Hassle-free Cleaning Tips For Braces

When wearing braces, one of the most challenging things to do is cleaning them. Especially with metal braces, where brackets and wires make it hard for the person to brush and floss the teeth properly. Because of these hassles, sometimes it leads the person with braces to settle for complacency. Instead of spending at least two minutes in brushing, they spend a lesser time, trying to quicken the process, and the worst, they sometimes make mouth rinsing a substitute for regular brushing. However, this poor oral habit can affect one’s dental health. If tolerated, these will bring more complicated issues to the mouth and teeth.

We at Lifetime Dental provides patients with the most effective and reliable orthodontic treatment with the use of traditional or metal braces. Most traditional braces are made up of bulky brackets; however, advanced technology eliminates the burden brought by braces with larger brackets by giving birth to the light nickel-titanium blend which is the main material used for creating traditional braces nowadays. Patients can now enjoy a more comfortable kind of treatment!

Traditional braces, if not adequately cleaned, could be the root of oral irregularities. It is inevitable for the food sometimes to be stuck in the brackets and between the archwires. When not removed, plaque will build-up and later on produces various bacterias that might cause bad breath, gum disease, or rotten teeth. To clean traditional braces, here are hassle-free cleaning tips:

Effective brushing technique : To completely get rid of the food debris from the dental appliance, place the toothbrush on the top of the braces directly. Brush each tooth on a circular motion. Now, angle the brush 45 degrees above the braces to clean the top of the brackets. Still in a circular motion for ten seconds. After brushing the top of the brackets, position the toothbrush at 45 degrees angle under the brackets, towards the biting surface of each tooth and start brushing. Clean the inside part of the top and bottom teeth and don’t forget to scrape the tongue using the regular toothbrush or a special tongue scraper.

Use an interdental brush: An interdental brush is a small dental brush used to clean between the teeth that are not reached by a regular toothbrush. For braces, use the interdental brush to remove food particles under the archwire. Point the bristles towards the gum, place it in between the brackets, under the archwire and start brushing up and down approximately ten times focusing on each tooth.

Water flosser instead of string floss: Flossing with braces on is hard. However, water flosser will make it easier for the teeth to be flossed. Flossing is essential to get rid of gingivitis and bad breath. It should be done religiously every day.

Rinse with antibacterial mouthwash: Antibacterial properties in mouthwash will help kills bacteria on the mouth for healthier teeth and gums especially when wearing braces.