Damon self-ligating braces won’t have too much of an impact on your day-to-day life. That said, there are a few steps you’ll need to take to ensure your treatment stays on track.
Eating With Braces
When you first get your braces put on, you will receive soft flexible wires and your teeth may feel a little sensitive to biting pressure for a few days. We recommend chewing slowly, soft foods and smaller sized pieces of foods.
The wires will progressively become less flexible over a period of time. Remember to cut or break food into bite-sized pieces and chew with your back teeth to keep your braces and wires safe and intact.
Foods to Avoid With Braces
The vast majority of foods are fair game during treatment but some items can damage your brackets or wires. Here are the foods to avoid with braces:
- Hard foods: hard candy, nuts, hard rolls, well-done pizza crust, ice
- Chewy foods: licorice, beef jerky, chewy bagels, gum
- Crunchy foods: popcorn, hard tacos, chips, big pieces of raw vegetables
- Sticky foods: caramel, taffy, gummy candy
- Foods you need to bite into: meat on the bone (off the bone is fine!), corn on the cob (try cutting it off the cob), whole, raw apples (grate then with the cheese grater instead)
Soft Foods to Eat With Braces
For the first several days after getting your braces on, having soft foods and cold drinks can help with tenderness. Here are some patient favorites:
- Soup
- Yogurt
- Applesauce
- Scrambled eggs
- Pasta (mac and cheese, spaghetti, etc.)
- Smoothies
- Protein shakes
- Mashed potatoes
- Soft fruit like bananas
- Frozen yogurt and ice cream
- Egg salad, chicken salad, and tuna salad
Playing Sports With Braces
Braces won’t slow you down on the field, court, or track. You can absolutely continue playing sports with braces. However, you will need to wear a mouthguard when doing any activity that has a chance of impact to keep your appliance, teeth, and mouth safe. Let us know if you’re an athlete and we’ll help you decide on the best mouthguard to wear with braces.
Oral Hygiene With Braces
While Damon Braces trap less food debris and plaque because of their tie-less bracket design, it’s still essential to pay close attention to your oral hygiene during treatment. Keeping your teeth and braces clean will help you avoid cavities and swelling of the gums which will slow down movement and get in the way of your progress. Practicing good oral hygiene ensures a healthy, radiant smile when your braces come off.
Brushing and Flossing With Braces
We understand that it’s challenging to brush and floss with braces on. We highly recommend getting SonicFusion by Waterpik.
