Your fixed appliance is made up of blocks attached to your teeth and wires that are held into the blocks by small elastic bands.
When the brace is first put on, and at later appointments the the brace is adjusted,
your teeth may ache a little. This usually only lasts a couple of days. Some
ordinary painkillers will sort this out.
Your lips and cheeks are used to rubbing against smooth teeth. With the brace
on, your lips and cheeks will rub on the brace. This may be a little sore but
clears up quite quickly.
You must take care of your brace when eating, as it is quite easy to knock the blocks off or bend the wires. You should avoid eating hard foods such as apples or crusty bread. Also avoid sweets, toffees, chocolate, chewing gum and fizzy drinks as these may cause your teeth to decay.
You must clean your teeth and your brace after every meal and last thing at night. This may mean taking a brush to school with you if you have lunch there.
A fluoride mouthwash should be used last thing at night.
If your brace breaks, or if you are getting problems with it, then please contact the surgery as soon as possible so that we can arrange to sort the problem out. Please do this even if your routine appointment is in the near future.
Keep seeing your dentist for your other treatment.