The team at Rapids Orthodontics can answer all your questions about caring for your orthodontic appliances.

A beautiful smile is worth a little work!

Orthodontics requires some adjustment – both to the physical changes occurring in your mouth and to your routine for oral hygiene. Caring for your appliances is vital, whether we are talking about your braces, Invisalign® clear aligners, or your retainer. Here’s the scoop on how to get the best results during, and after, your treatment.

Your teeth deserve lots of TLC

Excellent oral hygiene with an orthodontic appliance is essential for keeping your teeth and gums healthy. Be excellent! The right toothbrush, toothpaste, and dental floss can make all the difference for proper dental care during orthodontic treatment. Our team is happy to share our best suggestions and to guide you on the best regimen to use during braces or Invisalign aligner treatment – because like your teeth, we’re 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

Salt for soreness

Your teeth and mouth may feel a bit tender, sore, or irritated during treatment, which is perfectly normal. To help relieve oral tissue discomfort, dissolve one teaspoon of salt in eight ounces of lukewarm water; this will also promote the healing of your mouth. Swish and gargle this solution in your mouth for a few minutes before spitting it out. You can also apply wax to your braces to lessen the irritation, and a pain reliever will help with tooth or jaw aches and pains. Your lips, tongue, and cheeks will gradually toughen up, but if needed, we can always give you wax to put over your braces to lessen the tenderness.

The hard truth: softer foods are better now

Modern technology means sturdier braces, but you still need to be careful and avoid foods that could damage your orthodontic appliance. Softer foods are recommended (mmm, mac & cheese…), especially after an appointment when your mouth may be sore. When in doubt, take it slow or avoid it altogether.

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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®

Clear aligners need care, too

Sure, your Invisalign clear aligners can easily come on and off, and people enjoy that flexibility when eating and drinking. But with great power comes great responsibility, which means you must keep track of them and clean them frequently.

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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.

Retainers do just that — retain your new smile

Orthodontic care doesn’t end once your braces or aligners are removed. Retainers are stabilizers, keeping your teeth happy and secure in their new position. Take care of your retainer, and you take care of your teeth – for a lifetime. But if you lose your retainer, or if it no longer fits properly, let us know and we’ll get you back on track.

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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 Rapids orthodontist.

Be vigilant

After your braces come off, your teeth will want to continue shifting. Your retainer (some are removable, some are fixed) stops that, holding your teeth in their perfect new positions.

Wearing it is everything (you’ve come so far), so… wear it. With pride! Your Rapids Orthodontics team will show you how to care for your retainer and explain how long you’ll need to use it.