It is important for everyone to practice good oral hygiene, and it is especially important for children and adults wearing braces. The health and hygiene of teeth and gums can determine the duration of the orthodontic treatment and the number of visits involved. Poor oral hygiene during orthodontic treatment can result in attractive white patches on the teeth, cavities, or cause gum diseases. When you remove the braces, you want to have an abeautiful new smile, and not deal with dental issues like tooth decay or patchy looking teeth.
If you want to make sure that you have great oral health during your orthodontic treatment, make sure that your daily oral hygiene routine is a priority. In this blog post, we discuss a few important aspects of oral hygiene that you must bear in mind while wearing braces.
Why is it important to maintain dental hygiene during orthodontic treatment?
When you have your braces, it is vital that you do a really good job of brushing and flossing daily. You must keep the brackets, wires, and all the accessories in your mouth absolutely clean. Here are a few reasons why you need to keep your braces very clean during the treatment.
Poor oral hygiene may make you more susceptible to gum diseases and cavities even when you are wearing braces. When you do not brush and floss regularly, you will need more dental treatments to take care of cavities. This means more visitors to the dentist and more adjustments to the braces. Why do you want to spend time worrying about dental visits and multiple treatments that can be avoided? Brush and floss regularly to make sure that you will be able to remove your braces right and schedule and reveal a gorgeous new smile.
If you do not keep your teeth clean while wearing braces, you may see unattractive white patches on the teeth when you remove the braces. It is like how a cup left on a shelf gathers dust around it. After a while, when you remove the cup you will see the clean outline underneath but the surrounding area is all covered with dust. The same thing can happen with your teeth. Plaque can build up on your teeth around the braces and cause discoloration and staining. When you take the braces off, the teeth may be discolored and the square where the brackets used to be may appear to be a different color. This is the last thing you need on the day that you remove your braces.
It may seem difficult to keep your mouth scrupulously clean while wearing braces, but it is not impossible. Good oral hygiene can be maintained right at home if you take a few extra minutes during your daily oral care routine when you are wearing braces. The results will be absolutely worth your time. Here are a few tips to follow to maintain great oral hygiene with braces.
After putting on braces, your dentist will give you a kit to help you clean the teeth and braces well. You will need to use some special oral hygiene accessories when you wear braces. The inter-dental brush must be used to clean between the brackets and wires to get all the food debris out. Make sure that you do this before you brush and floss every day. The interproximal brush helps clean all the gaps between the teeth. It also helps to clean around the fixed accessories in the mouth such as brackets and fixed retainers. The floss and floss threader can be used to make flossing easier. As far as the toothbrush is concerned, use a regular soft bristle toothbrush. When you wear braces, you may want to consider replacing the toothbrush more often than you otherwise would. The bristles of the toothbrush may snag on the brackets and cost extra wear and tear. Just keep an eye on the toothbrush, and replace it when it looks a little worn out.
Use the interdental brush to get rid of large pieces of food debris from the wires and around the brackets. The brush must be moved between each set of brackets. Make sure that you clean the mouth completely. A mirror can be used to check whether all parts of the teeth have been cleaned thoroughly.
Flossing the teeth once a day is crucial in maintaining good oral hygiene. When you are wearing braces, it can be difficult to floss, but do not neglect this step. You can use the floss threader to pull the floss behind the wire. Be gentle with the flossing and be careful not to jam it on the brackets or the wires. This will take a little bit of time, but make sure that you go between all of the teeth while flossing.
Use a regular soft bristle toothbrush. You don't need to brush harder when you wear braces. If needed, you may use angled toothbrushes to clean more thoroughly. Check with your dentist if you need to use a special type of brush. Even with the regular brush, you can keep it at an angle so that it will reach all the surfaces of the teeth. Clean gently using a circular motion. Don't use excessive pressure or you may end up irritating your gums and wear away the enamel. Interdental brushes can be used to help clean between keep with spaces and around all the accessories fixed in the mouth. Be systematic about the cleaning. Start on one side and work your way around to the other side. This will ensure that you will not miss even one tooth.
With a little bit of extra effort, you can ensure that your teeth are kept very clean while you wear braces. When it is time to take them off, you will have a gorgeous beautiful smile.
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