Getting braces: 6 things to know before you start

From the Dental braces guide

Braces are a commitment of a year or more, so it helps to know what you are signing up for. These are the six things patients most often wish they had known.

What actually happens, and will it hurt?

Fitting braces does not hurt. The three or four days after fitting, and after each tightening, are uncomfortable, with a dull ache that makes soft food easier. Ordinary painkillers handle it, and after the first month most patients stop noticing them.

Treatment usually follows these steps:

1. Assessment. An examination and X-rays, plus a written plan and quote.
2. Any treatment needed first. Decay and gum disease are dealt with before braces go on.
3. Fitting. Brackets are bonded to your teeth and joined with a wire.
4. Regular adjustments. Visits to adjust the wires as your teeth move.
5. Removal. The brackets come off and your teeth are polished.
6. Retainers. These hold your teeth in their new position.

1. It usually takes 18 to 24 months

Simple crowding can take under a year, and complex bite corrections can run to three. Keeping your appointments is the best way to stay on schedule.

2. Your food will change a little

Avoid hard and sticky food such as nuts, boiled sweets, toffee and hard maize, which can break brackets. Cut harder food into small pieces, and keep soft food on hand for the days after adjustments.

3. Cleaning takes more effort

Plaque collects around brackets, and poor cleaning can leave marks on your teeth. Brush after meals, clean under the wire with interdental brushes or floss threaders, and have a professional clean every three to four months during treatment.

4. You are not too old

Teeth move at any age. Adult treatment sometimes takes a little longer, and any gum disease has to be treated first.

5. You can pay over time

Braces start from KES 90,000 per jaw or KES 160,000 for both jaws, with a deposit and then instalments. Cover may help when treatment is medically necessary.

6. Retainers are not optional

Teeth tend to drift back after braces come off. Wearing your retainer as instructed is what protects the result, and the money you spent on it.