All About Caring for Braces
Congratulations on your decision to “Put Your Smile Forward!” with braces!
Please read this information carefully and let us know if you have any questions.
Start of Treatment
- We will gather records (X-rays and photos) for Dr. Leland to diagnose and create your customized plan properly. Dr. Leland will provide you with an estimated length of treatment. Brackets will be attached to the teeth, and a wire inserted.
- It is normal to be sore after your first visit and after every adjustment. If this occurs, you can take a mild pain reliever, such as Tylenol. We promise you won't be sore forever!
- We'll give you wax for your comfort. If a bracket is causing discomfort by rubbing on your cheek or a wire is poking out, roll a small piece of the wax into a little ball and place it over the area to protect your cheek. Most likely, your mouth is just getting used to having braces.
- We will see you in the office every 6-8 weeks for an adjustment. After these appointments, you may also be sore. We do book out 6-8 weeks in advance, so be sure to make your follow-up appointments while you are in the office.
Caring for Your Braces
- Brushing and flossing are essential for good hygiene.
- Using mouthwash can help you get the hard-to-reach places.
- Use the platypus flosser from your welcome kit for easy flossing. If you would like to purchase more, please click the link below.
Foods to Avoid
Avoid gooey, hard, and crunchy foods, including caramels, taffy, or any foods you have to work to pull your teeth. Hard and crunchy things include corn nuts, chewing on ice, or pen caps. Foods like these can break brackets.
Please make every effort to keep from breaking brackets because they can slow down your treatment. Also, we only fix broken brackets in the morning to make sure we run on time for all of our scheduled patients during our busy afternoons!
Elastics/Rubber Bands
Wearing rubber bands helps your upper teeth fit together correctly with your lower teeth. Most patients will need to wear rubber bands during their treatment. You should wear rubber bands as instructed! A member of the Leland Orthodontics team will demonstrate which teeth to place them on and how often to wear them.
Rubber bands are disposable. Remove your bands to eat, and brush your teeth. Use a new pair each time when putting them back in. Leland Orthodontics will provide you with plenty of elastics. If you run out, come by the office during business hours, and we will give you more.
Turbos
When you get upper and lower braces simultaneously, in many instances, the top teeth bite down and contact the lower braces. If left this way, it will cause discomfort to the patient, cause lower brackets to break off teeth, and potentially cause damage to upper teeth.
To avoid these unfavorable issues, Bite Turbos are placed on the back of the upper front teeth or on the biting surfaces of the lower molars to act as ramps or speed bumps to prevent the patient from biting down. These Bite Turbos are only temporary and are eventually easily removed by Dr. Leland at or before the end of treatment.
Emergency
- Please contact us if a bracket becomes dislodged (or falls off). We will get you in to repair within the week.
- If any piece of appliance comes off, please bring it to the office with you to your appointment.
- Pain or poking? Use your wax for temporary relief. Call us, and we will schedule an appointment to adjust.
- If you have a question that's NOT URGENT, please feel free to text us at 775-900-9070
- We will promptly get back to you the following business day.
- If this is an after-hours EMERGENCY that can not wait until the following day, please call our emergency line at 775-900-9070.