Brushing with Your Braces
It is no secret that brushing your teeth well can prevent cavities and decay from attacking your teeth, but with braces, normal brushing won’t clean them as much as they need to be cleaned. We recommend that during the time that you have braces, you try to brush your teeth four times a day to remove food.
The best times to brush your teeth would be when you wake up, after you eat, and right before you go to bed. You must brush a lot and brush well while having braces!
We also recommend using an “in-between toothbrush”, which is a small brush that can clean around your archwire and brackets.
Flossing with Your Braces
Flossing is very different when you have braces and it takes a lot of patience and determination. Even though you have braces, it is still important to floss every day, preferably at night so that your teeth can be clean while you sleep.
You also use a different type of floss when flossing with braces. You are given a reusable flosser that you use to put under your wire and then floss your teeth with. It takes some patience, but once you are used to it, the time it takes to floss will get shorter
Mouthwash
Mouthwash is recommended for all teeth all of the time, and that is including braces. Using mouthwash will help eliminate bacteria build up and help keep your teeth clean. Mouthwash will also help keep the inflammation in your gums down, to help prevent cheek bites, to canker sores.
Wood Orthodontics highly recommends each of these methods for proper oral hygiene. We do understand that this is a lot more extensive and more of a deeper cleaning for your teeth, but when you have braces it is best to keep them extra clean. If you are in Weatherford, TX, and have braces and would like to learn more and get some tips on how to keep them extra clean, come see us or give us a call!
