20 Things to Know Before Getting Braces

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1.Some teeth may be pulled out.

I did not have enough room in my mouth for all of my teeth, which is why I experienced a lot of crowding. This is different for everybody because I could keep on my teeth. But my orthodontist did suggest that I pull them out so that I could make enough space in my mouth.

2. It takes weeks to get used to your braces.

I honestly thought that I would never get used to them because when I first put them on, it feels big in my mouth. It’s hard to describe the feeling but when I got my braces on, I felt like my lips wanted to go underneath the braces. I was trying to get my lips to go over them.

3. You might sound different when you get braces.

When I got them to put on, I did have a slight lisp because I felt my mouth produces too much saliva. I constantly clear my mouth over saliva. It sounds like I’m talking differently. But at first, when I got them to put on, I just sounded like I had a whole mouth full of stuff and I could not get used to it.

4. Have a lot of food stuck in between your braces.

This still happens to me, which is so annoying and I feel like I’m constantly feeling around through all the gaps with my tongue and trying to make sure that I get everything out.

5. Learn to eat differently.

When I eat, I always have to chew at the very back of my mouth to avoid having food stuck up in the front of my braces. I became accustomed to teaching myself how to eat differently and I eat untrue all of my food at the very back of my mouth.

6. Constantly think about what you can and can't eat.

Your orthodontist will give you a list of foods that you should avoid while you have your braces on. For example, you can’t have popcorn and any hard candy-like caramel.

7. Eating in small bites.

It’s going to be so much easier because I do prefer to eat things at the back of my mouth to avoid having food stuck all up in the front of my teeth. If you want to do this too, please cut your food up into tiny little bite sizes.

8. Lip products can get stuck on your braces.

I run my tongue over my teeth at least 50 times a day to avoid this situation.

9. It does hurt.

Yes, getting your braces tightened and getting adjustments do hurt. But it’s different for everybody. I do have a pretty high tolerance to pain. So for me getting adjustments was no big issue. But I know for some people do suffer through them. You should be prepared that it is going to hurt.

10. Your mouth will get caught up.

Especially when you get them first put on. I think it’s the most painful thing that I’ve had to deal with so far in this treatment. Be prepared for your mouth to be caught up because it is going to hurt. You will have all these cuts on the insides of your cheeks and it’s going to hurt. But if you let them heal by applying wax, then your mouth will toughen up.

11. Use orthodontic wax

If you are going to suffer through the cuts, protective wax will be your best friend. I went through so much wax. If you have the chance, definitely apply wax on your brackets. Wax is the little moldable material that you can put over the brackets, which smooths them over so that prevents the bracket from continuously cutting into the wines that it’s already created on the inside of your mouth.

12. You need a water flosser.

Flossing will be a nightmare and so difficult. But you must do it. If you can floss, I would recommend that you invest in a water flosser. You need to floss every day to make sure that you get every single little bit of food left in your mouth out. Using traditional floss will be. I recommend you invest in a water flosser. You will have braces on for over a year. If you’re going to invest in something, a water flosser is a perfect choice.

If you take care of your teeth, you can get your braces off sooner. People often forget that having healthy gums does help to make the process of moving your teeth a lot easier. It helps the braces do their thing a lot easier. If you’re constantly flossing your teeth, brushing your teeth and keeping good oral hygiene and good gum health, then that is going to assist in you getting your braces off sooner.

13. Clear bands will stain.

When it comes to picking colors for your braces, my only advice is that clear bands will stain. Mine is silver because I know that be clear bands will stain and it’s inevitable.

14. Your teeth won’t look as white.

I did whiten my teeth before getting braces. You aren’t going to be able to traditionally whiten your teeth while you have your braces on. But what I do is use a charcoal whitener to maintain the whiteness of my teeth.

15. Your teeth are going to pull out.

So many times throughout this treatment I feel that my teeth are loose and I think they will fall out. You just need to know that all is normal. They are secure and won’t fall out.

16. Your bite will constantly change.

After you get an adjustment you may feel uncomfortable in the sense of you don’t know how to close your mouth properly because it does change the way that your teeth sit upon each other especially when they’re going through that process of closing gaps and moving around.

17. Your face shape may change.

Because your teeth are shifting and everything is moving. You might look a little bit different. But it’s honestly so subtle that you won’t even notice it.

18. Your brackets may break.

It’s okay because they can be fixed so easily. Don’t freak out. I have only, fortunately, had one bracket break off at the very back of my mouth. It happened while I was eating rice. Typically brackets will break off when you eat certain foods that trigger them to snap off.

19. Use lip balm.

Your lips will get dry and chapped 100 times than usual. You need to always have lip balm on you.

20. Mirror will be your best friend.

You will constantly ask people: do I have something stuck on my teeth? So if you have a mirror, everything will be easier.