Living With Braces: What to Eat, How to Clean, and What to Do in an Emergency

Good habits during treatment protect your teeth and help you finish on time. Keep this guide handy for the first few weeks.

Foods to enjoy

• Rice, ugali, pasta, soft chapati
• Cooked vegetables, beans, lentils
• Fish, minced meat, eggs, tender chicken off the bone
• Bananas, ripe mango, pawpaw, yoghurt

Foods to avoid

• Hard: ice, nuts, hard sweets, bones, sugarcane
• Sticky: toffee, chewing gum
• Foods you bite into: whole apples, raw carrots, maize on the cob. Cut them into small pieces
• Sugary and fizzy drinks, which cause white marks around brackets

Your cleaning routine

1. Rinse with water to loosen food.
2. Brush above, below and on the brackets with a soft brush for two minutes.
3. Use an interdental brush under the wire and between brackets.
4. Finish with fluoride mouthwash at night.

Do this after every meal. If you cannot brush, rinse well with water.

Soreness in the first week

Tender teeth are normal after fitting and adjustments. Eat soft food, use orthodontic wax on any bracket that rubs, and rinse with warm salt water for sore spots.

Simple fixes at home

• Poking wire: cover with wax and call us for a trim.
• Loose bracket: leave it in place, cover with wax if it irritates, and book a repair.
• Lost elastic: replace it if you have spares, otherwise let us know.

Swelling, injury to the mouth or severe pain needs a same-day call.

Keep your appointments

Every missed adjustment adds time to treatment. If you need to reschedule, tell us early and we will find a new slot.

The Esthetic Zone is on the 4th Floor, R-Square Building, Masaki, opposite IST School. Call +255 760 393 333 or message us on WhatsApp to book an orthodontic assessment.

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