🧭 Ground rules
Treatment length isn't luck. It comes down to three habits — and one phone number for everything else.
Wear your elastics as prescribed. Every skipped month of elastics adds a month of treatment.
Keep your teeth clean. Teeth don't move well through inflamed gums — and white marks are permanent.
Eat hard or sticky things. Each broken bracket adds about 6 weeks. Full list in What can I eat?
Sit on a problem. Loose bracket? Poking wire? Tell us early — small fixes stay small.
Yes, we will ask if you've been wearing your elastics. Yes, we can tell. The teeth keep receipts.
🛠️ My appliance
Tap yours. Every guide covers the same three things: what it does, what to expect, and your part in making it work.
Your part in getting them off on time comes down to three things: wear your elastics as prescribed, keep your teeth clean, and protect your brackets from hard and sticky foods.
They only work while they're in. Out for meals and brushing, in for everything else — including sleep.
What it does: gently widens the upper jaw by encouraging the two halves of the palate to grow apart at the seam — moving the bones while they're still adaptable, not just tipping the teeth.
Your part: turn the key exactly as we've shown you — once a day, front to back, unless we've told you otherwise. Loose, stuck, or turned wrong? Stop and text us.
What it does: two removable acrylic plates with bite pads that guide your lower jaw forward as you bite — encouraging the lower jaw to grow forward while gently holding back the upper, improving the bite and reducing the overbite.
Your part: it's a functional appliance — it only works while you're functioning in it. Wear it all day and night, out only for eating and cleaning. Bring both pieces to every appointment. Clean after every meal with a soft brush, cool water, and mild soap — never hot water. Has an expansion screw? Turn it only as directed.
What it does: holds back growth in one jaw while the other catches up. Growth takes time, so expect an extended stretch of wear while we monitor progress.
What it does: a spring-and-rod appliance attached to your braces, moving your upper molars back and your lower arch forward — bite correction without rubber-band duty.
What to expect: some pressure and tenderness at first (soft foods for a few days help), and possibly some cheek rubbing — use the wax or silicone we've given you.
Your part: brush the coil and rod whenever you brush your teeth, and avoid opening extra-wide, which can pop the two parts apart. If it comes apart or breaks, text us a photo.
What it does: a bonded bite corrector that works with elastics and a retainer. The elastics do the heavy lifting — so wear time is everything.
What it does: a fixed, custom-made bite corrector bonded to your back teeth that guides your lower jaw forward. Sturdy metal, sits far back where it's barely noticeable, and works all the time — nothing to take in and out.
What to expect: a few days of adjustment while chewing and speech get used to it. Some cheek irritation is common at first — dry the spot and cover the appliance with wax, and rinse with warm salt water if a small sore develops. Cheeks toughen up within a week or two. Because it works around the clock, treatment moves along whether you think about it or not (that's the point!).
Your part: brush around it like any fixed appliance, avoid hard and sticky foods, and text us a photo if anything comes loose or breaks.
What they do: small bonded blocks behind your upper front teeth (usually blue, so they're easy to remove later — and no, they don't show when you smile). They open a deep bite, protecting your enamel and lower braces from biting pressure — which actually speeds treatment along.
What to expect: eating feels strange for the first 7–10 days. Softer foods cut into pieces are your friend, and it steadily improves as your back teeth come together.
What it does: stops the upper molars from drifting forward — two bands on the molars connected by a wire across the roof of the mouth, anchored by a small acrylic pad.
Your part: brush well around the bands and the pad, skip sticky and chewy candy, and text us if anything feels loose.
What it does: holds space exactly where it is while you wait for adult teeth to come in — typically 6–12 months, sometimes longer. Some versions include small spurs resting on the gum beside the front teeth to keep those from shifting too.
Your part: brush around the bands, avoid sticky and chewy candy, and text us if it comes loose.
What it does: a small "gate" of wires behind the upper front teeth. Depending on why you have one, it either helps retrain the tongue to rest in the right place so the front teeth can come in properly, or acts as a gentle reminder to break a thumb habit.
Your part: if yours is for tongue training, practice keeping your tongue behind the gate — especially when swallowing. Either way: no sticky, hard, or chewy foods, brush after meals, floss daily, and text us if it loosens.
What they do: tiny elastic "donuts" placed between back teeth to open just enough space to fit bands at your next visit.
What to expect: a something-stuck-between-my-teeth feeling, with achiness starting 4–6 hours after placement and peaking around 24 hours. Taking the pain reliever you'd normally use, per the package directions, about an hour before your appointment makes a real difference.
Your part: brush normally, but don't floss where the separators sit. Avoid gum and sticky candy. If one falls out early, text us which one.
Congratulations — the braces are off! Now the retainer keeps your new smile exactly where it belongs. Teeth shift fastest in the first months after braces, and keep shifting slowly for life — retention is a lifelong habit.
What it does: a thin wire glued behind your front teeth that quietly holds them straight for the long haul. A tiny bit of settling over time is natural, but with the wire in place and cared for, your teeth stay aligned for as long as it's there.
Custom-made from an impression of your teeth, so it fits precisely (and comes in your choice of colours). It only protects your teeth when it's in your mouth — every practice and every game, not just the big ones.
Clean it with a soft brush, mild soap, and warm (never hot) water, and store it in its case.
Retention is a lifelong relationship. Your retainer is very low-maintenance — but it will absolutely notice if you ghost it.
🍎 What can I eat?
One rule covers almost everything — and most "forbidden" foods just need a knife first.
Pens and pencils: the classic exam-time snack. Breaks everything. Chew on your study notes instead — metaphorically.
The soft-food week
For the first week — or after any adjustment — think soft. Most patients are back to (braces-friendly) normal within a week.
Breakfast
Oatmeal or cream of wheat, scrambled eggs, yogurt, applesauce, soft fruit, smoothies.
Lunch & dinner
Pasta, mac and cheese, soups, mashed potatoes, rice and beans, crustless bread, eggs, tofu, fish, lasagna, chili, finely cut chicken or ground beef, soft-cooked veggies.
Dessert
Ice cream, pudding, Jell-O, anything blended.
🪢 Elastics (rubber bands)
Braces straighten teeth; elastics fix your bite. Worn well, they're your fastest ticket out of braces.
Wear them 24 hours a day unless we've told you otherwise — teeth only move with constant, steady pressure. Out just for meals and brushing; loop them on a finger so they go straight back in.
Change them 3–4 times a day. Elastics tire out quickly and stop pulling long before they break.
Carry spares everywhere. They will snap at the worst moment. Running low? Stop by the office — or grab more from the elastics box outside our front door when we're closed.
Never double up to make up for missed hours. Heavy force doesn't move teeth faster — it can actually "shock" a tooth and stall it.
Right teeth, right pattern. Your pattern may change as treatment progresses, so always follow your newest card. Not sure? Text us — we'd much rather re-explain than have teeth move the wrong way.
Sore teeth for the first few days is normal — and it settles fastest with consistent wear. On-again, off-again wear keeps teeth sore and barely moves them. Hooking them on feels fiddly at first; by day three you'll do it without a mirror.
🪥 Brushing & flossing with braces
Braces give plaque new places to hide. Five extra minutes a day is the entire difference between a beautiful result and permanent white marks.
Fixed appliances too: brush carefully around all bands, wires, and metal parts. For anything on the roof of the mouth, run the Proxabrush between the appliance and the palate, then finish with a vigorous swish — details in Fixed appliances.
🫧 Cleaning retainers & aligners
Hawleys, clear retainers, aligners, Twin Blocks, mouthguards — same care, three speeds.
Every time it comes out: rinse it under cool water.
Once a day: brush it gently with a soft toothbrush, cool water, and a drop of mild dish soap. Skip the toothpaste — it's abrasive, and over time it scratches and clouds the plastic (those tiny scratches are where germs like to live).
Once or twice a week: a deep clean, with either of the two picks below.
Our deep-clean picks
Drop a tablet in warm (never hot) water, soak 15–20 minutes, rinse well. Fresh, sparkling, done.
A tiny sonic bath that shakes the grime loose. A tablet in the ultrasonic is the spa treatment.
Never do these
Dogs find retainers irresistible. In the dog-vs-retainer matchup, the dog is undefeated.
🔧 Cleaning fixed appliances
Expanders, Nance, space maintainers, cribs, Forsus, bite correctors, bonded wires.
🆘 Something's bothering me
Tap your problem. Almost everything on this list has a calm answer — and most of it you can handle at home tonight.
Wires shift as your teeth move — annoying, but almost never urgent.
Don't panic — this happens, and it's not an emergency.
Expanders, Nance, space maintainers, cribs, bite correctors, Casper — if any of them feels loose, it isn't doing its job and can irritate your cheek or gums.
Soreness after new braces, an adjustment, new elastics, a new aligner, or separators is completely normal. It means your teeth are moving, and it settles in a few days.
Your cheeks toughen up within a couple of weeks of anything new in your mouth.
Text or call us and tell us which one fell out. Sometimes it needs replacing before your next appointment, sometimes it's fine — we'll tell you which.
Teeth can shift surprisingly fast without a retainer.
Stop turning and call or text us — don't force it, and don't turn it back. We'll sort it out quickly.
It happens rarely, and it almost always passes harmlessly. Text us and we'll replace the missing piece.
📸 Texting us a photo — how to take one we can actually use
A good photo often saves you a trip — we can tell a lot from thirty seconds of looking.
Find bright light — a window is perfect — and have someone help if you can.
Pull your cheek away from the problem area with a clean finger or the handle of a spoon.
Get close, then tap to focus. A sharp photo from a little further away beats a blurry close-up.
Send 1–2 photos to 1-888-844-9093 with your name and a few words about what's going on.
📞 Contact us
One text line for problems, one office for everything else.
TLDR
For when you have no time and less patience.
- 1Wear your elastics — 24 hours, changed 3–4× a day. Every skipped month adds a month.
- 2Nothing hard, nothing sticky. Slice apples, cut corn off the cob, skip the popcorn. Each broken bracket adds ~6 weeks.
- 3Brush after every meal, floss nightly, fluoride rinse before bed. Five minutes a day prevents permanent white marks.
- 4Aligners: 22 hours a day — and lost a tray? Move ahead to the next one and text us.
- 5Clean removable appliances with soap, not toothpaste — cool water always, Retainer Brite or Zima weekly, never heat.
- 6Retainer out of your mouth = in its case. Not a napkin. Not a pocket. Nowhere near the dog.
- 7Sore teeth for a few days is normal. Soft foods, your usual pain reliever, salt-water rinses.
- 8Anything else: text a photo to 1-888-844-9093. Reply within 1–2 business days. Real emergencies → dentist or ER first.
You're part of the Big Sky family now. Every question on this page is one we've been asked a hundred times — so never feel silly texting us. We'd always rather hear from you early.
— Dr. Van Sant & the Big Sky Ortho team