Getting Braces? 3 Tips To Keeping Your Teeth Healthy While They Are Being Straighted

16 April 2015
Categories: Dentist, Blog

If you are getting braces soon, then you may wonder how you can clean your teeth properly when braces are on your teeth. When wearing braces, you do have to adjust the way you care for your teeth, because you will have to maneuver around the wires and brackets when brushing and flossing. Food particles can also get stuck in the new nooks and crannies the braces create. Follow these tips to make sure your teeth are not only straight when your braces are removed but also free from new decay or cavities.

1. Ask Your Dentist About a High-fluoride Toothpaste

One problem that can plague some people who wear braces is the development of small white spots on teeth around the brackets. These spots are caused by tooth decalcification, and they are preventable when you take special care to clean around your brackets carefully when brushing.

Also, a new study has shown that using a special high-fluoride toothpaste helps people who wear braces ward off the development of these white spots. This toothpaste contains 4 times as much fluoride as typical fluoride toothpaste. Ask your dentist if he or she thinks this toothpaste is right for you. If you do begin using this toothpaste, be sure to still take care to clean around your brackets carefully when brushing.

2. Use Interdental Brushes

No matter what toothpaste you use while brushing your teeth with braces on, it is important to find a way to clean the new nooks and crannies in your mouth and around your brackets thoroughly. One tool that can help you is an interdental brush, which is a special toothbrush with a small, thin tip that has bristles all around it instead of on just one surface.

Use these brushes to clean any area of your teeth that you have difficulty cleaning with your regular toothbrush. These brushes are perfect for cleaning around your brackets to reduce the chances of decalcification. There are many types and styles of these brushes, so even if you try one that you have difficulty using properly, keep trying different styles until you find one that works perfectly for you.

3. Ask Your Dentist About Fluoride Treatments

Similar to how the high-fluoride toothpastes can help prevent decalcification around the brackets of your braces, another study showed that having a special fluoride treatment painted around braces brackets after every adjustment could also help keep teeth healthy while braces are worn.

This is something else you can ask your orthodontist about. Even if he or she does not recommend this treatment, using a mouthwash that contains fluoride every day is another option to add more fluoride to your dental hygiene routine while wearing braces.

Follow these tips for keeping your teeth healthy while wearing braces, and you can then look forward to a straight smile that is healthier than ever when your braces are removed. Keeping your teeth clean when you are wearing braces can be a challenge, but your hard work will pay off greatly in the end.

About Me

When I was a child and teenager, I always left the dentist's office with the great feeling of having no cavities. When I went away to college out-of-state, I had to switch to a new dentist in my area. It seemed like I was suddenly getting cavities and started wonder what my new dentist "was doing wrong". When I spoke to my mother about it, she reminded me that the reason I never had cavities when I was living it home was because she always made sure my siblings and I brushed and flossed daily and didn't eat too much sugar. I then realized that my late-night study sessions drinking sugary soda and my suddenly bad brushing habits were the true causes of my cavities. I have since learned a lot more about dental health I am eager to share with anyone who needs the advice!