Getting braces is not something that you should be scared of because, at the end of the day, it can help you have a beautiful smile and a healthy bite. If this is your first Orthodontics treatment, you must know what to expect with braces so you can act accordingly.

Before you leave your orthodontist clinic, you must consider the following things:

  • Check wires with tongue and fingers: before you leave, you need to check the wires with your tongue and fingers. By poking, you will know which areas are uncomfortable. This will save you another trip to the orthodontist after finding out you are not comfortable or satisfied at all.
  • Make sure the next appointment is already set: before you leave, you should make sure that your next appointment is already set. This will give you plenty of choices as to what day or time you want to be scheduled. If you cancel or move, you are only delaying the treatment. In the end, you are wasting time and resources.
  • Buy dental supplies: before you leave, make sure that you buy necessary dental supplies from dental wax to cleaning aids, toothbrushes, floss and many more.

After leaving the orthodontist clinic, here’s what you should expect in the first few days with braces:

Tenderness

You will not experience pain when the braces are put on but after a few hours, it will start to feel tender or sore. This is normal. In fact, this is a good sign because it means shifting teeth. To manage discomfort, you can take over-the-counter pain relievers. However, if you think you can survive it, you do not need to take anything.

Loose brackets

You should expect loose brackets along the way. If brackets are loose, you simply go to the orthodontist and have it fixed. However, if the brackets are regularly loose, it reflects how you eat. With this, you have to be more careful when you eat.

Oral hygiene

With or without orthodontic treatment, oral hygiene should be considered but having braces means you should pay more attention to oral hygiene. You should expect that braces would make it hard for you to brush and floss so you need to put more effort.

Foods to eat

For the first few days, it is recommended that you eat soft foods. This is to minimize the pain from biting and chewing. Foods that are easy to eat include oatmeal, yogurt, mashed potatoes, fish, smoothies, scrambled eggs, fruits, and vegetables.

Foods to avoid

As long as you have braces, you have to give up foods that can potentially pop off your brackets. Foods that you need to avoid include nuts, popcorn, ice, caramels, chewing gum, hard candy, corn on the cob and other sticky or hard foods.

Changes after a few days

You must know that the standard length of this treatment is from 18 to 24 months. As long as you visit your orthodontist regularly, the treatment will not take more than 24 months. However, after a few days, you will notice your teeth gradually moving into place.

You should also expect this after every adjustment. To support its progress, you should adopt a daily dental care routine to prevent stains and cavities. Remember to brush and floss. Aside from that, you should also swish with water after eating.