Removable Braces

Patient Instructions

1. Please avoid chewy or hard foods that can damage the brace such as toffees, chewing gum or boiled sweets. Avoid repeatedly clicking the brace in and out of place with your tongue, as this can damage the wires. Breakages to braces inevitably slow down treatment and involve you in more visits. If your brace needs to be replaced due to loss or damage beyond repair, a charge may be made for the replacement.
2. If the brace breaks, is very loose, if there is an obvious area of soreness or in an emergency, please telephone for an appointment at the earliest opportunity but continue wearing the brace if at all possible. If you leave it out, your teeth will start to drift, within a day or two the brace will no longer fit and then treatment will have to be restarted from the beginning.
3. To clean the brace, use a soft to medium toothbrush with running water to remove food debris and then use a brace cleaning product. Immediately before appointments make sure that your teeth and the brace are clean.
4. The brace must be worn 24 HOURS A DAY including while eating and sleeping. It should be removed for tooth brushing (using a fluoride toothpaste), daily brace cleaning, screw activation (where applicable, see below) and sports including swimming, when it should be stored in a retainer box. We also recommend wearing a gum shield, which can be bought from any sports shop, for contact sports, cycling, roller-skating or skateboarding. Please click here for detailed information about contact sports and orthodontic treatment.
5. If you have been instructed to activate a screw on the brace, please do so with an adult present and record each occasion on a calendar so that you can keep track of your progress. Please note that turning the screw does not “tighten” the brace and may even make it feel looser, until the teeth have moved into their correct positions when it may again feel firmer. If you lose the key, please call us and we will send you a replacement by post. The screw should be turned in the direction of the arrow twice a week (one turn on a Tuesday and one turn on a Friday).
6. Your teeth may be sore for a few days following a brace adjustment. Over-the-counter painkillers, such as the ones you would normally take for a headache, may help.
7. Your speech will be different at first. Practice speaking with the brace in place e.g. read out aloud at home on your own, and in this way your speech will return to normal within a couple of days. You may also find yourself swallowing a lot to begin with. This is quite normal and will quickly pass. If you play a wind instrument, please try to keep the brace in during practice sessions but if this proves impossible, the brace may be removed.
8. Although it may be difficult at first, eating with the brace in place will become easier with time. Fizzy drinks, including diet drinks, and excessive amounts of fruit juice should be avoided.
9. If you play a wind instrument, please click here for detailed information.

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