Nobody with braces would recall getting braces as their favorite memory. Even though braces are meant for straight teeth and good oral health, they can lower your self-confidence. However, this is not where the troubles end, as brushing teeth and maintaining good oral hygiene can become challenging. This is why we’ll tell you how to brush your teeth with braces in this blog.
Steps on How to Effectively Brush Your Teeth With Braces
Brushing teeth might become difficult if you wear braces. However, that doesn’t mean you should stop cleaning your teeth. Oral care is extremely important, regardless of the hurdles that arise.
Since oral hygiene is vital, here are some steps on how to brush your teeth with braces:
1. Brush After Every Meal
Braces can collect debris and food particles after every meal and snack. This way, the plaque build-up, and food particles will linger on your teeth longer.
To avoid tooth decay and other dental issues, make it a habit to brush your teeth after every meal. You can even rinse and brush your teeth after snacks to ensure no harmful debris remains.
2. Take the Necessary Tools
To guarantee good oral health with no harmful consequences, always keep these necessary tools on hand:
- Cup
- Non Abrasive Toothpaste
- Toothbrush (manual or electric)
- Floss
- Interdental Brushes
- Mouthwash
- Mirror
These items are a must-have part of your oral care. Thus, make sure you have these before you brush your teeth.
3. Swish
Start by filling the cup with clean water. Take the clean water in your mouth and swish it around, loosening the food particles and debris. This will dislodge the debris, and you easily remove them.
Once you’re done, take out any removable orthodontic pieces and put them away safely.
4. Brush Properly
Wash your toothbrush and put a pea-sized amount of non-abrasive toothpaste on it. Then, turn your brush at a 45-degree angle to gently scrub the gum line. Next, adjust the angle to brush the surface of your brackets. After that, position the brush by angling it up to clean the wire and under the brackets. Brush each tooth, moving on to the chewing and inner surfaces of your teeth.
Take your time to clean your teeth. You might need around 2 minutes or more to clean them. And if you find it hard to brush with braces, use interdental brushes instead.
5. Floss
Don’t skip flossing at any cost. It’s not easy to floss with braces. Hence, use a floss threader if you’re using a string floss; it will help clean around your braces. Besides this, you can get a water flosser to clean the tight spots between your teeth.
6. Rinse
Rinse your mouth after you’re done flossing. Use an antibacterial mouthwash and swirl it around for 30 seconds. This will give you a fresher breath, eliminate germs, and dislodge remaining food particles.
7. The Last Step
Look in the mirror to check if you missed a spot. Then, put back the orthodontic pieces and get going with cleaner teeth.
What’s Next?
It might seem challenging to brush your teeth with braces, but we have mentioned how to. You can contact our Smile 4 Ever Dentistry team for any queries or dental issues you have. Dial (281) 213-5668 to give us a ring.