When you have braces, often it can be kind of hard to do the
basic activities of brushing and flossing. However, later on, whether it be further
actions, or even teeth whitening, it’s integral to keep these in. This article
will go over just how you can have the best oral health possible, even with
braces in.
Now, it’s obvious why you should keep your oral hygiene well
and up to snuff. If you have braces, it’s even more important to do a great job
brushing and flossing, for you need to keep the teeth and the accessories
clean. You won’t need as much teeth
whitening later on if you do this, and you’ll definitely feel better.
If you have clean and healthy teeth, you’ll be able to get
your braces off on schedule. You’ll have
more cavities and swollen gums if you have braces. If you slack on this, it
will cause the orthodontist to spend time on the dental treatment rather than
alignment.
Along with that, you’ll have a much better look to your
teeth when you get your braces off. If
you don’t clean them while you have braces on, the stains will build up and
they’ll stink into your teeth. If you get them off, you might end up with
permeant discoloration, and you might even have the square brackets embedded
into there which will cause you to need further whitening later on.
There are ways to maintain a great smile though, and this
next part will talk about just what you need to do in order to do this. It’s
simple really, you just have to keep up with this time and time again.
The first, is to get the equipment. You’ll need the inter-dental brush which will
get between the brackets and underwires.
The 4-tuft interproximal brush, which can help get between your teeth.
It also is used to get around the brackets and other appliances. You also need floss, where you can use a need
and thread flosser to get in between your teeth, a toothbrush that is soft
bristled. While you might want some of
the fancier and angled ones built in, but a regular one does the job. You might
have to replace it more often, since the brackets do cause extra wear. You
should watch out for this when you can.
You then should have a mirror to help you make sure that you haven’t
missed a spot.
To begin, you should use the dental brush to get anything
from around the archwires and brackets.
You should move between this set of brackets, around the mouth, going
from either the top or the bottom and working your way around. You should use the mirror to ensure that you
haven’t missed anything in the back teeth.
You then need to floss once a day. It’s imperative that you
don’t skip this step, and make sure that you use the floss threader to get
through the archwire, pull it up and wiggle it around. Don’t jam it or be too hard, but instead work
from one said all the way around, ensuring you get the gaps in between the
teeth.
Then, use a soft toothbrush to get around and reach around
the surface of your teeth, using a smooth, circular motion. You shouldn’t saw
it or press too hard, for it could cause sensitivity and some enamel wear. You can also use the interdental brush to
help with the teeth gaps and spaces, allowing you get around the appliances and
retainers. You should use a systematic
approach, going from one side of the mouth, top or bottom of it, and then go
around to the other side, making sure you don’t miss a spot.
You can finally check the smile. The best thing for you to do at this point,
especially if you don’t want to have these on further, is to get the mirror in
deep and look. By doing this, you can check for any missing spots or food
stuck, so that you can get it.
By doing this every day, you’ll get your braces off in no
time, giving you cleaner teeth.
