How to Take Care of Braces
Braces can make oral health care a challenge, but taking care of your teeth during this time is just as important as at any other time. In fact, in many ways, it is even more important to maintain healthy brushing and eating habits while wearing braces in order to prevent any staining after the braces come off. Below are a few tips for braces and Invisalign hygiene.
Brushing & Flossing with Braces
Brushing your teeth regularly is even more important with braces than without because food can so easily become trapped in your braces’ wires and brackets. This is why we recommend brushing 3 times a day with braces, or after each meal.
- Begin brushing at the top of each tooth with a soft-bristled toothbrush, and then move up from the bottom. Use small, circular, angled motions to help you reach the surface under the braces’ wires.
- Next, use a proxabrush (sometimes called a “Christmas tree” brush) to remove any remaining food caught in your braces. Insert the brush in between your braces arch wires and the tooth’s surface, sweeping back and forth several times to ensure cleanliness.
- Use a floss threader to aid in the flossing process. Thread your floss through the eye of the threader, and slide the threader between your arch wire and tooth. Pull floss through, and continue with normal flossing procedure.
- Finally, you may want to use a fluoride rinse for extra dental care hygiene. This will wash away any remaining food particles and clean areas a toothbrush can’t reach.
Once you have had your braces taken off, remember to take proper care of your clear orthodontic retainer. Clean it with a spare toothbrush every time you brush your teeth, and use a disinfectant on it at least once a week.
Oral Hygiene with Invisalign
Maintaining oral health care with Invisalign is easier than with braces since the aligners can be removed for eating, brushing, and flossing. Because the aligners fit your teeth so tightly, however, it is especially important to brush thoroughly before putting Invisalign aligners back in your mouth.
We recommend brushing your teeth several times a day, or after each meal, to prevent any food particles from being caught beneath the aligners against your teeth.