Wearing braces can present a few new challenges regarding keeping your teeth clean. Ceramic or metal braces are attached to your teeth so that they can work 24/7. But, this makes cleaning difficult, as you cannot remove them. Here are some tips to help keep your braces clean and intact:
Use a soft brush
While wearing braces, you should remember to remove any elastics before brushing. Then, use a soft brush to get into the small spaces in your mouth more easily. After this, you should inspect the braces carefully to ensure nothing is stuck in them.
Avoid the wrong foods
Certain foods should be avoided at all costs when wearing braces because they’re tough to clean off, and you risk damaging your braces.
For instance, you should avoid hard candy, as chewing it can ruin the brace wires or brackets. Also, sticky foods like peanut butter, caramel, and gum should be avoided as they’re hard to clean.
If you habitually unconsciously bite your nails, now’s probably the best time to stop it, as it can damage your braces.
Brush immediately after eating
Asides from chewing and biting, most of the risk to braces comes from eating certain foods, especially sugary food that eats away at your teeth around the brackets. To avoid this decay and prevent indirect damage to the braces, brush immediately after eating.
Use the right type of flossers
Various flossers are designed specifically for brace wearers and come highly recommended by orthodontics. These flossers are very easy to use as they slide between the brackets, flossing your whole mouth in a little over a minute.
Keep your elastics on
Elastics are often prescribed about 4-6 months into wearing braces to improve the fit of your upper and lower teeth. If your orthodontist has prescribed elastics, you should always wear them, only removing them to brush your teeth.
Also, you should ensure that the elastics are the correct size, and have a backup in case you misplace it. Failing to wear your elastics can be counterproductive.
Use an antibacterial mouthwash
Brace-linked mouth irritation may cause your gum tissue to swell a little. To further clean your teeth and relieve the swelling, you should swish with an antibacterial mouthwash.
Enjoy a great, confident smile
Much of keeping your braces clean and intact has to do with maintaining high overall oral care standards. Otherwise, by the time the braces come off, you’ll have to deal with tooth decay. Contact us today to learn more about keeping your braces clean so you can always have a great, confident smile.
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