Orthodontic treatment requires good oral hygiene, careful eating habits, and regular follow-up appointments. Whether you are wearing metal braces, ceramic braces, or another fixed orthodontic appliance, following your orthodontist's instructions helps protect your teeth and gums throughout treatment.
Dr Shiva Prasad, Specialist Orthodontist in Dubai, encourages patients to understand their responsibilities before beginning orthodontic treatment.
Brackets and wires create additional areas where plaque and food particles can collect. Inadequate cleaning may contribute to gum inflammation, tooth decay, and white marks on the enamel.
Follow these instructions:
Brush at least twice daily with fluoride toothpaste.
Clean carefully around every bracket and along the gumline.
Use an appropriate interdental brush to clean around wires and brackets.
Clean between your teeth daily using suitable flossing aids or other recommended tools.
Brush after meals when possible, especially when food is trapped around the appliance.
Continue regular dental check-ups and professional cleaning as advised.
Important: Good oral hygiene is essential throughout braces treatment, not just before your appointments.
Some foods may bend wires, loosen brackets, or damage orthodontic appliances.
Avoid or modify:
Hard nuts and hard sweets
Ice chewing
Sticky toffee and chewy sweets
Hard crusts that require forceful biting
Biting directly into hard apples, carrots, or similar foods
Cut suitable fruits and vegetables into small pieces and chew carefully. Choose foods that are comfortable to eat, particularly during the first few days after braces are fitted or adjusted.
Mild pressure, tenderness, or temporary discomfort can occur after braces are fitted or adjusted. This usually improves as you adapt to the appliance.
You can:
Choose soft foods temporarily.
Eat slowly and avoid biting hard foods with the front teeth.
Use orthodontic wax if a bracket irritates the inside of your cheek, following your orthodontist's instructions.
Ask your dental professional or pharmacist about suitable pain relief if needed.
Contact your dental clinic if discomfort is severe, persistent, or accompanied by concerning symptoms.
If part of your braces becomes loose, contact your orthodontic clinic for advice and an appointment if needed.
Do not attempt to make major adjustments to the appliance yourself. If a wire is irritating your mouth, ask the clinic how to manage it safely until you can be examined.
Seek urgent medical or dental care if you experience difficulty breathing or swallowing, significant swelling, or a serious injury.
Clear aligners require consistent use according to the treatment plan.
Wear your aligners for the prescribed number of hours each day.
Remove them for meals and drinks other than plain water, unless your clinician gives different instructions for your system.
Brush your teeth before reinserting aligners whenever possible.
Clean aligners according to the manufacturer's and orthodontist's instructions.
Store aligners in their protective case when not being worn.
Avoid hot water that may distort the aligner material.
Follow the prescribed sequence and change aligners only as instructed.
Contact your orthodontist if an aligner is lost, damaged, or no longer fits as expected.
Do not independently skip stages or change the treatment schedule without guidance.
Regular orthodontic reviews allow your clinician to monitor tooth movement, check the appliance, assess oral hygiene, and determine whether the treatment plan needs adjustment.
Missing appointments or not following appliance instructions may affect treatment progress.
If you participate in contact sports, ask your orthodontist about a suitable mouthguard designed for your appliance and activity. Follow the advice provided for your particular sport.
Contact your clinic if you experience:
A broken bracket or damaged wire
A lost or damaged aligner
An aligner that does not fit as expected
Persistent pain or irritation
Gum swelling or bleeding that does not improve with appropriate cleaning
Questions about wear time or treatment progress
Yes, but you need to clean carefully around brackets, wires, and the gumline. Your orthodontist can demonstrate appropriate brushing and interdental cleaning techniques.
Limit sugary foods and drinks because frequent sugar exposure increases the risk of tooth decay. Sticky and hard sweets can also damage braces.
Contact the clinic if you cannot attend and arrange another appointment. Regular reviews are important for monitoring treatment.
Insufficient wear may affect how well the aligners fit and how the teeth respond. Contact your orthodontist for advice rather than attempting to compensate by changing the schedule yourself.
Contact your treating clinic if you have questions about braces care, clear aligners, oral hygiene, or appliance problems.