Resources

Patient Instructions · Braces

Getting started with your braces.

Watch Dr. Booms' video, or follow the written steps below it — they cover the same instructions. Questions at any point? Call our office and we'll walk you through it.

Patient Video · Getting Started

Getting Started With Your Braces

With Dr. Thais Booms, MS · Diplomate, American Board of Orthodontics

What to expect the first week

  1. Expect some soreness for 3 days to a week. Your teeth will feel tender, especially when you bite down. This is normal, and it gets better every day.
  2. Stock up on soft foods before your appointment. Smoothies, soft-cooked vegetables, pasta, mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, and flaky fish will keep you comfortable and well-fed while you adjust.
  3. Rinse with warm salt water to soothe your mouth. Mix half a cup of warm water with a teaspoon of salt and swish — it helps soothe your cheeks and lips.
  4. Use over-the-counter pain relief if you need it. Ibuprofen or Tylenol — whichever you normally take — is fine for the first few days. You shouldn't need it beyond about three days.

Foods: what's safe and what to avoid

Enjoy

  • Smoothies
  • Soft-cooked vegetables
  • Pasta & mashed potatoes
  • Scrambled eggs
  • Flaky fish
  • Hard fruits & veggies — cut into small pieces and chew with your back teeth

Avoid

  • Popcorn
  • Chewing on ice
  • Sticky candy & caramel
  • Biting into whole apples, carrots, corn on the cob, or celery
  • Chewing on pencils or other hard objects
Why it matters: these foods can loosen brackets and pull wires out — which means extra repair visits and a longer treatment. Broken braces are the #1 avoidable delay.

Using wax for poky or rubbing spots

  1. Dry the area first with a Q-tip or a small piece of paper towel — wax sticks much better to a dry bracket.
  2. Roll a small piece of wax into a ball and press it over the spot that's rubbing your cheek or lip.
  3. Don't worry if you swallow it — the wax is harmless. It may come off while eating; just replace it.
  4. Use it overnight, especially early on. Your mouth is drier at night and sleeping on your side can press your cheek into the braces — overnight wax makes a big difference while your mouth builds up tolerance.
  5. Need more wax? Ask our front desk, or find it at any grocery store or on Amazon.

Keeping your teeth clean with braces

  1. Brush at least twice a day — before you leave the house in the morning, and at night. Nighttime is the most important session: brush and floss, and do it before you're too tired, because it takes about twice as long with braces on.
  2. Angle the toothbrush at 45 degrees along the gumline, and brush above and below the brackets and the wire separately — top and bottom. Give extra attention to the front teeth, where plaque builds up most.
  3. Brush the chewing surfaces and the inside of the teeth too — not just the front.
  4. Floss every night using a floss threader or floss pick. Guide the floss under the wire, floss around the tooth, then repeat for the next tooth — each one individually. A water flosser is a nice addition but does not replace regular floss.
  5. Use a fluoridated toothpaste. Fluoride helps prevent the permanent white marks (decalcification) that can form around brackets when plaque sits too long. Any over-the-counter fluoride toothpaste works.
  6. Keep seeing your dentist every 3–6 months for checkups and cleanings during treatment. They can clean around the braces and wire.
Why hygiene matters so much: plaque left around brackets causes gum inflammation (gingivitis) and permanent white spots that only become visible when the braces come off — and can progress to cavities. Clean teeth also move better, which keeps your treatment on schedule.

Dental work during treatment

  1. If your dentist needs to do a filling or X-rays, the wire may need to come out for the appointment. Let us know and we'll coordinate: we remove the wire, you see your dentist, and we put it back in.
  2. The wire should not stay out longer than 36 hours, so we schedule the two appointments close together.
If a bracket or wire breaks: call our office right away to get an appointment. Quick fixes keep your treatment on time.

Read the full video summary

Dr. Booms walks new braces patients through the adjustment period (three days to a week of tenderness, especially when biting), which soft foods to have ready, and which foods to avoid because they break brackets and loosen wires. She demonstrates the warm salt-water rinse, when to use over-the-counter pain relief, and how to apply orthodontic wax — including drying the area first and using wax overnight. The second half covers brushing at a 45-degree angle around brackets, flossing nightly with a threader, using fluoride toothpaste to prevent permanent white decalcification marks, continuing regular dental checkups every 3–6 months, and coordinating with our office when dental work requires the wire to be removed (never more than 36 hours). She closes with a reminder to call the office any time a bracket or wire comes loose.

Questions about your braces or retainers?

We're here to help.

Broken bracket, poking wire, retainer that doesn't fit — call our office and we'll get you taken care of.

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