Fixed Appliances Fitting

Artiste Studios is happy to assist you throughout your treatment in order to ensure a lifelong positive outcome of your investment in your smile. Now that you are well on your way to your desired outcome, we have provided you with some important instructions.

What to Expect After your Appliance is Fitted

Sensitivity and Tenderness

■ It is somewhat normal to feel some discomfort and tenderness in the teeth and gums over the next few days as they adapt.

■ The discomfort is usually worse on eating, and a soft diet is advised.

■ These symptoms are temporary and usually respond very well to over-the-counter pain medications if necessary.

Soreness from the Appliance

■ The brackets and the wires may be difficult for the lips, cheeks and tongue to adjust to at the beginning of the treatment. Should discomfort be felt, we recommend orthodontic silicone wax to be placed over the area that is causing the irritation in order to relieve the situation.

■ If ulcers develop, we advise rinsing with salt water to encourage healing.

Eating in the first few days

■ Minimise discomfort by starting with easy but nutritious food to eat. Examples of a softer diet can include fish, eggs, cottage cheese, mashed potatoes, soups and yoghurt.

■ Make sure you always have a soft meal or snack ready so you are not hungry and cannot eat because your teeth hurt. Don’t worry, it gets better, and it will all be worth it! 

Avoiding Breakages

When wearing a fixed brace it is important that you are careful with your eating habits in order to reduce the likelihood of damage to the brackets, breaking or distorting the wires. We recommend the following:

■ Fruit and vegetables (apples/ carrots, etc.) should be sliced and eaten very carefully.

■ When eating meat cut it into small pieces.

■ Avoid hard food such as crusty bread and pizza, choose soft whole wheat instead.

■ Sweets such as toffees, hard, boiled sweets and chewing gum are to be avoided at all costs.

Avoiding Cavities

■ Avoid sugars and sticky carbohydrates in general, specifically sweets, toffees, dried fruit etc.

■ Avoid drinking fizzy drinks and excessive amounts of fruit juice.

■ Where possible, limit such intake to mealtimes, and follow up with cheese or fruit.

Oral Hygiene

■ Keeping your mouth healthy is very important and excellent oral hygiene is essential when wearing braces. Please remember, the entire process of orthodontic treatment becomes futile if the teeth become decayed due to poor hygiene.

■ Excellent oral hygiene and reduction in sugar intake will greatly assist in minimising decay, white spots (decalcification) or gum problems.

Speech

■ Speech is a very complicated and dynamic process involving all parts of the airway and mouth. Fortunately, people are very adaptable and speech can often sound very good even at the time of delivery. If your speech does not sound right to you, give it some time and normal body adaptation will resolve your concerns.

■ Practise reading aloud as much as possible. Be patient. Do not focus undue attention on the process.

■ Speech problems are usually overcome within 2-5 days after the appliance has been fitted.

■ You may have increased salivation and find yourself swallowing more often now you have the appliance in. This is quite normal and will quickly pass.

Keeping your teeth and appliance clean

■ Brush your teeth and the appliance after each meal to avoid accumulating debris that can cause decay and gum inflammation.

■ Toothbrush: use a light circular motion beginning at the gum line on each tooth. Brush your teeth carefully after every meal. Brush your tongue too. An electric tooth brush is also very effective when used properly. Press the head of the toothbrush against the teeth and allow the brush to circulate while you keep placing it at the desired areas.

■ Interdental Brush: Using a fine brush, work the areas in between the brackets and between the teeth.

■ Waterpik/Airfloss: Daily after brushing, using a low pressure setting to remove food particles from braces increases blood circulation.

■ Dental floss: Special dental floss for fixed braces can purchased which has a thin plastic tip in order to slide the floss in between the wire.

■ Toothpaste/ Mouthwash: The use of fluoride toothpaste is recommended, together with a fluoride mouth wash for added protection against plaque.

Sports

■ You should wear a gum shield over your appliance when you play contact sports. Special gum shields to fit over appliances are available.

Music

■ If playing a wind or brass instrument, you may need to adapt your lips when practising and should discuss this with your clinician.

If you have any other questions, please contact us and we will be happy to help.