Every dental patient knows the importance of brushing their teeth, and even the common toothbrushing mistakes. However, orthodontic patients may not be aware brushing with braces requires a little more work to keep teeth clean and avoid decay, not to mention staining. In short, your toothbrushing practices should be a bit more in depth to thoroughly clean around those braces.
At Cyprus Family Dental, we’re well aware of the many issues that can arise when braces come into play. After all, orthodontic patients are still dental patients, and they require the same care and treatment, if not more! To ensure you’re caring for your teeth and properly brushing with braces, take a moment to learn why it’s so important and how you can improve your efforts.
Importance of Properly Brushing with Braces
Considering how common toothbrushing mistakes are, thoroughly brushing your teeth without braces can already be a difficult task. When you throw braces into the mix, it becomes even more difficult to effectively clean your teeth. You see, the brackets and wires of braces create hard-to-reach spaces throughout your mouth. Without cleaning those spaces properly, your teeth will be at risk for damage.
Sure, you can conscientiously brush more thoroughly and floss more, but your toothbrush simply can’t reach underneath wires and in between brackets. In order to effectively clean those hard-to-reach areas, you may need some additional tools, as well as the right technique.
Effectively Brushing with Braces
Fortunately, there are plenty of ways you can improve your oral hygiene regimen in the presence of braces. First, let’s take a look at some tools you can use alongside your toothbrush and dental floss to enhance your efforts:
- Proxabrushes and Go Betweens: Since these brushes are specially designed for cleaning those hard-to-reach areas, they are a great choice for cleaning with braces. Just pack them in your go-to bag and use them to scrub away plaque and food particles from your teeth.
- Floss Threaders: It can be difficult to floss with braces, but floss threaders allow you to easily floss through wires and between brackets.
- Water Flossers: While you should continue to use regular dental floss, water flossers are a great addition to your regimen. A water flosser blasts bacteria and food particles from your teeth using a high-powered jet of water.
Helpful Tips for Brushing with Braces:
- You’ll need to replace your brush more often with braces on as they will wear down the bristles quicker.
- Rinse with water before you brush your teeth.
- Begin brushing at your gum line on the top of your brackets at a 45 degree angle.
- Turn your toothbrush down and scrub on top of your brackets and then reverse and scrub the bottom of your brackets.
Don’t Forget Cleanings at Cyprus Family Dental
With the right techniques and tools, brushing with braces is as easy as brushing without them. And, as if your oral hygiene routine wasn’t critical enough, brushing thoroughly is even more important with braces. In addition to these tips and techniques, you should continue to visit Cyprus Family Dental and Dr. Cantwell for checkups and cleanings throughout your orthodontic treatment.
To schedule an appointment, please call us at (801) 250-0203 or contact us here.