Braces and Oral Hygiene at Hello Dental

Braces and Oral Hygiene at Hello Dental

Maintaining good oral hygiene during teeth straightening treatment can be difficult, but, essential in the prevention of dental disease.
The presence of brackets, wires and bands can make daily oral hygiene more difficult for brace wearers, the small spaces created by the brackets and wires can act as food and plaque traps leading to an increased risk of dental disease, such as gingivitis, tooth decay and demineralisation. In severe cases your orthodontist may choose to temporarily remove the braces and wait for the gums to heal and oral hygiene to improve before continuing with treatment.

To help prevent prolonged/delayed treatment good oral hygiene procedures are vital, this will help ensure that when your braces are removed your teeth are healthy and looking good!

Here are a few tips and step-by-step approaches to help you achieve a healthy and clean mouth during your orthodontic treatment:

Rinse with water before brushing to help loosen debris/ food particles that might be trapped around the brackets.

• Divide your mouth into four quadrants by drawing an imaginary cross over your mouth, remember you have more surfaces to clean so adopting a systematic approach will help ensure all surfaces are cleaned thoroughly.
• Using a long handled interdental brush clean around each individual bracket, this will remove debris from hard to reach places with your toothbrush.
• Next brush your teeth; place either a manual or rotary toothbrush at the gum line, using a “micro” brushing technique move the brush forward and backwards slowly ensuring each tooth is cleaned thoroughly whilst avoiding a scrubbing motion.
• Once you are satisfied you have cleaned along the gum line well its now time to clean over and under the wires. Again, remember to move slowly around the mouth cleaning tooth-by-tooth.
• Now its time to floss! Although this can be difficult there are specifically designed flossing kits, like floss threaders, that will help you achieve a thorough clean and good technique.
• Lastly, rinse once more with water and check in the mirror that your braces are clean and free from plaque and food debris.