Heh, I had braces for a LONG time. Then they were taken off, and I had to get them put back on (by another orthodontist, much better) for another year and a half.
First off, do NOT get the ceramic brackets! I had normal metal ones the first time around, and those pop off fine when you get the braces removed. Getting the ceramic ones (top only, thank goodness, the bottoms have to be metal) left me in tears, and I have a pretty good threshold for pain. They kept shattering when they tried to get them off, then they had to use this weird scrape-y tool to get the shards off my teeth. The amount of pressure the used to do that...killed me. Just get the clear ties (the plastic bits that keep the wire in place) and you'll be fine if you're looking for a minimal appearance, hehe.
As for foods not to eat...no gum, not too many sweets and sugary candy, no crunchy fruits and veggies unless they are in bite sizes pieces or cut up. Definitely no corn on the cob. I tried, and it takes forever to clean out your braces, in addition to the fact you can bend your wires. Try to stay away from dense starches like bagels, unless you tear off pieces them pop them into your mouth. Nothing's more annoying than having a piece of sticky starch stuck in your front brackets!
Did your ortho give you a toothbrush? Mine gave me a special toothbrush which is just like any other soft-bristled toothbrush, but had a small short piece that looked like a pipe cleaner at the other end. It's just the right size to get between your brackets. If they didn't give you one, you should be able to find one somewhere. Can't live without it.
Also...can't live without flosser threaders! Once again, my ortho gave me these. It basically makes threading the floss between brackets much easier. Instead of it being like trying to thread a needle blindly, it's more like using that cool tool that threads needles easier. Except you're flossing, lol. I was given blue threaders, so I could actually see what I was doing. You can probably buy these somewhere too.
I only ever had a bracket pop off once, and the tie kept it attached to the wire. It's no big deal...you just call the ortho and they replace it.
I've ingested so many spacers/ties that I know those are no big deal if they come off either.
Just call the doc and let them know.
I was told I couldn't eat potato chips, but did anyways. XD
So uh...I think I covered everything I remember, but if you have any more questions let me know. I'm practically an expert (see novel above), heh.