Braces FAQ

Dairy products, bread, soft-cooked meats, grains, hard-shelled seafood, vegetables, fruits, fruit juices, milkshakes, and ice cream products. These are some of the foods that you can eat with braces.

There are some food items that you should avoid eating with braces. Example: Crunchy foods, sticky foods, hard foods, chewy foods, and other types of foods that are hard, sticky, or chewy.

Difficulty in eating, tooth decay, inflamed gums, mild discomfort. gum and tongue irritation. changes to your speech, jaw pain, decalcification, allergic reactions, relapsed teeth, ankylosis, and root resorption.

Rubber bands connect to the brackets on your braces. It improves the fit of your upper and lower teeth/jaws. Rubber bands can help in the proper alignment of teeth by adjusting different types of the misaligned jaw such as overbite, underbite, open bite, and crossbite.

The ideal time to get braces is between age 9 and 13 because the permanent teeth of children would start fully coming in during that time.

Spacers are small elastic or metal separators placed between teeth to create gaps.

The design of braces makes them perfect traps for food particles. The accumulation of plaque is possible around the brackets adhered to your teeth. The brackets and bands should remain bright and shiny. Poor oral hygiene can cause white scars on your teeth, cavities, gum disease, or bone loss.

Traditional braces are generally made from metal or stainless steel, with the brackets made from different types of materials such as ceramic, plastic, metal, or a combination.

Lingual braces are a type of invisible braces. These braces have similar components as conventional braces, but they’re placed at the back of your teeth, on the tongue, or lingual - side of the teeth.

Brackets are the small metal or ceramic modules attached to the front and side teeth. They serve as guides to move the teeth and hold the wires. They are attached directly to the enamel of the tooth with a special adhesive.

Power chains are made of an elastic material and they have many connected rings. They're included in braces to apply more force to an area of your mouth. The usual application of power chains is to close gaps between teeth. Power chains are very useful in teeth and jaw alignment.

Ceramic braces are like conventional metal braces and can be used for various complex dental treatments. They are also known as clear braces. The major use of ceramic braces is to straighten teeth and fix bite problems.

Braces are very efficient in resolving complex dental issues as they can align teeth and close gaps much faster than Invisalign. The force level of braces to move teeth into the desired position is more powerful than Invisalign treatment.

Braces put stress/force on your teeth for the proper realignment. This pressure can induce sensitivity in your teeth and gums. A dental patient may also feel some pain around the cheeks.

Every mouth is different. Your dentist may recommend an appointment every six weeks to adjust/tighten the braces.

Plaque build-up or gum irritation can occur due to the presence of braces on teeth. Your braces can trigger the condition known as gingival hyperplasia. Patients with poor oral hygiene or underlying health conditions like diabetes or obesity are more prone to gum inflammation.

The braces gap is temporary, absolutely normal, and necessary. Braces can fix the overcrowding of several teeth by concentrating them into one or two areas, so the other teeth have the space to straighten out.

Orthodontists start the dental treatment by putting top braces on first. This is because the top teeth and jawbone take a much longer time for alignment and movement compared to the bottom section of teeth.

When braces are removed, a small part of the enamel that has been covered by the brackets is exposed once again. It will take some time (at least a week) for that sensitivity to become less intense. A little sensitivity is also common as your teeth make adjustments to their final positions.

• Brush your teeth to remove bacteria, food particles, and plaque. Make sure you brush all surfaces of your teeth.
• Take a piece of floss around 20 cm long and wrap the ends around your index finger so you have a tight grip.
• Line up the floss with the gap between your teeth and thread between the wire and your teeth.
• Move the floss between the teeth, and into the movable gum tissue to remove any food particles and plaque build-up between teeth.
• Curl the used floss around your finger after flossing each tooth so you don’t put germs back into your mouth.
• Move on to the next tooth and repeat the process.

It will take around 1-2 hours to put the braces on the teeth. Depending on the treatment and type of braces, the appointment length of time can vary.

Three types of teeth whitening options are available. In-office whitening, at-home whitening, and everyday whitening. You can whiten your teeth via whitening strips, whitening trays, whitening toothpaste, mouthwash, and an electric toothbrush.

You can utilize various methodologies such as incognito hidden braces, retainers, headgear, dental veneers, Invisalign, and impressions invisible aligners.

You should wear the removable retainers for at least 12 months after the removal of braces. In the initial stage, you might have to wear your retainer full time for 4-6 months.

Most orthodontic patients will need to wear fixed braces for around 18 to 24 months. In the case of older patients, with complex issues, the treatment period may take up to 3 years. If you have less severe issues or are a good candidate for clear aligners like Invisalign, treatment may take as little as 6 to 12 months.

Removal of braces is a complex procedure. It is recommended that only a professional dentist should remove braces.

You can easily get rid of braces pain by following certain procedures.

• Use oral anesthetics
• Take over-the-counter pain medicine
• Drink ice water
• Apply an ice pack
• Stick to soft foods
• Apply orthodontic wax
• Gum massage
• A warm salt water rinse
• Maintain good oral hygiene

Ceramic braces are more popular than traditional braces. In recent years, self-ligating braces have become very popular.

Traditional braces are most commonly used for overbite dental conditions. Minor or moderate overbites may be corrected with an aligner, such as Invisalign braces.

Dental patients find ceramic braces more comfortable to wear than metal ones. The high-quality materials used in ceramic braces are not abrasive, so they won't irritate your gums or the sides of your mouth.

Tooth extraction is based on a dental patient's specific needs. Generally, the premolar teeth are extracted for braces.