Resources / Patient care
Small habits. Better finish.
Most of treatment happens between visits. This is how to make those weeks count.
Everything on this page is the guidance we give in the chair, written down so you can find it at 9pm on a school night. Anything you cannot find here, call or text and you will hear back the same day.
01The first week
It gets easier by day four.
Teeth feel tender for two or three days after braces go on, after an adjustment, or when you change to a new aligner. This is the pressure doing its job, and it fades as the ligaments adapt.
- 01
Soft food, no apology
Pasta, eggs, yogurt, smoothies, soup, mashed anything. Cold foods help. Cut fruit and bread into small pieces instead of biting into them.
For practical breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and food-preparation ideas, see our foods to eat with braces guide.
- 02
Wax on the rough spots
Brackets can rub the inside of the lips and cheeks while the skin toughens up. Dry the bracket, press a pea of wax over it. You leave with wax, and we always have more.
- 03
Pain relief, if you want it
Over-the-counter pain relief taken before a long adjustment appointment, or on the evening after, is fine when appropriate for you. Warm salt-water rinses soothe irritated cheeks.
- 04
Speech settles
Aligners and expanders change how the tongue moves for a few days. Reading aloud speeds it up.
02Eating with braces
Almost everything, with two rules.
Brackets are glued to enamel, and the glue is designed to give way rather than damage the tooth. That makes it strong enough for normal eating and weak enough that certain foods will pop it off.
- 01
Nothing hard
Ice, hard candy, nuts, popcorn kernels, corn on the cob, whole apples, and pizza crust bitten straight on. Cut, slice, and chew with the back teeth.
- 02
Nothing sticky
Caramel, taffy, and gummy candy pull at brackets and wires and hide in places a brush cannot reach. Avoid chewing gum, including sugar-free gum, unless your treating orthodontist gives you specific instructions for your appliance.
- 03
Drink water between sugary drinks
Sodas and sports drinks sit against brackets and leave marks when the braces come off. Rinse with water, and keep sugary drinks to mealtimes.
- 04
Aligner wearers: trays out to eat
Anything other than water goes in with the trays out. Rinse, brush if you can, and put them straight back in. Twenty to twenty-two hours a day is what keeps you on schedule.
03Brushing and flossing
Two minutes, three times, around every bracket.
Plaque acids can remove minerals from enamel and leave pale or chalky spots. Some early changes can improve, while deeper marks may remain. Ask your dentist to assess a new spot.For a closer look at reaching above and below brackets, use a step-by-step brushing route and ask the team to demonstrate any difficult areas.
- 01
Angle the brush
Above the brackets tilting down, below the brackets tilting up, then along the gumline. A soft brush or an electric brush both work.
- 02
Floss with a threader or a water flosser
Floss threaders take the floss under the wire. A water flosser is faster and most families end up preferring it.
- 03
Fluoride, every night
A fluoride rinse or a prescription toothpaste before bed strengthens the enamel around the brackets. We tell you which one suits you.
- 04
Aligners: brush the trays too
Cool water and a soft brush, no toothpaste, which scratches the plastic and clouds it. Never hot water.
04Retainers
Nightly, for as long as you want the result.
Teeth move for life. The retainer is what keeps them where Dr. Haykani placed them, and your initial retainers are included in your treatment fee.
- 01
Wear it as she tells you
Some cases need full-time wear at first, most settle into nights only. She sets your schedule based on how your teeth are likely to move, not a generic rule.
- 02
Case, never napkin
Most retainers are lost in restaurant napkins and school lunch trays. If it is not in your mouth, it is in its case.
- 03
Clean it cool
Rinse after each use and brush with cool water. Follow the cleaning instructions for your particular retainer. Use a cleaning tablet or solution only if it is recommended for that appliance, and follow its soaking and rinsing directions. Heat, including dishwashers and hot cars, warps it.
- 04
Bring it to every visit
She checks the fit at follow-ups. If it still works, she says so, rather than replacing it.
05Quick fixes
What to do before you reach us.
Call 911 for breathing or swallowing difficulty, uncontrolled bleeding, or a serious facial or jaw injury. A knocked-out or badly displaced permanent tooth needs urgent dental care. Severe pain with facial swelling or fever needs urgent assessment. Do not wait for an office callback when these warning signs are present. Call or text us about appliance problems; all of them get a same-day response. Here is how to be comfortable in the meantime.
More resources
Something not right?
Call or text. You hear back the same day, every time.
Emergency visits are included in your treatment fee. Describe what happened and we tell you what to do in the meantime.