It takes a courage to embark on a braces journey. You have to take on extra oral hygiene chores to brush and floss around the brackets and underneath the braces wires. You have to restrict some diets such as biting into a hard apple, ice, corn on the cob, or a big chunk of steak. You also have to endure some discomforts associated with routine braces adjustment before you can achieve a beautiful, radiant smile to last a life time. To ease through treatment, these are a few good tips to care for your smile while wearing braces.
Brush your teeth frequently:
You should brush your teeth 3 to 4 times a day during orthodontic treatment: in the morning, after lunch, after dinner, and prior to bed time if any snacking afterward. Brushing process involves several steps: 1) brush around the teeth, brackets, around the gum, and in the back surfaces 2) brush in between the brackets using a small brush called inter-dentinal brushes. Finally 3) brush along the gum to minimize any persistent plaque that can cause inflammation in the gum and bone structure.
Brushing will keep your teeth staying clean, eliminating any type of stains on aligners, keeping your breath smells fresh, and preventing food and debris getting into your teeth.
Floss your teeth daily:
Brushing is only 50% of the job. Flossing takes the remaining 50%. Flossing eliminates bits of food stuck in between the teeth and gum to cut down risks of getting cavities and risks of getting gingivitis. Trapped food is usually pushed down into the gum pockets to cause swelling gum, bleeding gum, and destruction of the bone architect. Flossing eliminates this problem.
Rinse your mouth with Listerine:
Rinse your mouth with Listerine or an antibacterial mouthwash in the evening and morning. The rinse can clean your teeth, reduce antibacterial loads, and leave your breath clean, minty and fresh.
Once you develop a daily routine, caring for your smile is simple and easy. It does not take that long. By spending 5 minutes each time, 2 to 3 times daily, you are on your way to develop a great oral hygiene habits to prevent tooth decay and periodontal disease.
Dr. Nancy Phan is a Board-certified orthodontist who has treated many children and adults and served the San Jose community are for over a decade. Visit us www.CareOrthodontics.com for more education materials and office information.