Treatment Instructions

Braces

Foods/Drinks to avoid

Your teeth may be a little sore for the first week while in braces, so we recommend a soft food diet until the discomfort subsides. Throughout your treatment avoid hard foods, such as ice and pizza crust, as well as sticky foods, including licorice and caramels. These foods can damage wires and brackets. It is also important to minimize foods/drinks high in sugar content, like soda and coffee, to once a day.

Brushing Instructions

Oral hygiene is the number one most important aspect to your braces treatment. Good oral hygiene keeps your teeth and gums healthy and brackets functional

  1. Brush in a small circular motion making sure the bristles of the toothbrush go underneath the arch wire and brackets
  2. Brush where your gums and teeth meet
  3. Brush the inside, outside and chewing surface of each tooth

Flossing Instructions

  1. Thread the floss through the provided reusable floss threader and slip it under the archwire
  2. Pull just the floss between two teeth and up under your gums
  3. Rinse with clean water

A Proxybrush is an interdental (between the teeth) toothbrush that you may use to clean underneath and around your wires and braces. Use the Proxybrush gently to avoid damaging your wires.


Invisalign Instructions

Similar to braces, it is normal to experience some discomfort upon starting your Invisalign treatment. We recommend Tylenol and Motrin for pain, and a soft food diet if needed.

Wear Instructions

You must wear your aligners for up to 22 hours daily. Remove the aligners when eating, and brushing. You may only drink water with your Invisalign in, all other beverages we advised to remove aligners before drinking.

The number of aligners varies, but each aligner you will wear for one week each, unless instructed otherwise. After the appropriate amount of days you may change to your next numbered aligner

Cleaning

To clean your aligners you may use your toothbrush and toothpaste. Do not rinse aligners with hot water.

Attachments

The shape and number of attachments you have on your teeth vary, if an attachment ever comes off it is not an emergency. Just advise your assistant at your next scheduled appointment. In most cases attachments can not be replaced once you have started a series of aligners, if attachment is needed we will add in a new revision set of aligners.


Retainers Instructions

  1. Please wear your retainer every night
  2. To clean your retainers, use a separate toothbrush & antibacterial soap to scrub the inside of them. DO NOT USE TOOTHPASTE as it is too abrasive & will scratch your retainers over time.
  3. Keep your retainers away from any PETS to avoid them getting chewed on or lost.
  4. Going forward please bring your retainers to all of your appointments so we can check the fit.

For Bonded Lingual Retainers:

If the bar gets loose or comes off your teeth, wear your retainers full time, taking them out when you eat and brush your teeth, until you can schedule a repair appointment.

Dr. Joseph Karam

  • Tunkhannock - 5382 State Route 6, Tunkhannock, PA 18657 Phone: 570-319-6651
  • Hazle Township - 1201-A N. Church St., Suite 209, Hazle Township, PA 18202 Phone: 570-454-8601
  • Mountain Top - 20 N. Mountain Blvd., Mountain Top, PA 18707 Phone: 570-474-0420
  • Clarks Summit - 395 Bedford St., Clarks Summit, PA 18411 Phone: 570-319-6651
  • Dallas - 1170 Twin Stacks Dr., Dallas, PA 18612 Phone: 570-866-3280

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