Care

Brushing and flossing with braces, emergency situations, and steering clear of certain foods.

All of these topics are important to consider when you’re undergoing orthodontic treatment.

If general rules or tips from our Gainesville and Lake City, FL, orthodontists are not followed properly for the duration of your treatment, you could risk delayed results or costly corrections.

What to Avoid With Braces

If you chose one of our clear aligner treatment options, rules about what you should and shouldn’t eat don’t really apply to you. Everyone else, listen up! Generally, our orthodontists recommend staying away from the following foods at least until your treatment is finished:

Popcorn (kernel-free is better if you must have it)
Nut mixes
Hard or overly chewy candy
Corn on the cob (corn should be shaved off)
Crunchy whole fruits or vegetables (cut them up first)

Be sure to also limit your intake of soda and juices. While fine in moderation, they can cause plaque accumulation behind your brackets and wires if proper oral hygiene is not also practiced every day. Most of the time, it’s all about adapting. For example, pre-slicing fruits, eating softer foods, and watching out for hard crusts.

Orthodontic Emergencies

It’s easy to think that anything that goes wrong with your braces or aligners is immediately an orthodontic emergency. While inconvenient, not everything demands instant action from our orthodontists.

What we do still recommend, however, is that you give one of our offices a call and we’ll walk you through how to proceed and if a follow-up appointment is necessary. Oftentimes, common problems can wait a few days if you as the patient don’t have time to stop in to see us right away.

Examples of minor or non-urgent problems include:

Loose or broken wires
Loose or broken brackets
Wires that are poking or sticking out
Lost Progressive or Invisalign® aligners
General feeling of discomfort or “tightness”

Call One of Our Offices Today

Taking care of your braces or clear aligners is important if you want to limit problems during your treatment. Remember though, our orthodontists in Gainesville and Lake City, FL, are of course available if something does go wrong! Call one of our Progressive Orthodontic Associates offices today or request an appointment online.