Congratulations! You have braces! You are on your journey to a beautiful smile. Now, how do you get through this first week? The braces may feel scratchy or sharp at first because you aren’t used to them. Also, your teeth may start to feel sore or achy. If not very sore or not very uncomfortable, you don’t need to do anything special. But, for those patients who do experience soreness or sharp/scratchiness, here is some advice on how to make things better! Soreness: Feeling s

Right before I place braces on a patient, I sometimes get a wide-eyed look and this question: Is this going to hurt? Getting braces for the first time can be very exciting! But, it is also normal to feel nervous. Most patients tell me that getting braces put on was not as bad as they thought. I’ve had braces myself, and I would agree with that. There are no shots and nothing is being drilled into the teeth. The day that the braces are placed, the teeth are cleaned and then a

You have braces, and you are eating a sandwich when suddenly you notice something jiggling on your wire. Looking closely you see that it is one of your brackets… why did it come off and what should you do? First off, don’t worry! It is not an emergency. Generally a loose bracket will stay tied to the wire, so it is recommended to leave it alone. If the wiggling bothers you, you can place some wax over the bracket to make it comfortable, but most patients aren’t bothered by it

What are the different parts that make up braces? Having braces involves more than just the braces themselves. There are many ‘parts’ that work together to move and align teeth. The first part of course are the braces themselves. Braces is plural for a whole set of ‘brackets’. Individual braces are called brackets. A bracket is bonded to each tooth with a special tooth cement. The brackets themselves cannot move teeth. The second part that is critical for proper movemen

Brushing and flossing is important regardless of orthodontic treatment. However it's important to note that with braces it's advised