Any dentists on line please? Question re braces.

[mckenzie]

DS got his first set of braces today (they are to correct his jaw line).
Reading through the list of dos and don'ts, I can see that fizzy drinks are not allowed but I wondered about fizzy water.

Is fizzy water ok?

TIA

In theory anything that's fizzy is acidic so still water would be preferable but in practice, the acidity of fizzy water is quite minimal could you alternate at all?

The issue is that you get this demineralisation around the brackets and it looks horrid when the braces come off. Picture imminent when I work out how to post one.

Can't post a picture but I'll put one on my profile. HTH.

FFS can't even do that. article explains stuff

My dc had fizzy drinks occasionally with their braces but always used a straw. They also used straws with juice or squash. They were brilliant with brushing so no problems with staining.

the don't drink pop, don't, eat apples, steak, toffee ........ list.

I don't think we got to the end of the week without breaking every single rule on it! She only managed to break it once about 18 months in and then I suspect they put a connecting strip in a bit tight.

However, DD1 was careful and cleaned her teeth meticulously and took little brushes to every crevice and the orthodontist always praised her for how clean her teeth were.

The treatment really was worth it, DDs teeth look beautiful, but I cannot conceive for one minute she'd have obeyed the rules if I had bothered to nag.

The list isn't just about breaking the brace though, it's about the enamel underneath/around the brackets.

Cleaning with the little brushes etc as nocomet says is so important.

And it's not staining to worry about it's an irreversible effect on the enamel of the teeth that can be caused, it can be polished away and needs fillings to repair it.

Very careful cleaning certainly seems to work, there isn't a mark on DDs teeth and she wore train tracks for two years and, as I say, wasn't at all good at avoiding sugar, orange juice or some fizz.

To be fair she isn't anything like as fond of fizzy stuff as DD2 and hates coke, which is the thing that makes dentists squirm.

I really hope DD2 never needs a brace as she loves coke, sweets and ice cream and hates cleaning her teeth. She is usually really good with authority (unlike DD1 and me), but even getting our lovely dentist to tell her off and having a filling doesn't greatly improve her.

Thanks very much for all the replies. DS is partial to the odd glass of coke so I thought I'd give him fizzy water with a piece of lemon instead occasionally. He drinks plain water and milk generally, thank goodness.

Cleaning teeth is quite tricky for DS as he has dyspraxia so it's probably going to have to be adult supervision to make sure these braces and his teeth get cleaned properly.

What happens at school? After lunch should DS be going and brushing his teeth and cleaning the braces then? I'm Worried he'll lose or break them. In fact, I'm not sure what he'll eat for lunch next week as he's only managed fluids so far!

OP, fluoriguard mouthwash is very helpful and one of only two mouthwashes I will ever recommend. That could be used at school and the very careful brushing at home. He should be cleaning them if possible as removing plaque is crucial but if he's less good at this at school, the mw can help.

Thanks mrsmorton.
I'm going to drag poor DS to the supermarket with me tomorrow to go on the hunt for soft food. He's fed up already with soup!
What should we try next? Scrambled egg maybe? Mashed potato?
Creamed swede?

DS is sobbing this morning as he's trying to eat some breakfast .
Because these braces have plates top and bottom and then plastic bits of the side teeth he said he can't 'eat' anything, only swallow.
Does this sound right?

I'm not certain what you're talking about what do his teeth look like now? As in, does he have an overjet or an "under bite"?

Are the braces fixed or removable?

In any case, everything will be fine once he's used to them, I promise. Millions of children (and adults) have this treatment every year. It's shit at the start but it will be ok.

Thanks MrsM. I really appreciate all your replies.
He has an over bite ( from sucking index and middle finger with hand turned upside down).
They are removable braces.
We've just bought more soups and carrot and swede mash. He had some crab meat for lunch and also managed to eat an olive so it's getting better already. I'm probably being a bit over anxious aren't i? Sorry.

DS has a removable brace. It took him a few days to get used to eating with teeth meeting plastic but now he easy almost anything.

I asked a similar question about suitable food and everyone replied with "my DD/DS eat anything".

He'll get used to it in no time.

It's perfectly natural for you to be anxious!! Yes this is normal and as anything said he will get used to it andmi promise that in ten days time it will be a hundred times better.

Thanks very much guys. I really appreciate your posts.