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.

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.

More issues and solutions