Supplies That Make My Life Easier
- Some type of pain reliever to have on your person at all times (I chose Aleve liquid gels)
- "Emergency" kit that you carry with you at all times (includes wax, floss, toothbrush, toothpaste, proxabrushes, ortho flossers, and anything else you like to use)
- Syringe for palatal expander - if you get an expander, make sure you don't walk out without one of these. It made it a lot easier for me to flush out the roof of my mouth to clean the expander
- Platypus Flossers - these are decent. They get the job done and work! Flossing is done much faster. Can't find them in any store here. Your best bet is online. I got mine on Amazon.
- Plackers OrthoPicks - these aren't terrible. The only thing I don't like is that the little "spatula" is a little thicker than the Platypus, so sometimes the knot gets stuck under the arch wire when you floss. But it does work and I will use them. These are #2 behind Platypus. I would use those first, and these second. Also, hard to find locally. I went to multiple stores and no one had them. So I purchased them from Dentakit.
- Lil Palate Sweeper from Dentakit.com- if you have a palate expander, this thing is ingenious and a huge time saver. Easily gets the food out that gets stuck under the expander.
- Pop up folding cup - I found this on Dentakit. It's a portable expanding cup that you can keep with you so when you are in public, you don't need to search for a cup when you go to the restroom to brush your teeth.
- GUM brand dental soft picks - I use these all the time and they come in handy when you're eating out in public or at work and have a bunch of food stuck in your teeth or in your tongue guard. The pick easily slides in and you can get the food unstuck. These even come with a little travel case so I put about 10 in the little case and stick that case inside my emergency kit for on-the-go.
- Orajel Mouth Sore Gel or Rinse - This actually came in handy for me a couple of times because it numbs the irritation/pain inside your mouth so you're not focusing on it and giving it a chance to heal.
- Sonic toothbrush - The dentist recommended it so I finally caved and bought one. They are actually pretty nice and can be used with braces. The only issue is, sometimes it hurts when I press it against the braces, especially if you've just gotten them tightened or put on. I don't recommend using it with brand new braces. Use it for "established" braces that have been in long enough that they no longer cause you pain.
- Waterpik - I don't use mine all the time, but I do use it and it does help with flossing debris out from in between your teeth.
- Take the pain reliever before your braces get put on and before any other procedure or tightening/adjusting appointment. Also take it approx. 30 minutes prior to turning the expander.
- Turn your expander before you go to bed. Brush/floss/rinse your teeth ahead of time so the very last thing you have to do is turn the expander before you go to sleep.
- The first few days: It's much much easier to drink your meals rather than eating them. Find some meal replacement shakes, weight loss shakes, or nutritional shakes you like (or make your own.)
- Apply lip balm prior to getting your braces put on or adjusted. Your lips will dry out quickly and start to chap. The lip balm will keep them moisturized throughout your appointment.
Things I Have Tried That Didn't Work for Me (Don't Recommend)
- FlossFish - flossing tool that is supposed to make flossing with braces easier. It doesn't. Maybe it works better for kids, but it doesn't work well for adults.
- Floss threaders - these little buggers are a pain in the you-know-what! It took me a good 20-30 min to attempt to floss using these. Forget it!! It doesn't work for me.
- Personally, I'm not jazzed about using wax. I tried it one time, and it didn't really help me. It might work for you, but the cheek poking really isn't too bad and I can handle it without the need for wax.
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