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Orthodontic treatment can provide excellent results, straightening teeth and potentially improving dental health and almost certainly improving the appearance of your smile. However, when you first start wearing braces, you may need to adjust your everyday habits, and it can take a little time to get used to your new braces.

What to Expect When You First Have Braces?

When your braces are first fitted, it’s perfectly normal to feel a little bit of discomfort or slightly sore as your teeth are now being forced to move in a new direction. As they become accustomed to the sensation, any soreness should disappear within a few days, and in the meantime, it is usually controllable with over-the-counter painkillers. If you experience more extreme discomfort, remember you can always contact us for further help and advice. If necessary, we can make some adjustments to your braces, so they fit more comfortably. While you adjust to wearing braces, you may also find eating softer foods and smoothies more comfortable. You might need to practice speaking with your braces initially, but you should soon be able to speak clearly within a very short while.

Eating with Braces

If your braces are fixed onto teeth, you must adjust your diet during treatment. Any brace brackets, arch wires and bands can all become damaged if you choose the wrong foods. While you wear braces, you should avoid any very sticky foods or anything hard. Sticky foods can easily become trapped around your brace brackets and wires and are tricky to remove. Hard and crunchy foods can often damage braces. Also, if you have a habit of chewing pens or pencils, please avoid these while wearing your braces, preferably for good. These oral habits can damage your teeth regardless of whether you wear braces or not.

Adjusting your diet may seem hard, but it will soon become second nature and is only for a short while. Once your braces are removed, you will soon see the benefits of treatment. In the meantime, here are some easy swaps for favourite foods.

• Swap crunchy popcorn for puffed corn
• Instead of chewing gum, freshen your breath with a breath spray or, even better, clean your teeth
• If taco Tuesdays are a thing with you, switch to burritos instead, and you might discover a new favourite
• There’s nothing like biting into a crunchy apple, and you benefit from the vitamins, minerals and fibre, but while wearing your braces, cut the apple into slices instead and chew using your back teeth
• Nuts are another popular and healthy snack, but just for this time, choose nut butter, and there is a huge range available to enjoy

Good dental hygiene is even more critical while wearing braces, especially with fixed braces that provide lots of notes and crannies for food to get trapped. Leftover food debris and plaque buildup around your brackets can stain your teeth, detracting from your beautifully straight smile. There is no need to worry as we can show you exactly how to look after your teeth while wearing braces, and you might need to spend a bit longer, but it would be well worth the effort once your braces are removed.