Congrats – your braces are off! As part of maintaining that newly aligned smile, Dr Riaan Foot (Orthodontist) has fitted you with fixed retainers. These slim wires sit behind your top and bottom front teeth to help keep everything in place.
Protecting Your Retainer While You Eat
The glue that holds the wire in place is strong, but not indestructible. To avoid breakage, bite with your back teeth instead of your front ones – especially when eating hard or sticky foods like apples, lollies, or crusty bread. It’s a small change that can prevent an unexpected visit to fix a loose wire.
Try cutting food into smaller pieces or choosing softer options while you adjust. It’s a simple way to avoid putting pressure on the bonded areas.
How to Keep It Clean
Brushing is simple – just brush as normal, making sure to reach around the wire. Flossing takes a little more effort, but we’ll give you blue floss threaders to make it easier.
Here’s how:
- Thread the floss through the loop of the blue tip
- Angle the tip between two teeth and guide it under the wire
- Once the tip comes out the other side, grab the floss and clean up and down along the gum line
If there’s extra space between your teeth, you might also find interdental brushes helpful. But for most people, flossing with a threader works best.
The key is consistency. Even if it takes a bit longer, daily cleaning around the wire is essential for keeping your gums healthy.
Don’t Worry – It Gets Easier
Once you’ve done it a few times, cleaning around your wire will be just another part of your routine. If you ever need a refresher or something feels off, just reach out to us here at Wavescape Orthodontics – we’re here to help.
And remember – keeping your retainer in top shape helps protect all the hard work you and your braces have done.
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