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Care during orthodontic treatment

Diet and hygiene during orthodontic treatment

During orthodontic treatment, the patient has the responsibility to take care of their appliance, which must have all its components in place in order to have the desired effect.

In the case of an inappropriate diet, the brackets may come off and the wires may break or bend.

At the start of orthodontic treatment it is good to avoid hard foods, until the patient becomes aware of how they must chew in order to protect the appliance.

Throughout the treatment the following must be avoided:

  • sticky foods: chewing gum, toffees, jellies, sweets;
  • very hard foods - nuts, hazelnuts, seeds, crisps, popcorn, pretzels, etc.

All other foods can be consumed, BUT:

  • do not bite into hard or chewy foods such as sandwiches, meat, fruit, vegetables; these should be cut into small pieces and chewed on the back teeth;
  • the consumption of sweet foods and drinks should be reduced because it encourages the appearance of caries, and the teeth are already harder to clean while wearing the appliance. After consuming sweet foods and drinks, the teeth must be brushed.

Cleaning of the teeth and gums must be done thoroughly after each meal or snack, with the brush and toothpaste. Food debris accumulated around the brackets creates an acidic environment that causes them to come off.

ALL the teeth must be cleaned very carefully, every single time, however hard to reach the ones at the back or the poorly positioned ones may be. There are methods for reaching them; ask the doctor for help if you are struggling.

The use of an oral irrigator is highly recommended.

For hard-to-reach areas, interdental brushes and dental floss are used.

The orthodontist must show you the correct way of using these cleaning aids after fitting your appliance. If they forget, remind them.

In the case of fixed appliances, professional cleaning in the surgery is required more often than usual. Depending on the hygiene you maintain and your personal rate of tartar build-up, the doctor will recommend a certain frequency of professional cleanings (in most cases once every 2-3 months)