You will get a tight feeling above the front teeth under your nose when it is turned. This will soon go away. If it doesn’t, please call us. It will affect your speech, but with practice, it will soon improve. It will affect eating, but you will learn to eat almost anything except certain restricted items. Try cutting food into small pieces. You will get a space between the front teeth, but this will close after you stop turning the palate expander. You will notice an increase in saliva the first day, but this will decrease shortly.
What to Expect
The palate expander should be turned daily. A Waterpik® will be necessary to keep it clean. Do not eat anything that is very hard, such as nuts, jawbreakers, or ice. You will also need to avoid sticky candies, such as suckers, caramels, jelly beans, etc.
Please remember, you will be turning it for about 2–6 weeks, but it will stay in your mouth for another 12 weeks. If it should feel loose or break on the teeth, please call us immediately.
Diet
You can eat icees, popsicles, ice cream, regular and frozen yogurt, pudding, and Jell-O®. Soft tacos, cheese puff balls, thin potato chips, Reese’s® Peanut Butter Cups®, 3 Musketeers®, marshmallows, and Hershey’s® bars (without nuts) are also allowed. Make sure to cut all your meat off the bone, and cut hard fruits and vegetables into small pieces. You can also eat crescent rolls, soft dinner rolls, muffins, pasta, mashed potatoes, pepperoni slices, and cheese.
Hygiene
With any braces or appliances cemented to the teeth, it becomes much more difficult to clean the teeth. While brushing and flossing are the primary ways to clean teeth, the complications with orthodontics make some additions highly recommended.
Automatic (electric) toothbrushes are very helpful since they are more likely to clean all over and are also motivational. We have no recommendation on brand for the electric toothbrush.
Fluoride hardens the enamel surface and is highly recommended. It should be in the toothpaste and mouth rinse. Use as directed on the packaging.
A Waterpik can shoot a pulsating stream of water into areas that are inaccessible to toothbrushes. The addition of some fluoride to the Waterpik is even better. Add 3 capfuls of fluoride to the water, and follow the Waterpik unit instructions.
For any questions or concerns, please call (419) 882-1017. If it’s an emergency and the office is closed, please call (419) 318-9821.
