Corona, CA Orthodontist Garrett R. Kawata, DDS

Eating with Braces

What can you eat? Let's talk about what you should not eat! For the first day or so, stick to soft foods. Avoid tough meat, hard breads, and raw vegetables. You'll need to protect your orthodontic appliances when you eat for as long as you're wearing braces.

Avoid:

Chewy foods: bagels, hard rolls, pizza crust, beef jerky

Crunchy foods: popcorn, ice

Sticky foods: caramels, taffy, licorice

Gum: avoid sticky gum (Bubble Yum, Bubblicious, etc.)

Hard foods: hard fruits such as apples, unless they are cut very thin, raw vegetables, peanuts

Brittle, hard pretzels, crackers, corn chips and taco shells

Chewing on hard things (i.e. pens, pencils or fingernails) can damage the braces. Broken appliances will prolong overall treatment time.

Parts of Your Braces

General Soreness

When you get your braces on, you may feel general soreness in your mouth and the teeth may be tender to biting pressures for one to five days. Ibuprofen and acetaminophen are very helpful for relieving tooth tenderness following adjustment appointments. The lips, cheeks and tongue also can become irritated for one to two weeks as they toughen and become accustomed to the surface of the braces. Our special orthodontic wax can be applied to the braces to lessen this temporary discomfort. We'll show you how!

Loosening of Teeth

This is to be expected throughout treatment. Don't worry! It's normal. Teeth must loosen first so they can be moved. They will again become firm in their new corrected positions.

Care of Appliances

To successfully complete the treatment plan, the patient must work together with Dr. Kawata. The teeth and jaws can only move toward their corrected positions if the patient consistently wears the rubber bands or other appliances as prescribed by Dr. Kawata. Damaged appliances lengthen the treatment time.

Brushing

It's more important than ever to brush 3 to 4 times a day and floss regularly when you have braces. Patients who do not keep their teeth clean may require more frequent visits to the dentist for a professional cleaning. Patients should see their dentist or periodontist every 3-6 months during orthodontic treatment.

Athletics

While playing sports, it's important to consult Dr. Kawata first for special precautions. A protective mouth guard is advised for playing contact sports. In case of an accident involving the face, check your mouth and appliances immediately. If teeth are loosened or the appliances damaged, phone our office at once for an appointment.

Loose Bracket, Band or Wire

Don't be alarmed if a wire, bracket or band comes loose. Occasionally this happens. If irritation to the lips or mouth continues, place wax on the wire to reduce the annoyance. Call our office as soon as possible for an appointment to check, clip or repair the appliances. Remember that treatment will be delayed, lengthening treatment time if broken appliances are left unattended.

Emergency Care

As a general rule, an emergency appointment is necessary when there is severe pain, a loose band, a broken wire or something protruding that you can't remedy alone.