Fred Couples Pro golfer once said “ When you’re prepared you’re more confident. When you have a strategy you’re more comfortable.” This is a great philosophy to go by for getting your braces.
A couple days before the big day..
Get it out of your system
One of my patients mothers had a great idea. She planned a family movie night at their house where she order pizza, had a veggie tray with carrots and celery, and then served popcorn, and a little bowl of gummy bears. As you can tell these are a lot of the foods on the “avoid with braces list”.
Things to add to grocery list
Braces can cause some discomfort. Soft foods will be ideal for a couple days afterwards.
Below I listed some items that you might want to pick up.
soup
applesauce
mashed potatoes
lots of liquids
sugar free pudding
eggs
pancakes
rice
Tylenol - not Advil- (Aspirin, Ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) and Naproxen Sodium (Aleve, Anaprox) actually slow the tooth movement, so it is not advisable to use them frequently while wearing braces.)
yogurt
salt (for warm saltwater rinse) Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in eight ounces of warm water, and rinse your mouth vigorously.
ora-gel
and my favorite: SMOOTHIES!!!!
Here is a great recipe to get you started:
Superstar Banana Smoothie
1 banana
1 cup of milk you can use skim ok soy if you choose
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 or 5 ice cubes
Now you just blend it up in a blender and enjoy!!!
tip -the riper the banana the sweeter it will be
Keep up the brushing and flossing
This no time to relax on brushing and flossing. It is VERY important to brush and floss everyday, especially now that you are getting braces. If you have never been a strong flosser, you might want to invest into a type of water flosser (i.e. Waterpic). This will definitely help you get the job done.
The day you get your braces
-Wake up with a positive attitude because today is going to be a great day!
-Have a good breakfast
-Take the recommended dosage of Tylenol an hour before your appointment
-After your braces are placed, we will give you a patient kit with a toothbrush, floss , floss threader and some Ortho wax. Our assistant will teach you the proper way to use all these items.
The night after you get your braces
So by this point the discomfort has set in, but have no fear, here are some more tips on how to get through the night:
-Continue taking your tylenol as recommended, this will help a lot.
-Try out that smoothie recipe! The cold will feel good.
-A salt and water rinse will help ease the discomfort. Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in eight ounces of warm water, and rinse your mouth vigorously.
-Get some sleep, you’ve had a busy day!
Just remember the discomfort that you are feeling is your teeth moving!!!! You are on your way to beautiful smile!!!
