Prairie Grove Orthodontics can answer all your questions about caring for your orthodontic appliances.

Caring for your brand new smile

You’ll enjoy the orthodontic journey and get the best possible results by taking good care of your teeth throughout treatment and beyond. You will need to make some changes to your oral health routine, but they are more than worth it! Caring for your orthodontic appliances is also essential, whether you have braces, Invisalign® clear aligners, or a retainer to maintain your new smile. Here’s the scoop on what you’ll need to do during and after your treatment.

TLC for your teeth

You’ve made a great investment in your smile. Oral hygiene is always important, but we recommend taking it up a notch now to ensure that your teeth and gums stay healthy. The right toothbrush, toothpaste, and dental floss can make a world of difference for proper orthodontic dental care. Prairie Grove Orthodontics is happy to share the following tips with you. Just like your teeth, we’re all in this together!

Brush your teeth three times a day

Brush your teeth three times per day, for three minutes per session. With braces, angle your toothbrush around each bracket and under the wire.

Floss at least once a day

Flossing is essential for maintaining good oral health and should be performed once each day.

Rinse twice a day

Rinse with over-the-counter fluoride rinse twice a day. This can be purchased almost anywhere you buy toothpaste.

Use gum or breath mints with xylitol

Use gum or breath mints containing xylitol four times per day, after meals, for five to ten minutes.

We recommend using these products during treatment for proper orthodontic care

Toothpaste

ClinPro 5000 toothpaste should be used every night. You can brush with your preferred toothpaste at other times of the day.

Mouth rinse

Rinse with over-the-counter fluoride rinse twice a day. This can be purchased almost anywhere you buy toothpaste.

Gum or breath mints

We recommend Epic Gum, but any xylitol gum or mint can be used, as long as xylitol is the first ingredient listed on the label.

Salt for soreness

At first, your teeth and mouth may feel a bit tender or sore. This is temporary – and perfectly normal. You can help relieve oral tissue discomfort by dissolving one teaspoon of salt in eight ounces of lukewarm water. Swish and gargle. Swish and gargle. Swish and gargle. This will help promote the healing of your mouth! But don’t swallow the salt water (trust us, you won’t like it). If the pain still doesn’t go away after rinsing, you can take a pain reliever. When you’re new to braces, your lips, cheeks, and tongue may also become irritated. This will quickly pass, but if needed, we can give you some wax to temporarily put over your braces and give your mouth a break.

The hard truth: You’ll need softer foods

Even with new advances in orthodontic technology, braces are still no match for sticky candy and other troublesome hard foods. You will need to be careful to avoid foods that could damage your orthodontic appliance. Softer foods are always recommended (hello, pasta!), especially after an appointment when your mouth may be sore. When in doubt, take it slow or just avoid hard and sticky foods altogether.

Download packet

Avoid hard or sticky foods

Sticky foods can get wrapped around your appliances and cause them to break or come loose. Hard foods can break your braces and damage your appliances.

Avoid high-sugar and high-acidity drinks

High-sugar and high-acidity drinks, when mixed with saliva, create plaque—a sticky film that coats the teeth and is difficult to remove completely, even with brushing.

Cut food into smaller pieces

Some foods are fine to enjoy, as long as they’re cut into smaller pieces which won’t damage your braces or appliance. Examples include bagels, carrots, and apples.

Enjoy soft, braces-friendly foods

Many of your favorite soft foods and drinks are perfectly safe with braces or appliances.

Our guide to eating with braces

Some foods and drinks to avoid

Taffy, Starburst®, Skittles®, caramels, Mike and Ike®, Now&Later®, Tootsie Rolls®, gummy candies

Ice cubes, hard candies, beef jerky, hard granola bars, suckers, hard bread, popcorn kernels (fully popped popcorn is OK)

Soda, diet soda, Gatorade®, juice, Powerade®, energy drinks

Foods and drinks you can enjoy

Yogurt, pudding, bananas, grapes, oranges, fruits without pits, crackers, cheese, mashed potatoes, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, ravioli, spaghetti, macaroni and cheese and many other pasta dishes

Water, milk, Crystal Light®, GatoradeG2®, Propel®

Let’s be clear—Invisalign aligners need care, too

Because Invisalign clear aligners can easily come on and off, patients can be more flexible about what they eat and drink. But with great power also comes great responsibility, and you must be sure to keep track of your aligners and clean them frequently.

Download packet

Clean your aligners regularly

Gently clean your aligners with a toothbrush and toothpaste or Retainer Brite® cleaner tablets 1-2 times daily.

Disinfect your aligners every day

You may use EverSmile® WhiteFoam or Steraligner daily to help keep your aligners fresh, whiten teeth, and help with dry mouth.

Keep your aligners safe

Keep your aligners away from pets, boiling water, bleach, denture cleaner, and any other cleaning products. Avoid placing your aligners in a napkin while eating to avoid accidentally throwing them away!

Apply and remove your aligners carefully

When you put your aligners in, make sure they’re securely in place. When removing them, loosen your aligners in several places, and then gently dislodge them.

We recommend using these products during treatment for proper orthodontic care

Cleaner tablets

We recommend Retainer Brite® cleaner tablets which are available for purchase at the front desk.

Disinfectant

You may use EverSmile® WhiteFoam or Steraligner daily to help keep your aligners fresh, whiten teeth, and help with dry mouth.

Gum or breath mints

If you do not have a toothbrush available, rinse with water and chew a piece of sugar-free gum that contains xylitol for 10 minutes before putting your aligners back in. Do not chew gum with aligners in. You may suck on sugar-free mints.

Always remember your retainer

You’ve worked hard to attain your new beautiful and confident smile. But orthodontic care doesn’t end once your braces or aligners are removed – to retain your new smile, you’ll likely need a retainer. Retainers are stabilizers that keep your teeth happy and secure in their new position. If you lose your retainer or it no longer fits properly, let us know and we’ll get you back on track right away. Taking care of your retainer helps you take care of your teeth for a lifetime.

Download packet

Clean your retainer regularly

Carefully scrub the retainer with a toothbrush and water at least once a day. Avoid brushing with toothpaste as it can be abrasive and scratch your retainer.

Apply and remove your retainer carefully

When you put your retainer in, make sure it’s securely in place. When removing it, loosen your retainer in several places, and then gently dislodge it.

Keep your retainer safe

Protect your retainer from heat and pets. Avoid placing your retainer in a napkin while eating to avoid accidentally throwing it away!

Replace your retainer when necessary

Even a well-made retainer will eventually wear out. If your retainer has deteriorated, or it feels different than it did when new, contact your Kristo orthodontist.

You've come so far

After your braces come off, your teeth will want to continue shifting. Your retainer prevents this from happening and holds your teeth in their perfect new positions. So, wear your retainer with pride, knowing that you are doing exactly what you need to do to protect your investment and your gorgeous new smile!

Your Prairie Grove Orthodontics team will explain your options (some retainers are removable while others are fixed), show you how to care for your retainer, and tell you how long you’ll need to use it.