Instructions For Separators
What do they do?
Separators are small plastic blue rings that are placed between specific teeth to create a small amount of space. This space allows bands to be placed around the molar teeth more comfortably than without.
What to expect?
The separators feel like a piece of food stuck between your teeth. As a result, your teeth may be tender for the first day and up to a few days after the separators are placed. You may want to eat softer foods to reduce the pressure on the teeth (e.g. pasta, soup, smoothies, and yogurt). If you are experiencing a lot of discomfort you can take Tylenol (refer to dosing recommendations for age and weight found on the bottle).
How to care for them?
Separators need to stay in place until your next appointment. Please check after each meal to ensure they are still present. If a separator comes out one or two days before your next appointment, it does not need to be replaced.
Otherwise, please call our office so we can instruct you as to whether or not an appointment is needed to replace it. Please do not eat anything sticky, chewy or gooey (e.g. toffee, caramels, jujubes, gummy bears, CHEWING GUM). These foods can pull the separators out of place.
How to maintain oral hygiene?
Brush and rinse normally. Please avoid flossing your teeth with separators on, this will cause them to fall out. You still need to floss the rest of your teeth.
