Flashing that 32 watt smile just got simpler. Thank your orthodontist for having moved on from cords made from animal intestines to painful corrosive iron bands to what you’ve just got fixed on your teeth.
To be able to appreciate your journey to getting that perfect smile and bite, you need to understand how your teeth will work over the coming months. Your brand new braces will move your teeth into the desired position by putting pressure on them. Any additional rubber bands or springs attached to your brackets indicate use of more pressure to move teeth into specific directions.
To avoid any surprises, here are few things to remember in the next few days:
- Don’t fret about the sore feeling – it is purely temporary. Your lips, cheeks and tongue are bound to be a bit reluctant to welcome your new braces and may feel tender. You can use a lukewarm salt water mouth wash to get rid of this feeling.
- Don’t worry about loose shaky teeth – as explained above, the corrective process involves loosening your teeth and moving them into new positions. This means your braces are doing their job well!
- Avoid foods that may cause damage – this will only increase the treatment time and make the entire system ineffective. Say goodbye to that caramel and nut snack bar for a while and stick to other soft food which isn’t hard, crunchy, sticky or chewy.
- Oral hygiene is the key to maintaining good health. Use a dentist recommended toothbrush and floss regularly to maintain clean teeth and gums, especially between the brackets.
- Take care of any loose part of the wires, brackets or rubber bands. They can hurt your gums, lips, cheeks or tongue. Ensure you keep any parts that come loose and get an appointment with your orthodontist to get it fixed at the earliest. If the parts cause any pain, try using dental wax to soothe the same.
Braces help straighten crooked or differently sized teeth and also help align teeth with jaws and lips. As you can fathom, it takes time for the teeth to loosen up and new bone parts to naturally grow to support the teeth into the desired alignment. The entire process takes time and you will need to schedule subsequent appointments every three or four weeks to make adjustments. The dentist will replace the elastic bands around the brackets or change some of the loose wires. The treatment takes anywhere between 12 and 36 months, depending on the severity of the problem, age and other conditions. However, keep it simple and clean and you are well on your way to that perfect smile.