The first days with fixed braces
What changes in the first days after fitting, and how brushing works with braces on.
How recovery goes
The first day
The teeth start moving, so a feeling of pressure and teeth that are tender when chewing are to be expected. Choose soft food. If a bracket rubs your cheek, put a little orthodontic wax from your kit on it.
The first 3–5 days
Tenderness usually peaks on the second or third day, then eases. Cheeks and lips get used to the brace in about a week. If needed, take the painkiller the dentist recommended.
Cleaning with braces
Brush after every meal with a normal toothbrush, above and below the wire. Between brackets and under the wire, use interdental brushes. Plaque left next to brackets leaves white marks on the enamel that don't go away.
Avoid hard or sticky food (nuts, toffee, chewing gum) and don't bite straight into hard fruit: cut it into small pieces.
The first month
You chew and speak normally. The first adjustment visit is usually after about a month.
This is usual
- Teeth tender when chewing in the first days.
- Small sores inside the cheeks until they get used to the brace.
- Teeth that feel slightly loose: that is how they move.
- More saliva at first.
This is not usual
- Tenderness that hasn't eased after a week.
- A bracket has come off a tooth.
- The wire has slipped out of the tube on the back tooth and pokes.
- A sore that hasn't healed in ten days.
Call us if
- A wire or a loose bracket is cutting you and you can't cover the end with wax.
- A knock to the mouth that has moved the teeth or the brace.
- Swelling of the gum or cheek that is growing.
Reviewed by Dr. Voinea ·
CMDR Romania · Galați University of Medicine and Pharmacy · General Dentistry