Orthodontist Resources

Resources for Orthodontic Care
Simister And Leaver Orthodontics

Dr. Simister and Dr. Leaver advise that you eat softer foods for the first week after you get your braces. After that, you can eat most of the good things you eat now. However, you should not eat hard, sticky, gooey or crunchy foods while wearing braces, as this could pull or knock the braces off your teeth. Examples of foods that should be off-limits are:

• Jolly Ranchers
• Lifesavers
• Starbursts
• caramels

• tortilla chips
• hard taco shells
• jerky
• corn on the cob

• popcorn
• meats on the bone
• pizza crusts
• French bread crusts

Hard fruits and vegetables need to be cut into small, bite-size pieces. Pens, pencils and other foreign objects need to be kept out of the mouth. Avoiding these hazards will help you to accomplish your treatment goals right on schedule.

Occasionally throughout treatment, you might experience some discomfort. For relief, you may use pain relievers that you would normally take if you were experiencing a headache, or rinse your mouth with a mixture of 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 cup of warm water to help relieve discomfort in your mouth.

Dr. Simister encourages all of his patients to follow these guidelines for maximum oral health and comfortable orthodontic treatment. Always remember to brush your braces and teeth thoroughly after every meal and snack.

Remember that even a small snack can cause stains or discoloration of your teeth if food particles are not properly removed from your braces after eating. If you are unable to brush your teeth, try rinsing your mouth with water to loosen food that might otherwise remain trapped in your braces. Be sure to maintain a regular dental cleaning schedule with your family dentist to ensure optimum oral hygiene and prevention of cavities. Your dental health and hygiene is part of the key to successful orthodontic treatment.