread- pancakes, muffins without nuts
- Meats- soft meatballs and cooked chicken
- Vegetables- mashed potatoes, beans, steamed spinach
- Seafood- salmon, tuna, crab cakes
- Fruits- Bananas, applesauce, fruit juice
- Desserts- ice cream without nuts, milkshakes, soft cake
Foods to avoid with braces:
- Chewy foods- licorice, bagels
- Hard crunchy foods- chips, wafers, popcorns, ice, nuts, hard candies
- Sticky foods- chewing gum, caramel candies
- Foods that need biting- apples, carrots, corn-cob
Loose wires or bands
Your braces 4S Ranch will include periodic appointments with your orthodontist during the treatment. You might also face other issues between regular adjustments like a broken or loose wire or band.
- Do not pull or bend a broken wire or bracket as it would cause more damage
- Visit your orthodontist immediately for getting your appliance checked and repaired.
- Be sure to save any part of the appliance if it comes off and take it to the dental clinic.
- Meanwhile, you can fix the loose wire temporarily by using the end of a pencil or the back of a spoon and pushing the wire back to place very carefully and gently.
If the loose wire causes irritation or pain to your lips or cheeks, apply wax or a wet cotton ball to the broken wire so that you get relief from the pain.
Taking care of your dental appliances
Damaged braces and appliances can increase the duration of your treatment process.
- Ensure to take care of all your dental appliances.
- Consistently wear the rubber bands, retainer, headgear, or any other dental appliances prescribed by your dentist.
- It is only then your teeth and jaw can move to their correct position
Maintaining dental health with braces
One of the good ways to avoid damage to your braces is by maintaining good dental habits.
- Brush your teeth at least three times a day, preferably after every meal with a soft-bristle toothbrush
- Ensure there are no traces of food in and around the area of your braces
- Use floss and floss threader to clean between the teeth, to remove food particles from wires and braces
- Visit your dentist for regular check-up and dental cleaning
- Avoid any plaque buildup so that there are no cavities and gum problems
- Therefore, go for regular dental cleaning
- Visit your orthodontist regularly to ensure that your braces remain in the proper position
Getting braces is sure to improve your dental structure. Maintain it properly from getting damaged by eating the right kind of food and maintaining dental hygiene as recommended by your orthodontist.