Frequently Asked Questions

We recommend choosing soft foods to eat with braces, including any of the following:

• Dairy – soft cheese, yogurt, pudding, milk-based drinks
• Breads – soft tortillas, pancakes, muffins without nuts
• Grains – pasta and/or soft-cooked rice
• Meats/Poultry – soft-cooked chicken, meatballs, lunch meats
• Seafood – tuna, salmon, crab cakes
• Vegetables – mashed potatoes, steamed spinach, beans
• Fruits – bananas, apple sauce
• Treats – ice cream without nuts, milkshakes, gelatin, soft cake

It is very important to avoid foods that could result in broken brackets, loose wires, or broken appliances. Examples of foods that you should avoid:

• Chewy foods such as bagels, fruit leathers, or beef jerky
• Sticky foods like caramel candy, licorice, and marshmallows
• Crunchy foods like chips, raw carrots, raw celery, and popcorn
• Hard foods such as hard candy, hard breadsticks, or pizza crust
• Foods that require significant force to bite into such as corn on the cob and apples. You can still enjoy these foods by slicing the apples or removing the corn from the cob.

A common question we get is, “How long after getting braces can I eat normal foods?” We tell patients that it’s best to avoid foods that can damage braces throughout the treatment period. If you can’t say no to the craving, eat with extreme caution.

You will notice that it is much harder to keep your teeth clean with braces. Food becomes caught in the brackets and between your teeth and can only be removed by brushing and flossing. If plaque remains on the teeth for any time, it can leave a permanent white scar on the surface. Brushing after meals should become part of your daily schedule. Use a soft toothbrush and brush at a 45-degree angle to the tooth in small circles above and below the brackets. Your toothbrush will wear out faster because of your appliances, so be sure to replace it whenever the bristles start to fray.

A Waterpik can be a useful addition, but it cannot remove the sticky plaque that adheres to the teeth. A Sonicare ultrasonic toothbrush can be used to help remove plaque. Flossing is important with braces and is accomplished using reusable floss threaders.

Always rinse your aligners as soon as they are removed from your mouth. It is recommended that you soak your aligner trays with denture cleaner every day for a more thorough cleaning. This solution removes bacteria from the aligners. Use a soft bristle toothbrush (not your toothbrush that you use daily) to lightly sweep away any debris that remains after the soak. After soaking, rinse off the aligners and place them back in your mouth.

Never wrap your appliance in a paper napkin or tissue and set it down on the table. You or someone else may throw it away. Please don't put it in your pocket when playing, or you may break or lose it. Whenever it is not in your mouth, it should be in its plastic appliance case.

Keep your appliance away from dogs or cats, as they love to chew on them. Avoid storing it near any source of heat. Do not boil your aligner to sterilize it! Do not soak your aligner in mouthwash.

• You are instructed to wear your retainer full-time for 2 months, which means 24 hours a day, seven days a week. After 2 months, you will need to wear it 2–3 nights a week for your lifetime.
• Don't fold it in your napkin or leave it on the table at a restaurant. Garbage cans don't make happy hunting grounds.
• Don't put your retainer in your pocket. You might sit on it and break it. OUCH!
• Take your retainer out when swimming in a lake or ocean. If it falls out, you may not be able to find it. Wearing it in a swimming pool is OK.
• Animals and younger children love to play with it. Please make sure your retainer is in your mouth at all times.
• Your retainer should only be out of your mouth when brushing.
• Your lower retainer may be a fixed retainer bonded to your teeth. It is not considered permanent and can be broken or detached from your teeth if you are not careful with it.
• If anything happens to your retainer (i.e., it doesn't fit, it's broken, or lost), please call us ASAP. If your lower bonded retainer wire comes out, keep it and bring it to your next appointment for rebonding.
• The first set of retainers is included in your treatment fee. Any repair to or replacement of your retainer or rebonding your lower retainer will incur an additional charge to your account.
• Keep things clean! Be sure to brush your teeth without your retainers in. Do not boil your retainer or put it in hot water. Brush your retainer with a toothbrush using toothpaste, water, or non-alcohol mouthwash.