One of the concerns that we hear about from patients on a regular basis is how to care for their braces. Cosmetic Orthodontic patients that are getting lingual braces often think that the care routine will be much different than that of traditional braces. As far as your daily routine goes there will be some differences. You will have to take special care to make sure that you don’t damage your brackets and wires.
Lingual braces are on the inside of your teeth
Due to the fact that lingual braces are on the inside of your teeth, you will have to use more caution when eating than you would with traditional braces. Hard and crunchy foods are some of the easiest ones to damage your braces. You should try to avoid hard foods whenever possible. If you have an overbite it is very easy to add excess pressure to the brackets when you are chewing. This excess pressure can lead to the brackets and wires loosening and or breaking. You should also avoid foods that can easily become caught in the lingual braces. Having to pick sticky or messy foods out of your braces will cause you to have to put unnecessary pressure on them.
You should always brush and floss after every meal
It is important to make sure that no food particles are stuck in your braces. Mouth wash is also a great tool for helping you to remove anything that may become stuck in your mouth. It is best to floss with a combination of regular dental floss and an inter-dental flosser. It’s best to use a combination so that you are sure to be able to get all of the possible places food particles could be hiding. While it is not as useful as flossing a Waterpik can also be used to help clean your lingual braces. Traditional floss will do a much better job of getting into tight places, but a Waterpik works great for light general cleanup and is a bit more gentle on sore teeth.
Unlike traditional braces, any soreness or small abrasions caused by new braces won’t happen on the inside of your lip. It will happen to your tongue, but there is a solution. Just like traditional braces, you can use wax to cover the brackets to provide temporary relief. Most patients see relief from the discomfort associated with first getting their lingual braces on within the first couple of weeks.