Wearing braces can pose challenges for your daily life and habits. One, in particular, is trying to keep your teeth and gums clean.
Braces or not, your oral hygiene needs to be thorough. Every day, your teeth accumulate a thin film of bacteria and food particles called dental plaque that can cause tooth decay or gum disease. It’s essential to remove as much as possible each day by brushing and flossing.
That’s a more difficult task with braces. The brackets and wires interfere with accessing many of your teeth’s surfaces with a toothbrush or floss. As a result, braces wearers on average have a higher incidence of dental disease than non-wearers.
But while it’s difficult to keep your mouth clean wearing braces, it’s not impossible. Here are some tips and tools for making oral hygiene easier during orthodontic treatment.
A low-sugar diet. Besides items like chips that could damage your braces, you should also limit your consumption of foods and snacks with added sugar. This carbohydrate is a primary food source for disease-causing bacteria. Limiting sugar in your diet can help reduce plaque buildup.
The right toothbrush. Brushing with braces is easier if you use a soft multi-tufted brush with microfine bristles. The smaller bristles maneuver better around the braces than larger bristled brushes. You’ll still need to make multiple passes above and below the wires to be sure you’re brushing all tooth surfaces.
Flossing tools. Traditional flossing using just your fingers can be next to impossible to perform with braces. But a floss holder or threader tool can make it easier to get between teeth. You might also try a water flosser that removes plaque from between teeth with a pressurized spray of water.
Dental treatments. Your dentist can give your teeth extra protection while you’re wearing braces with topically applied fluoride to strengthen enamel. Using mouth rinses with an antibacterial ingredient like chlorhexidine may also reduce harmful bacteria.
Be sure you also keep up regular visits with your family dentist while wearing braces, especially if you begin to notice puffy and reddened gums or unusual spots on your teeth. The sooner any case of dental disease is detected, the less impact it will have on your dental health.
If you would like more information on dental care while undergoing orthodontic treatment, please contact us at (860) 889-6445.
