Braces

[34and3]

Dd (12.5) is getting train tracks in a couple of weeks. For others who have had them, do I need to stock up on certain brushes etc? It's definitely the time, there's been a flurry in her friendship group getting them all of a sudden. She's gone for clear top and bottom with white wires so a bit nervous they'll stain more easily.

teepee brushes.

The orthodontist will go through all the stuff you need. There are special toothbrushes for braces which you can get easily on Amazon.

Lots of soft food for the first day or two and steer clear or turmeric.

I had fixed braces as an adult and absolutely couldn't live then or now without a water flosser. Flossing is a must with braces but so much hassle. The water flosser blows all the crap away so a great thing to use before brushing. Eat nothing with turmeric in - it stains.

Noted re turmeric!

Thanks I'll look into a water flosser

The pads take 24hrs to fix hard so watch out for them breaking off in the first day.
Though yes the teen will probably only want soft or liquid food to begin with such as soup or bolognaise.

Watch out for apples, toffee, and in our case, iron deficiency leading to pica and crunching ice cubes! All hazardous to braces.

I had braces as an adult and the things I found most useful were

• dental wax. This goes on the end of the wire to stop it scratching up the inner cheek. My orthodontist forgot to tell me that this existed and I had ukcers in both cheeks before I found out.
• floss threaders for braces, this lind of thing: www.amazon.co.uk/Floss-Threaders-Braces-Bridges-Implants/dp/B08GPFLCWH/ref=asc_df_B08GPFLCWH/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=570493444556&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1152608271445845586&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006882&hvtargid=pla-1534853177402&psc=1

I hadn’t heard of water flosser but it sounds amazing so am off to google

Thank you I'm pretty sure the orthodontist gives wax (I should hope so given it's already costing £5k!!!) but will defo buy a water flosser

Babybel cheese with the red wax acts as dental wax in an emergency, wish we'd known this when ds had them!

Disclosing tablets, ds was fantastic at using these but check they're ok with white braces.

They're normal to really hurt for a bit when they're tightened/ adjusted,take pain killers.

Water flosser! My son had this when he had braces.

I have the white wires and they stain really badly. Don't eat curry, particularly anything with turmeric. I think tea and coffee stain mine too but I'm not giving up coffee. Hopefully less of an issue with a 12 year old.

Mashed potato, ready brek, weetabix are all good for the first couple of days. I've never been able to bite properly with mine on so fruit etc that you can break pieces off like clementine and banana were

Is it too late to change the colour? DD’s friends who opted for clear/white wires ended up regretting it. Not just turmeric but things like red pasta sauce. Over time they just looked yucky and couldn’t be cleaned properly.

@Remaker the white wire is only for the first 3 months then they change to metal as the tension changes apparently. The clear brackets will be on for the duration though.

It's actually the bands that stain and they get changed every couple of months. They look fine for the first few weeks then start to go yellowish. Will help if she is careful what she eats. I wouldn't have bothered with them if I was a teen though - so many teens have braces.

@Forever42 indeed, but most of her friends have the same clear / white or Invisalign rather than the full standard metal.