350-1695 Henderson Hwy, Winnipeg, MBR2G 1P1204-982-8000

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EMERGENCY CARE

• Eating with Braces
• Foods to Avoid
• General Soreness
• Loosening of Teeth
• Emergencies

Eating with Braces

For the first day or so after getting your braces, if your teeth are tender, stick to soft foods such as soup or pasta until the soreness subsides. Before long, you'll be able to enjoy most of the foods that you enjoyed before, but you should be careful with the foods listed below. You'll need to protect your braces to minimize breakages.

Foods to Avoid

• Chewy foods: bagels, hard rolls, licorice
• Crunchy foods: popcorn, ice, hard chips, cheezies
• Sticky foods: caramels, gum
• Hard foods: nuts, candy
  • Foods you have to bite into with your front teeth: corn on the cob, apples, carrots ([please cut them into smaller pieces first)
• Chewing on hard things (for example, pens, pencils or fingernails) can also cause your brackets to become loose. You may also damage your wire.

General Soreness

When you get your braces on, you may feel general soreness and tenderness to biting pressures for up to one week. This can be relieved by rinsing your mouth with a warm salt water mouthwash. Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in 8 ounces of warm water, and rinse your mouth vigorously. If the tenderness is severe, an over-the-counter pain reliever that you normally would take for headache or similar pain can be used, as directed by your health care professional. The lips, cheeks and tongue may become irritated for one to two weeks as they toughen and become accustomed to the surface of the braces. We will provide wax that can be applied to the braces to make you more comfortable.

Loosening of Teeth

This is to be expected throughout treatment. Don't worry! It's normal. Teeth must loosen first so they can be moved. The teeth will tighten up again in their new - corrected - positions following treatment.

Emergencies

True orthodontic emergencies are rare, but when they do occur we are available to you. Please call our office if you experience severe pain or if you have an appliance problem that you cannot take care of yourself. We will be happy to schedule an appointment to resolve the problem. Even if you have a regular appointment scheduled, please call our office to let us know if you have a loose band, bracket or wire.