Do you know the importance of keeping your braces clean during orthodontic treatment?
Everyday you need to ensure you take proper care of your teeth to remove plaque and food particles to help avoid cavities and gum disease. When you are in orthodontic treatment, teeth with braces are even harder to keep clean – Food, plaque and germs can get trapped very easily. That’s why is is so very important to keep your mouth as clean as possible.
If food and plaque is left lodged on the brackets and wires of your braces it can cause unsightly discolouration, cavities of the enamel and the symptoms of gum disease will show in your mouth. Not only do your gums swell and bleed, but the pressure from the disease slows down tooth movement as well as causing permanent damage to the gums and supporting bone.
See your dentist
When you have braces it’s much more difficult to keep your teeth clean. We recommend professional cleanings once every three months to help ensure a healthy mouth.
Eating=Brushing
Brush your teeth every time you eat! Usually you’ll want to brush about four to five times a day. We know that seems like a lot of cleaning, but your teeth and gums will thank you for it!
Have the right brushing tools
There are at home cleaning helpers that make removing plaque and food from your braces and teeth much more effective.
How to keep your braces (and teeth) clean:
When your orthodontic treatment begins you will be shown everything you need to know about how to properly care for your teeth, braces or any other appliances.
Correct cleaning of your mouth is necessary every time you eat and you should brush your teeth about 4-5 times a day. So we want to take a moment to talk about the right way to brush your teeth.
- Always use a soft toothbrush so you can “brush hard” with gentle results. If you hold your toothbrush under hot water for five seconds or so it will soften even more.
- Brush back and forth across and between the wires and gums on both your upper and lower teeth to loosen any food particles that might be stuck.
- Next, brush normally as if you had no braces or appliances on. Start on the outside of the uppers with the bristles at a 45 degree angle toward the gum and scrub with a circular motion two or three teeth at a time using ten strokes. Next, do the same on the inner surface of the upper teeth. And then, go to the lower teeth and repeat the process.
Here is a tip if your gums bleed…
If your gums bleed when you brush, it’s because they’re inflamed. Don’t avoid brushing! Clean and stimulate the area with your toothbrush and after 3 or 4 days the bleeding should stop. Don’t forget to angle your toothbrush so that the area under your gum line is cleaned.
Have questions or want to learn more about how we can help? Contact us today at (587) 757-9809.
