What can I expect during braces treatment?

How do I brush?

Proper brushing will take extra time and effort. Your teeth are yours to keep forever. Read the following instructions carefully and follow them and you will have a bright shiny smile!

• Always use a small- or medium-sized soft-bristled toothbrush
• Brush with water and fluoride toothpaste
• Start from the back of the mouth on the outside of the upper teeth. Use small circular motion and concentrate on each tooth individually. Make sure the bristles of your toothbrush clean between your gums and teeth at the gum line, as well as over, under and around your brackets. Continue to work slowly around the other teeth, not missing out the inner surfaces of your teeth.
• Use an interdental brush to clean in between your brackets
• The amount of pressure you apply to your brush is also very important. Too heavy pressure will cause injury to your gums. Not enough pressure and you will see plaque stuck in and around your bands and brackets.
• Rinse your mouth thoroughly and inspect your teeth in a well-lit mirror. Pull your lips back and get a close enough look to see places you may have missed. Be sure to pay attention to your gums also. They should be a healthy pink colour.
• Brush a second time the areas you have missed without toothpaste and rinse again. Keep your teeth and braces clean, especially along the gum line, or they may become sore and swollen, which in turn will make brushing more difficult.

Wearing orthodontic appliances can cause dental decay if your tooth brushing is not thorough, as the brackets will trap plaque that causes tooth decay. Remember that you want straight teeth that are cavity-free. So make sure to brush, rinse and look to check that your teeth and braces are spotlessly clean.

Flossing with your braces on will take more effort, but it is worth it! It is recommended to use waxed floss to reduce the chances of the floss getting caught on the components of your braces.

You can use either:

• Regular floss with/without a floss threader
• Superfloss

When using regular floss, the recommended length is about 30 cm long. With your fingers, thread one end of the floss behind the main wire. Using the other hand, gently pull the end that has been threaded through in between your teeth towards the inside of your mouth. Floss as you would normally do without braces, with an up-down motion while wrapping against the side surface of the tooth.

You can also use a floss threader to help thread the floss behind the main wire. Do so until you are able to hold each end of the floss in both hands.

The superfloss has a stiffened end that is similar to that of the floss threader. This will help you to manoeuvre the floss behind the main wire more easily, without the use of a floss threader.

What foods should I avoid?

You will have to adjust your diet while you are on braces. Avoid hard foods or cut them into bite-sized pieces to reduce the likelihood of breakages.

Try to avoid the following groups of food:
Hard food — might result in components of your braces breaking
Sticky and chewy food — gets stuck in between your braces and teeth, increasing risk of decay
Any type of bony food — can cause breakage of wires/brackets if not careful
High sugar content food and carbonated drinks — causes decay and permanent change in the structure of your teeth not “protected” by your braces

Taking proper care of your braces will ensure that treatment progresses smoothly, and unscheduled appointments can be avoided.

You must take on an active role in caring for your braces and teeth. Aside from proper care during mealtimes, good brushing habits after meals and in the morning and night will help to keep your teeth in the best possible condition as we straighten them. Ensuring that plaque build-up is kept to a minimum will help to prevent decay.

How do I care for my URA?

Orthodontic removable appliances are indicated for the correction of certain aspects of malocclusion in the young patient at mixed dentition stage. Crossbites as seen in the above picture (the lower incisors biting in front of the upper) for example, if left untreated, will worsen and cause damage to teeth and gums. Hence upper removable appliance (URA) as seen below may be indicated for its correction.

Treatment Outcome

Your cooperation is important in keeping to appointments, following instructions, maintaining good oral hygiene and care of the appliance. As teeth move only when the appliance is worn, it is largely the responsibility of the wearer in ensuring treatment result will be good.

Treatment Duration

Adjustment to the appliance is required every 4 to 6 weeks. Treatment spans over 6 to 12 months with some variation depending on the severity of the condition and the level of cooperation given. If compliance on appliance wear is poor, your orthodontist may decide to terminate the treatment and re-evaluate you for possibility of other options of treatment.

Any discomfort?

You will experience some minor discomfort or soreness of the teeth for the next 3 to 5 days after each adjustment. Return to the clinic if the discomfort becomes unbearable. If you have to leave it out, put it on for at least 2 hours before being seen, as this will help leave clues to the cause or source of discomfort. You may need some getting used to speaking with the appliance in place. Salivation may be stimulated, requiring more frequent swallowing. It should return to normal after a few days.

Do I remove the appliance at all?

The appliance should be worn at all times. Remove only for that moment of cleaning it. Remove it when you are swimming. Do not bite the appliance in or click it in and out with your tongue. This will cause the wires in the appliance to break.

How do I keep the appliance clean?

The same way you’d brush your teeth with toothpaste. Brush across it gently, taking care not to damage the wires.

Can I eat normally?

Have your appliance in whilst eating unless specifically instructed otherwise by your orthodontist. Remove and rinse it clean after food. Avoid sticky or hard foods to prevent dislodgement and breakages.

How do I care for my retainers?

Your orthodontic retainers have been carefully designed to hold your teeth in their corrected position and maintain your new smile after braces treatment. Our teeth are never 100% stable, hence there is a risk that your teeth will move if you do not wear your retainers as instructed.

Wear your retainers all the time, until your orthodontist instructs otherwise.

Initially, you may find it difficult to speak. To hasten adaptation, you are encouraged to speak, read or sing out loud. Practice makes perfect!

Your retainers should be in your mouth all the time, except for when you are:

• Eating
• Brushing your teeth
• Swimming
• Playing contact sports

Take out your retainers while eating and always put your retainers in its case. Try to avoid wrapping them in tissue paper, as you might accidentally throw them away.

Always remove your retainers before brushing your teeth. Clean your retainers thoroughly with a toothbrush and toothpaste after every meal or minimally at night before you wear them to sleep.

Retainers are breakable, so treat them with proper care. Do not “click” them in and out with your tongue. This will weaken the wires and may cause them to break.

Call us immediately if you have lost, broken or distorted your retainers. Do not try to adjust them yourself.

You must bring your retainers every time you visit your orthodontist.

Always remember, retainer replacement is expensive. With proper care, your retainer will last longer.