Taking Care of Your Braces
Looking after your braces helps protect your teeth and gums, prevents avoidable breakages and keeps your orthodontic treatment progressing as planned.
This guide explains what to expect after your braces are fitted, how to clean around them, which foods require care and what to do if something becomes loose or uncomfortable.
The First Few Days with Braces
It is normal for your teeth to feel tender for several days after braces are fitted or adjusted. Your lips and cheeks may also take a little time to become accustomed to the brackets.
During this time:
- Choose softer foods that require less chewing
- Cut food into small pieces
- Use orthodontic wax over any bracket or wire that is rubbing
- Rinse with warm salt water if your mouth feels irritated
- Use your usual over-the-counter pain relief if required and medically suitable for you, following the directions on the packaging
Discomfort should gradually settle. Contact us if pain is severe, continues longer than expected or is associated with significant swelling.
Foods to Eat with Care
Brackets and wires may be damaged by very hard, sticky or chewy foods.
Avoid:
- Chewing ice
- Hard lollies
- Sticky or chewy confectionery
- Popcorn, particularly unpopped kernels
- Hard nuts
- Chewing gum
- Biting directly into very hard or crusty foods
You can still enjoy many firm foods if you prepare them carefully:
- Cut apples and raw carrots into small pieces
- Cut corn from the cob
- Remove meat from bones before eating
- Break crusty bread into smaller pieces
- Avoid biting hard foods directly with your front teeth
Limit frequent sugary or acidic snacks and drinks. These can increase the risk of tooth decay and permanent white marks developing around the brackets. Water is the best everyday drink.
How to Clean Your Teeth and Braces
Food and plaque collect more easily around brackets, underneath wires and along the gumline. Careful cleaning is therefore especially important during orthodontic treatment.
Brush your teeth thoroughly:
- In the morning
- Before bed
- After meals whenever practical
Use fluoride toothpaste and a soft-bristled manual or electric toothbrush. Clean above and below every bracket, along the gumline and across all chewing and inside surfaces.
An interdental brush can help clean underneath the wire and around the sides of each bracket. Floss, floss threaders or other recommended interdental cleaning aids may be used to clean between the teeth.
Look closely in the mirror after brushing to check that no food or plaque remains around the brackets.
Continue attending your regular dental examinations and professional cleans during orthodontic treatment. Orthodontic adjustment appointments do not replace routine dental check-ups.
Poor cleaning may lead to:
- Tooth decay
- Swollen or bleeding gums
- Gum disease
- Bad breath
- Permanent white or brown marks on the teeth
If oral hygiene becomes inadequate, treatment may need to be paused or changed to protect the teeth and gums.
Using Orthodontic Wax
Orthodontic wax can provide temporary relief when a bracket or wire irritates your lips or cheeks.
To apply it:
- Wash your hands.
- Dry the irritating bracket or wire as well as possible.
- Roll a small amount of wax into a ball.
- Press it gently over the area causing irritation.
Replace the wax when required. If the irritation continues or a wire remains sharp, contact our practice.
Wearing Orthodontic Elastics
If you have been prescribed orthodontic elastics, wear them exactly as instructed. Elastics provide additional force to help correct the bite, and inconsistent wear can delay treatment.
Please:
- Wear the elastics in the positions demonstrated
- Follow the recommended wearing time
- Replace them as instructed
- Carry spare elastics with you
- Contact us if you run out or are unsure how to wear them
Do not double the elastics or change their position unless instructed. Applying the wrong force may interfere with treatment.
What to Do if Your Braces Break
Most braces problems are not medical emergencies, but you should contact us promptly for advice.
Loose or Broken Bracket
If a bracket becomes detached from the tooth but remains on the wire, leave it in place. Apply orthodontic wax if it is rubbing and avoid hard, sticky or chewy foods.
Contact us so we can determine whether it needs to be repaired before your next scheduled appointment.
Poking or Loose Wire
Cover the end with orthodontic wax. If possible, you may gently press the wire closer to the tooth using a clean cotton bud or the eraser end of a clean pencil.
Do not attempt to pull the wire out. Contact us if it remains uncomfortable or has moved significantly.
Loose Band or Appliance
Do not continue moving or playing with it. Contact the practice so it can be assessed.
Lost Elastic or Separator
Contact us for advice. Whether it needs to be replaced promptly will depend on your treatment stage and next appointment.
Playing Sport with Braces
You can continue participating in most sports while wearing braces. However, a blow to the mouth can damage the teeth, lips, cheeks and orthodontic appliances.
Wear a mouthguard specifically designed to fit over fixed braces for contact sports and other activities where there is a risk of injury to the mouth. These mouthguards provide additional space around the brackets and wires to accommodate the braces and ongoing tooth movement.
Suitable examples include:
- POWRGARD® 4-Braces Mouldable Mouthguard
- Shock Doctor Braces Mouthguard, available in youth and adult sizes
- OPRO Braces Mouthguards, including Gold Braces and Snap-Fit Braces models
These products can be purchased from selected pharmacies, sporting-goods stores and online retailers. Search using the complete product name and make sure the model specifically states that it is suitable for fixed braces.
A standard mouthguard may not provide enough space around the brackets and wires. Do not mould an ordinary boil-and-bite mouthguard over your braces unless Dr Nathan has confirmed that it is suitable.
Follow the manufacturer’s fitting instructions carefully. Because your teeth move during orthodontic treatment, check the mouthguard regularly. Replace or remould it only in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions if it becomes tight, loose, damaged or uncomfortable.
Please ask our team if you are uncertain about the correct size, model or fitting method.
No mouthguard can completely eliminate the risk of injury. If you experience a significant injury to your teeth or mouth, arrange an urgent dental assessment even if your braces do not appear damaged.
Keep Your Adjustment Appointments
Regular appointments allow us to adjust your braces, monitor tooth movement and check the health of your teeth and gums.
Missed or repeatedly rescheduled appointments can delay treatment. Please contact us as early as possible if you cannot attend.
Tell us before your appointment if you have a broken bracket, loose wire or damaged appliance, as additional appointment time may be required.
A Useful Braces-Care Kit
It can be helpful to carry a small kit containing:
- A travel toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste
- Interdental brushes
- Orthodontic wax
- Spare elastics, if prescribed
- A small mirror
- An orthodontic mouthguard when playing sport
When to Contact Us Urgently
Contact our practice promptly if you experience:
- A broken bracket or appliance
- A wire that is sharp or causing persistent discomfort
- Significant or increasing pain
- Swelling, signs of infection or very inflamed gums
- Trauma to the teeth, mouth or jaw
- A problem that prevents you from wearing prescribed elastics or appliances
Serious facial trauma, uncontrolled bleeding, or difficulty breathing or swallowing requires urgent emergency medical attention.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Eat Normally with Braces?
Yes, but very hard, sticky and chewy foods should be avoided. Firm foods should be cut into small pieces rather than bitten directly with the front teeth.
Can I Use an Electric Toothbrush?
Yes. A manual or electric toothbrush can be used, provided you clean carefully around every bracket, underneath the wire and along the gumline.
Can I Chew Gum?
Chewing gum may stick to or damage braces, so it is best avoided unless Dr Nathan has specifically advised otherwise.
What Should I Do if a Bracket Breaks?
Apply orthodontic wax if it is uncomfortable, avoid foods that may cause further damage and contact the practice for advice. Do not wait until your next appointment without informing us.
Can I Continue Playing Sport?
Yes. Wear a mouthguard designed specifically for fixed braces during contact sports and other activities where there is a risk of injury to the mouth.
Need Help with Your Braces?
If something feels loose, broken or uncomfortable, please contact Best Western Dental Centre for advice. Early attention can prevent further discomfort or damage and help keep your treatment progressing as planned.
For more information about orthodontic treatment, visit our Braces in Penrith page.
Page reviewed by Dr Nathan Le, BDS (University of Sydney), August 2026.