Seattle Orthodontics :: Dental Tips

We have designed this page to give you some tips on using special appliances, oral hygiene care and how to avoid problems with your braces.

Avoid eating foods that are hard, sticky or crunchy.
Cut foods into small pieces and chew using your back teeth.
Avoid chewing on fingernails.
Avoid chewing on the backs of pencils.
Refrain from chewing on ice.
Avoid picking at, or pulling on your braces.

Headgear is used to move teeth into a better position or to prevent teeth from moving when they are not supposed to.

Always remove the headgear as you were shown by our office.
Always disconnect the straps prior to removing headgear.
Always remove the headgear when running or playing sports.
Never lift the headgear over your face.
Never allow anyone to pull on your headgear.

A retainer is worn to keep your teeth in the correct position once the braces have been removed. Retainers are a very important part of the orthodontic process as the teeth will move back to their original position if the retainer is not worn properly.

Rinse your retainer in water when you remove it. You may brush it with mouthwash. Using toothpaste will leave a white build-up that can be difficult to remove over time.
Soak your retainer in denture cleaner once a week to keep it clean.
When not wearing your retainer, keep it in it's case. Retainers get thrown away when they are wrapped in a napkin, and broken when put in a pocket. Lost or broken retainers are expensive to replace!
Keep your retainer away from pets as they love to chew on them.
Store retainer in a cool place.
Never boil your retainer... it will melt.
Remove your retainer when swimming or water skiing.
Flicking your retainer in and out of your mouth with your tongue can weaken it and cause it to break.

Elastics (rubber bands) are worn to supply the pressure needed to move the teeth and jaws into their correct position.

You may remove your elastics to eat and brush your teeth.
Be sure to wear your elastics as instructed by our office.
Always carry extra elastics with you in case one breaks.
Call our office if you need elastics and we will be happy to send them to you.
If you forget to wear your elastics one day, DO NOT double up the next day, just follow your regular instructions.
Be sure to change your elastics as often as we instruct you to as elastics loose their strength over time and won't provide the proper pressure needed to move your teeth.

Good oral hygiene is a must during your orthodontic treatment. The following are tips on taking care of your teeth:

Keep a travel toothbrush with you to brush after meals.
Rinse well after eating.
You may try an electric or ultrasonic toothbrush. We recommend Soni-care which may be purchased at out office at a reduced fee.

Be sure to brush daily. Brush in the morning, after eating, and before bed.
Brush your teeth for at least 3 minutes each time.

Floss your teeth daily. This helps remove food that brushing can't reach.
When wearing braces, you will need to use "floss threaders". To use, put 1 or 2 feet of floss into a threader (provided by our office) and thread the floss between your teeth and the wires of your braces. Then remove the threader. Next, wrap the ends of the floss around your fingers and pull to make a "V" shape. Move the floss up and down the sides of the teeth. Repeat this between each tooth.