Taking care of your braces isn’t just a good idea for dental hygiene reasons. It’s also important for your comfort. Food stuck in braces can cause pain or discomfort, not to mention increase the likelihood of decay.
Of course, brushing and flossing is much harder with braces than without. You may not always have a toothbrush handy after a meal. But you must learn how to properly care for your braces and your teeth so that when those braces come off, you’ll have the straight, pearly whites you were hoping for!
Tips for Brushing with Braces
If you don’t have a toothbrush after a meal, rinse thoroughly with water. Soft bristles are best and you should brush after every meal if possible. The hardest thing about brushing with braces is that it’s going to take some time if you do a thorough job. Once you get into the habit of brushing thoroughly, it’ll get easier. Remember these pointers:
- Don’t use a lot of toothpaste
- Don’t wet the brush
- Carefully brush each arch separately and spend about 10 seconds on each tooth
- On lower teeth, brush upwards
- On upper teeth, brush downwards
- For hard-to-reach places, you can purchase special brushes to get between tight spots
Tips for Flossing with Braces
When you have braces, it may seem like flossing will be impossible. But that is not the case, and flossing is still very important. You’ll need to floss between your teeth and around your braces. If you have the time, it’s not a big deal, so make sure you give yourself enough time for a thorough job.
- Use unwaxed floss
- Pull the floss under the wire that is strung between the two braces on the teeth, so you have access to the space between your teeth
- Floss around the braces on either side
- Floss around the gums
For more information about cleaning braces, get in touch with PacificWest Dental in Vancouver and Surrey, BC.
Hello, I’m Dr. Kevin Lee, an experienced orthodontist, and I proudly welcome you to Pacific West Dental. With a passion for creating beautiful, confident smiles, I have dedicated my career to providing top-tier orthodontic care.
Established with a commitment to personalized treatment and patient comfort, Pacific West Dental is your trusted destination for achieving the smile you’ve always dreamed of.
Services we provide:
– Invisalign
– Braces
– Lingual Braces
– TMJ
– iTero
– Laser Therapy
– Sleep Apnea
– Dysport Cosmetic Injectables
– Lightforce Braces
