Keeping your teeth and braces clean
One of the best things you can do to help us and you is to make sure you keep your teeth and braces really clean. This is not only now whilst we are all staying at home but into the future as well.
We know keeping your teeth clean with braces is a lot harder and takes more time but it is really important that you make the effort otherwise you may experience greater tooth decay, something I’m sure you will be keen to avoid.
So how do you keep your teeth clean whilst wearing braces?
Before you start brushing, rinse your mouth with water. This can help loosen any food lodged in and around your braces. Make sure your toothbrush is in a good condition and apply a small amount of toothpaste containing fluoride. Start by brushing at the gumline at a 45-degree angle. After brushing the gumline, place the toothbrush on top of the brackets, angling down to brush on top of each bracket. Then, reposition the toothbrush to brush the bottom of the bracket and the wire, angling the toothbrush up. Go slowly. Make sure to brush every tooth at the gumline as well as above and below the brackets. This will ensure you’ll reach the majority of the tooth’s surface and help to remove plaque and food debris.
Next make sure you clean between the teeth and under the wire. This is best done with a small interdental brush or some dental floss. Using floss with braces can be a bit difficult at first so you will find it much easier to use the interdental brushes. They come in various different sizes and often in multi-packs too so you can use some of the broader brushes to clean around the brackets, the mid size ones under the wire and the thin ones between your teeth.
Please make sure you clean your teeth at least twice a day and preferably after every meal. If you are not sure how effective your brushing is, use a disclosing tablet which will dye any plaque a purple colour so you can see where you need to pay more attention.
Snacking between meals is also best avoided as this can leave food stuck under the wire and around the brackets and in close contact with your teeth for many hours.
If you keep your teeth and braces clean, you will be contributing to your overall long term oral health as well as developing a habit which will serve you well once your braces come off.