I had my braces tightened for the first time last month. I also got them changed colour to light blue, but some of the brackets on the teeth had colour missing because of the process of tightening.
The following day after the tightening, my teeth felt very uncomfortable and sore. I took paracetamol medicine to relieve the pain.
My next appointment is in October where I will change colour to purple.
I’m not finding it too hard to avoid having the food and drink I’m not allowed with braces but when I’m on holiday it’s quite frustrating when I can’t have a glass of cold lemonade.
I think it helps that I have two older sisters who I saw have braces on and off. They now have straight teeth. It helps me when I desperately want them off to look at them and I feel glad that I am going through the treatment.
My teeth have changed so much since I first got braces fitted, I am glad that I got braces on earlier than most people. If your dentist says you need braces, you should be thankful that you can get them straight earlier. Besides, braces are very common nowadays.
I am looking forward to having them off and to have straight teeth.
Top Tips
• When you feel like you want to have your braces off, look at a friend or a relative who has previously had braces and now has straight teeth. If you don’t have anyone, look at celebrities, one of them is Cheryl Cole. To have teeth like hers must be great, so feel thankful that you have them
• Clean your teeth regularly and DO NOT have fizzy drinks, if you have fizzy drinks, once ou have the braces removed, you will have white squares where the teeth were protected (and remained nice and clean) but are stained where they were exposed
• Take paracetamol for the pain relief
Wear instructions for fixed braces
• Keep teeth AND braces very clean. This may require brushing your teeth at least three times a day after each meal
• Take a toothbrush and toothpaste to school/work and clean your teeth after lunch and after any snacks or drinks
• DO NOT bite into any food, regardless of how soft it may appear. Biting into food will break the front brackets. Cut everything you eat into mouth-sized pieces
• DO NOT chew gum or sticky sweets as the braces will break
• Avoid hard nuts, crusty bread (baguettes, etc), food containing caramel or toffee and crunchy cereal bars
• Use the wax to cover any sharp areas of the brace to prevent the formation of ulcers
• Contact your practice as soon possible if any breakages are noticed to arrange for repairs. Breakages will lengthen the course of treatment.
Essentials
Brace Eze is an orally applied setting gel, which provides instant relief of the discomfort, and irritation caused by orthodontic braces and appliances
Colgate Duraphat 2800ppm fluoride toothpaste is a prescription-only high-fluoride toothpaste. Clinical studies show that 2800ppm fluoride toothpaste delivers greater caries reduction than regular fluoride toothpaste
Colgate orthodontic toothbrush is designed to clean teeth around fixed braces and other orthodontic applicances. It has long angled outer bristles specifically designed to remove plaque from the gingival margin and shorter inner bristles that clean tooth surfaces between orthodontic braces and around fixed brackets and wires.
