Living With Braces: Care, Food and Everyday Questions
Reviewed by Dr. Susan Korch, DMD, MS
Brush after every meal and floss daily with a threader or orthodontic pick. Stick to softer foods for the first few days, then avoid anything hard, sticky, chewy, or that you bite straight into. Expect tenderness for three to five days after your braces are placed. Wear your elastics exactly as instructed, because that is the part of treatment only you can control.
Braces work whether or not you think about them. How quickly they work, and how comfortable the process is, depends quite a lot on you.
None of what follows is difficult. It is mostly a handful of habits that become automatic within a couple of weeks.
Brushing and Flossing
Cleaning matters more during treatment than at any other time in your life. Brackets and wires give plaque places to hide, and plaque left against enamel causes decay and the white marks that show up when braces come off.
- Brush after every meal, angling the brush at the bracket from above and below rather than straight on.
- Floss daily, using a floss threader or an orthodontic floss pick to get under the wire.
- Consider an electric toothbrush, an interdental brush, or a water flosser. Patients consistently find these make the job faster, which means it actually gets done.
- Keep seeing your dentist. Cleanings and check-ups continue right through orthodontic treatment. We straighten teeth; your dentist keeps them healthy.
- If you have a history of gum problems, keep up with your periodontist during treatment as well.
If cleaning is proving difficult, tell us. More frequent professional cleanings are a reasonable answer and a much better one than waiting to see what happens.
What Can I Eat With Braces?
For the first few days after your braces go on, eat soft things: yogurt, pasta, eggs, soup, smoothies. Your teeth will be tender and nothing will feel appealing that needs real chewing.
After that, most food is back on the menu, with some care about how you eat it.
Foods to avoid for the whole of treatment:
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Hard | Nuts, hard candy, ice |
| Sticky | Chewing gum, caramel, toffee |
| Chewy | Bagels, licorice, crusty bread |
| Crunchy | Popcorn, chips, hard taco shells |
| Anything you bite into | Whole apples, raw carrots, corn on the cob |
That last row is the one people miss. You do not have to give up apples or corn; you have to cut them up and chew with your back teeth. The damage comes from biting with the front teeth, which is exactly where the brackets are most exposed.
Chewing on pens, pencils and fingernails breaks brackets too, and it is a harder habit to spot because it is not a meal. Every breakage means an extra appointment and can add time to your treatment.
Soreness, and What Actually Helps
It is normal for teeth to feel tender to bite on for three to five days after braces are placed, and again for a day or so after an adjustment. Your lips, cheeks and tongue may feel rubbed for the first week or two while the inside of your mouth toughens up.
What helps:
- Orthodontic wax over any bracket that is rubbing. Dry the bracket first or the wax will not stick.
- An over-the-counter pain reliever, taken as directed on the label.
- Soft food and time. The soreness eases as the teeth settle, and it gets milder with every subsequent adjustment.
- The Dental Pain Eraser, a drug-free device we offer for managing orthodontic discomfort.
Teeth feeling slightly loose is also normal. It is unsettling the first time you notice it, but teeth have to loosen a little in order to move at all, and they firm up again as treatment finishes.
Elastics Are the Part Only You Control
Rubber bands correct how your upper and lower teeth meet, and they work solely on the hours they are worn. Braces keep working overnight whether you think about them or not; elastics do nothing in a drawer.
Wearing them as instructed keeps treatment on schedule. Wearing them inconsistently is the single most common reason treatment runs longer than planned, and it is the one thing we cannot fix at the chair.
Sport and Braces
Tell us what you play. We will recommend a mouthguard that fits over braces, and we can provide a temporary one to get you started.
A mouthguard protects your lips and cheeks from the brackets during a knock, and protects the brackets from the knock. It matters for contact sports especially, but a stray elbow in a school game does the same damage.
If Something Breaks
A loose bracket or a poking wire is not an emergency, and there is usually a safe thing to do at home before your appointment.
Everything on that is on our orthodontic emergency care page, including what counts as urgent, what you can safely do yourself, and when to call.
The short version: call us at (717) 533-7400, and do not wait to see whether it settles.
Questions About Your Treatment?
Call (717) 533-7400. Nothing on this page is more important than asking when you are unsure.
Korch Orthodontics · 357 West Governor Road, Hershey, PA 17033
Frequently Asked Questions
Caring for braces properly helps keep treatment on track, reduce unexpected issues, and support a smooth overall experience. Many patients and parents have questions about everyday life with braces beyond brushing and eating. These FAQs provide helpful guidance to keep your orthodontic journey comfortable, confident, and successful.
How do I stop white spots forming on my teeth?
White spots are early decay, caused by plaque sitting against enamel, and they are permanent once formed. Brushing after meals, using a fluoride toothpaste, and cutting down on sugary and acidic drinks prevents them. Carbonated drinks are the worst offender because they deliver sugar and acid together, and sipping one slowly is worse than drinking it quickly.
Can I chew sugar-free gum?
We would rather you did not while you are in braces. Even sugar-free gum pulls at brackets and wires, and a broken bracket costs more time than the gum is worth.
Do I still need to see my regular dentist?
Yes, and it matters more than usual. Orthodontic visits check tooth movement, not tooth health. Keep your normal schedule of exams and cleanings throughout treatment.
Can we time the start of treatment around a holiday or a sports season?
Usually, yes. Tell us what is coming up and we will plan the start date around it where the clinical timing allows.
How long until eating feels normal again?
Most patients are eating close to normally within a week or two, apart from the foods on the avoid list. The adjustment is faster than nearly everyone expects.
