How to Get my Braces off Faster

For braces to work properly they need time to straighten and align your teeth. There is no magic fix. This length of time can feel like an eternity for adolescents but, after treatment, they will enjoy a straight smile for the rest of their life.

Often patients are hoping to be finished treatment before an important event that they want to show off their new look. Whether it’s an event or you just want to be free of braces as soon as possible, there are a few things you can do to reduce your treatment time.

Your Diet

Types of Food

Sticky, gooey foods can stick to brackets and reduce the effectiveness of braces. Also chewing hard and sticky foods regularly can cause wires to bend or break. Try to eat soft foods recommended to you during orientation.

Food Preparation

Take the time to cut up hard foods into small pieces. Chopping raw vegetables, apples, hard crust bread and meat into bite-size pieces will help prevent breaking brackets and wires. Broken parts mean your braces aren’t working properly until you can have them fixed which extends the overall time you need to wear your braces.

Keeping your Mouth Healthy

Braces work best when the mouth is healthy. Clean and healthy gums are more likely to move faster allowing you to get your braces off earlier. Keep the area between the brace and teeth clean and free of plaque build up. Flossing between teeth and brushing your gums daily will keep your mouth healthy.

If Dr. Herman gives you rubber bands (elastics) to wear, make sure you follow instructions. The elastics help with the alignment process. The less time spent wearing the elastics, the longer you will need to wear the braces.

You might like to chew on a pen at school or bite your nails but once you are wearing braces it’s important not to chew on anything other than food to avoid breaking a bracket or wire.

Accelerated Treatment

There are some additional treatment methods that can be used to accelerate tooth movement so that braces work faster at aligning teeth into the correct place. We offer a device in our office called Acceledent.

Good Appointment History

Coming to your appointments when they are scheduled can help keep things on track. When appointments are missed, it can slow down the overall treatment plan.

Remember it is important to complete the full treatment to get the best result from your braces.  An extra few months of wearing braces can ensure a lifetime of straight, properly aligned teeth. It may seem like such a long time that you need braces but in the context of your entire life, it will be a small amount of time. You will be glad you did when you see the end result! If you’re considering getting orthodontic treatment, give out office a call to schedule a free consultation at (918) 492-4822