Oral Hygiene with Braces

Now that your braces are on, having excellent oral hygiene is very important. Be sure to floss every day, brush your teeth after every meal and before going to bed at night. Our office recommends the use of a soft bristle toothbrush for brushing around braces and using dental floss with a floss threader to floss between your teeth and under the brace wires. Use of a Waterpic can be helpful for removing loose food debris and massaging gum tissue. You also can use a fluoride mouth rinse. Fluoride brushing gel is given to you at the time of your banding with instructions on how to use it.

What is the best way to brush your teeth when you have braces? Just follow the ‘Three-Step Scrub’ method:

1. Scrub back and forth straight into your gum line.
2. Scrub back and forth up under the braces at an angle, pushing the bristles in between the brackets.
3. Scrub back and forth down on top of the braces, again at an angle, pushing the bristles in between the brackets.

Without excellent oral hygiene there is a great risk for gum disease, tooth decay and decalcification developing around the braces. These problems are 100% avoidable with great oral hygiene!

Taking care of your smile is definitely worth it!