October 8, 2014
New Patients' 6 Most Common Questions About Braces
If you're preparing to wear them first time, you probably have a lot of questions about braces. Will braces have an impact on my daily life? Can I still eat my favourite foods? What about speaking? How will it feel to have braces?Below we've answered some of the most common questions we get from new braces patients. Remember–if there's a question you don't see answered here, you can always ask your Docbraces orthodontist.1. What foods can I eat?For the first few days after your braces are on, you may want to stick with softer foods (soup, mashed potatoes, smoothies, etc.) as your mouth adjusts. Otherwise, you can still enjoy all of your favourite foods, with a few exceptions, such as popcorn, taffy, hard nuts and bubble gum. You may also need to be more careful about with some foods—for example, cutting the corn off the cob before eating it and cutting crunchy foods like carrots and apples into smaller pieces can make eating easier.2. Will braces affect my speech?Not only will braces NOT affect your speech, but your speech may even improve once your teeth are more properly aligned.With regular fixed braces, your speech should not change; however, if you have a palatal expander appliance that will be fitted at the roof of your mouth, it make take some getting used to. After a few days or a week at the most you will be speaking like you always have.3. Can I play sports with braces?If you're involved in contact sports, such as martial arts or football, you may be concerned about what will happen when you get your braces. Don’t worry. For most sports the braces will make no difference, but in sports where you may get hit in the face there are mouth guards available that fit over the braces.4. Will I be able to play musical instruments?Some people play musical instruments that have a mouthpiece, such a flutes, saxophones or horns. In this case, it may take a week or two to become used to your braces, but soon you will be playing as well as you did before.5. Will I have to brush my teeth differently?Once your braces are on, you will need to set a few more minutes aside in the morning, at night and after meals to brush them properly. When you brush, be sure to pay special attention to spaces between teeth and your braces, wires and brackets. You should also aim to floss once daily.6. Will braces hurt?Docbraces focuses on providing patients with the most comfortable and effective treatment possible. As such, we offer braces solutions that gently and painlessly shift teeth into place, as opposed to the heavy forces sometimes applied by traditional braces.While most patients do not experience pain, like anything new, the feeling of your braces may take some getting used to. It may take between a few days to a week before you become used to the feeling of your braces.
