What are the precautions after orthodontic treatment

If the teeth are not straight, it will have a certain impact on the entire face, so now there is orthodontic technology to help many people solve this problem. After correcting the teeth, you should also pay attention to maintaining oral hygiene and health. In terms of diet, you should choose semi-liquid or softer food.

First and foremost, pay attention to oral hygiene

After wearing the braces, you will find that cleaning becomes less easy and brushing your teeth is more difficult than usual, but you should brush your teeth more seriously. If conditions permit, it is best to use an oral irrigator, interdental brush, dental floss, etc. for a more thorough and detailed cleaning. Dentist Li Xiang requires his patients to eat three meals a day, have some fruit snacks after meals, and then brush their teeth for at least five minutes each time, and keep a timer. Please note that brushing your teeth cannot replace rinsing your mouth. Otherwise, food residues may easily accumulate around the brackets, which may cause decalcification, discoloration, and even decay of the tooth surface around the brackets over time. The picture below shows extensive decalcification of the tooth surface caused by not brushing teeth carefully while wearing braces and drinking carbonated beverages all year round. I hope it will serve as a wake-up call after reading this!

Second, diet

After wearing braces for the first time and in the first few days after each follow-up visit, you may feel sore, swollen, tender teeth, difficulty biting things, a little pain when brushing your teeth, and you are afraid to touch your teeth. This is normal. During these few days, eat some soft and semi-liquid food, such as soft noodles, rice porridge, egg custard, etc., and everything will be fine after a few days. During the entire correction period, normal diet will not be affected, but you must try to avoid eating hard foods, such as bones, nuts, etc. The bones and shells of these foods can be removed before eating. For foods with pits, such as preserved plums, dates, licorice apricots, etc., the pits can be removed before eating. Try to avoid chewing or cutting actions, such as chewing corn or apples. It is better to cut the fruit into small pieces and put them directly into your mouth. Once the brackets fall off due to improper diet, first of all, the brackets need to be reconfigured and re-cemented, which incurs additional costs; secondly, it affects the course of correctional treatment and causes unnecessary waste of time.

Foods to avoid:

1. Ice cubes- The ultimate aligner buster!

2. All glutinous rice foods and foods with strong stickiness, such as glutinous rice cakes, etc.

3. Never bite crabs, chicken legs, bones, etc. You can tear off the meat and eat it.

4. External objects, such as pens, pencils, fingernails and straws.

5. Popcorn… shells can get stuck in your braces and cause gum infection