Moonlit Narratives Blog

The first few days of braces were very difficult. I didn’t suffer much aching or pressure on my teeth as many people often experience; however, two of my lower brackets on either side were rubbing against the mucosa of my mouth. I would have gone crazy had it not been for the orthodontic wax which greatly helped relieve my pain. By the second day, the area under my tongue became inflamed so I made an effort to drink plenty of water, rinse with warm saltwater, rinse with Gum’s Rincinol® Oral Pain Reliver, and apply Gum’s Canker-X gel to any problem spots. My first few days of braces consisted mostly of eating soft foods: spaghetti, yogurt, squash, noodles in soup- I think you get the idea.

The orthodontist already warned me that braces would be a real food trap. I knew that I would be brushing and flossing more often now than usual to keep my braces and mouth clean. I generally rinse my mouth several times and brush after each meal or snack, flossing in the daytime if there is food stuck to my teeth. My big cleaning including careful flossing is at night before I sleep. I wouldn’t be shocked if I spend 30 minutes every night cleaning my mouth and braces.

Here are some of the other invaluable dental supplies & equipment I use on a daily basis:

Cross Action Oral-B electric toothbrush
Waterpik® Personal Dental Waterjet (recommended by my dental hygienist)
GUM® Proxabrush® System with Proxabrush® refills or Oral-B Superfloss®
REACH® Access™ Flosser for the areas sans braces
The Natural Dentist® mouth rinse for am (recommended by my dental hygienist)
ACT mouth rinse for pm (recommended by my dental hygienist)

This is what I carry in my handbag:

sample size toothpaste
travel size toothbrush
sample size mouth rinse
GUM® Orthodontic Wax
Go-Betweens® Cleaners