Tips for Brushing Teeth While Wearing Braces

Article by Dr. Leaver & Dr. Gardner

The process of braces can take a few years to complete. You will still need to keep up with your oral hygiene during this time which will include brushing and flossing thoroughly. You can’t wait to get your braces off and then take care of the health and color of your teeth. At that time there could be permanent damage that needs to be dealt with. It is best to have a strategy for keeping your gums and teeth clean and healthy with your braces on. These things are not as easily done when you have braces on so there are some tips that you may use to get a good clean mouth.

LEAVER & GARDNER LIST SOME TOOTH BRUSHING TIPS YOU CAN TRY WHILE YOU HAVE BRACES ON

Use The Right Toothbrush: When you go out to get a new toothbrush you may want to look at the strength of the toothbrush and get one that is soft. You want to make sure that your teeth are clean as well as your gums. If you use a medium or hard toothbrush you may end up damaging your gums and causing some injury. Using the right type of toothbrush is a great way to be sure that you are getting the cleanliness that you want.
Pre-Brush With Water First: Your first instinct when going in to brush your teeth is to get the toothbrush wet and slop on some toothpaste. This is a great idea when you don’t actually have braces on your teeth. When you do have braces on your teeth you want to start with water only. The issue is that the braces themselves have lots of areas that food can get stuck. When you use toothpaste to start you are causing bubbles to form and you potentially won’t be able to see if all the debris is gone. When you use a wet toothbrush first you are able to see what debris is on the braces and make sure that it is removed. Take time to treat around your brackets one at a time to get on top of, under and in between them the best that you can. This includes the back teeth as well. This is a great way to clean your teeth and help to prevent any cavities from appearing as well.
How Long to Brush Your Teeth?: Brushing your teeth whether you have braces of not should not be a race. You need to ensure that you are spending an appropriate amount of time actually cleaning your teeth. The general rule is to brush for two minutes at minimum. You want o give that much time to make sure that the teeth are clean and the gums need to be massaged to increase blood flow to allow for healthy tissue to exist.
Floss Your Teeth Often: One of the harder parts of dental hygiene when you have braces on is to floss your teeth. You can’t use a standard piece of floss to get in between the teeth because the wire is blocking access. There are some items that are sold to help with flossing and even if it takes more time you want to use that time to do it right. It is extremely easy to get a cavity when you skip flossing.

ORTHODONTIC CARE

Leaver & Gardner Orthodontics offers braces and other orthodontic care so call today to make your appointment.