All About Braces in Greeley, CO
Everything you need to know about living with your new braces.
Now that you have your braces, how do you take care of them? It’s important to understand how to properly care for your braces throughout your entire orthodontic treatment for the best results.
Eating With Braces
Don’t worry, you’ll be eating popcorn and snacking on potato chips again in no time! However, before you can start enjoying some of the treats you love, you will need to take special care to avoid any foods that could damage your new appliances.
Do I really have to avoid certain foods?
Even though missing out on some of your favorite foods isn’t fun, there’s a reason. Sticky, crunchy, or chewy foods can get stuck in between the wires of your braces. When food gets stuck to your teeth, sugars and bacteria from the food begin to eat away the surface of your tooth causing decay, causing cavities.
Foods To Avoid While Wearing Braces:
- Chewy foods — bagels, licorice
- Crunchy foods — popcorn, chips, ice
- Sticky foods — caramel candies, chewing gum
- Hard foods — nuts, hard candies
- Foods that require biting into — corn on the cob, apples, carrots
Foods To Avoid While Wearing Braces:
- Dairy — cheese, pudding, milk-based drinks
- Breads — soft tortillas, pancakes, muffins without nuts
- Grains — pasta, cooked rice
- Meats/poultry — cooked chicken, meatballs, lunch meats
- Seafood — tuna, salmon, crab cakes
- Vegetables — mashed potatoes, steamed spinach, beans
- Fruits — applesauce, bananas, fruit juice
- Treats — ice cream without nuts, milkshakes, Jell-O, cake
Taking Care of Your Teeth
While braces and other orthodontic appliances are great at straightening your teeth and improving your bite, they can make taking care of your teeth a little more challenging. With the right habits and tools, though, you can keep your teeth healthy and clean so you can enjoy your new smile!
Brushing With Braces
When you have braces, it’s very important to brush and floss after every meal in order to keep your teeth and gums healthy throughout your orthodontic treatment. If you need help choosing the right toothbrush, toothpaste, and dental floss, please ask our Greeley Kids Orthodontics team. We would love to help you find the right products for your teeth and your appliance.
Flossing With Braces
Flossing after every meal will help keep your teeth and braces clean, which will also help keep your treatment
time on track.
To floss with braces, follow these easy steps:
- Using a floss threader or special orthodontic floss to thread the floss behind each wire.
- Gently slide the floss between each set of teeth using a back and forth motion.
- Floss the sides of each tooth beneath the gum line to remove plaque and food particles.
- Repeat this process until you’ve flossed all of your teeth.
If you find that your floss is not removing all of the food particles between your teeth and around your braces, ask us about a water flosser!
If Problems Arise, We’re Here to Help
Even with your best efforts, sometimes cavities and other problems happen. If your child is experiencing tooth pain or has a problem with the braces themselves (broken brackets, loose wires, etc), give us a call and we’ll help make it right.
“They did a great job putting braces on my 12 year old who is sensitive to things like that with his autism. Very professional staff and doctors with very clean facilities. They helped us fix some small issues we were having with the braces in about 3 minutes. Appointment was 2pm and we were back in the car leaving at 2:03! Great place to go for your kiddos!”
Michael R.
Other Orthodontic Appliances
Before, during, and after your treatment with braces, you may come across some other types of orthodontic appliances. Here at Greeley Kids, we use these appliances by themselves or in combination with each other to help make your smile just right.
Elastics (Rubber Bands)
Wearing elastics (or rubber bands) improves the fit of your upper and lower teeth. It is important that you or your child wears the rubber bands as recommended by the Greeley Kids Orthodontic team because they work far more efficiently if they're worn as prescribed.
Forsus
The Forsus Fatigue Resistant Device is an alternative to headgear which promotes growth in adolescents, helping to eliminate excessive overbites, improve the fit of teeth, and possibly prevent the need for jaw surgery.
Palatal Expander
The palatal expander "expands" (or widens) your upper jaw by putting gentle pressure on your upper molars each time an adjustment is made. Drs. Crane, Seager, and Error will instruct you about when and how to adjust your expander. When you achieve the desired expansion, you will wear the appliance for several months to solidify the expansion and to prevent regression.
Positioners
Positioners complete the final tooth movements in your Greeley Kids Orthodontic treatment. When the appliance is worn as recommended, you should only need to wear the positioner appliance for four to eight weeks.
Retainers
Retainers may be removable or fixed. They hold your teeth in their new, correct positions after your teeth have been straightened. The Greeley Kids Orthodontics team will instruct you on how to care for your retainer and about the duration of the wear. Wearing your retainer as directed is crucial to prevent regression of your treatment.
Separators or Spacers
Separators are little rubber doughnuts that may be placed between your teeth to push them apart so that orthodontic bands may be placed during your next appointment. The separators will be removed before we place the bands. When you receive separators or spacers at our Greeley office, remember to avoid sticky foods, toothpicks, or floss, as these will damage the separators or spacers.
“My orthodontist appointments are always so amazing! Everyone is soo kind and they always are so careful when working on my braces. They always do the perfect job! I love Greeley Kids and I definitely recommend it!”
Kristen W.
Other Services in Greeley, CO
Lip and Tongue Tie Release:
Help your babies and toddlers eat, speak, and grow better.
Sedation Dentistry:
Safe, comforting care when your child needs extra anesthesia.
Emergency Care:
Accidents happen! When they do, we’ll be here to help right away.
Comprehensive Care:
The dental care your kids need in a fun, friendly environment.
