Orthodontist Robert B. Pickard
Pickard Orthodontics

West County Office
121 Baxter Shops
Manchester, MO 63011
Telephone: (636) 256-2626
Fax: (636) 527-3495

South County Office
11810 Gravois Road, Suite 101
Sunset Hills, MO 63127
Telephone: (314) 849-9800
Fax: (314) 849-9801

E-mail: info@pickardorthodontics.com

Life with Braces · Types of Braces · Invisalign® · Incognito
Types of Appliances · Braces Diagram · Brace Painter
Oral Care Video · Retainers

picture Life with Braces

Eating with Braces

Although you will need to make some changes in your diet and your eating practices, there are still plenty of good, healthy foods you may eat while you're in braces. We will caution you to avoid certain types of food that are known to damage orthodontic appliances. We've included a partial list of "no-no" foods below. Some of the foods that you are accustomed to biting into, like apples, raw carrots, and corn on the cob, can be safely eaten if you first cut them into bite-sized pieces.

For the first day or so after the braces are placed, you will probably want to stick to soft foods. Smoothies are very popular at the beginning of treatment. Avoid tough meats, hard breads, and raw vegetables, which can be difficult for sore teeth to chew. Before long, you'll be able to bite and chew most foods again. But you'll need to protect your orthodontic appliances whenever you eat, for as long as you're wearing braces.

Foods to Avoid
  • Chewy foods: bagels, hard rolls, chewy candies (like licorice)
  • Crunchy foods: popcorn, ice, chips
  • Sticky foods: candies like caramel, taffy, or chewing gum
  • Hard foods: nuts or hard candies (like Jolly Ranchers)
You should also avoid chewing on hard things (for example, ice, pens, pencils, or fingernails), which can damage the braces. Broken appliances can cause your treatment to take longer than originally predicted.

Brushing

While keeping your teeth clean is always important, it's more important than ever to brush and floss thoroughly and frequently when you have braces. We will provide some special supplies and show you some special techniques to use in order to prevent plaque build-up on the brackets and to keep your teeth and gums healthy. We use a grading system to evaluate your hygiene efforts, providing incentives to patients and useful feedback to parents. It is critically important to maintain your usual schedule of cleanings and check-ups with your general dentist during the course of orthodontic care. Patients who are having difficulty keeping their teeth clean may be advised to visit their dentists more frequently for professional cleanings. Adults who have a history of gum disease should also see a periodontist (gum specialist) before and during orthodontic treatment.

Loose Teeth

Don't worry — loose teeth are normal during the course of orthodontic treatment! Teeth must loosen first before they can be moved. Once they have been moved to their new, corrected positions, the teeth will again become rigidly fixed in place.

Cooperation

Good results depend upon patient cooperation. If you want to complete your treatment in a timely fashion, always wear rubber bands, headgear, and other appliances, as directed by Dr. Pickard. Damaged appliances may lengthen the treatment time.

Care of Appliances

Occasionally, orthodontic appliance parts become loose or break. Don't be alarmed if that happens. The first priority is to make sure the patient is comfortable. See "Emergencies and Home Remedies" for specific suggestions. Then call to let us know about the problem and schedule an appointment for repair or replacement of the appliance. Please save any appliance pieces that may have come off and bring them with you to the next appointment.

Mouthguards

Dr. Pickard very strongly recommends the use of mouthguards for patients engaged in sports where the risk of injury to the face and mouth is possible. Please ask us about the appropriate mouthguard to wear. We provide mouthguards for free and for purchase in our office.