Five Tips in Caring for Your Braces During Orthodontic Treatment

March 17, 2015

king orthodontics Braces can create drastic positive changes in quality of life. They can help improve crooked or overlapping teeth,reduce cavities by decreasing the chances that food will become trapped between crooked teeth, and enhance self-confidence. However, proper self-care during orthodontic treatment is necessary for a good outcome when treatment ceases. Centerville Orthodontics recommends several practices that are easy to follow. Paying attention to these steps over the course of your orthodontic treatment will help ensure that your teeth and gums stay healthy.

1. Be mindful of what you eat

When you find an orthodontist in Centerville, one of your first questions will likely be "how do I care for my teeth while they're in braces?" While braces and various other treatments in orthodontics are somewhat low-maintenance once you get the hang of caring for them, it's important to avoid certain foods that can harm your braces or your teeth. Braces make it even easier for your teeth to trap food particles. This increases the risk of cavities and other issues, and having a cavity while in braces can cause significant difficulty for you, your orthodontist, and the dentist who treats the cavity. Certain foods, however, can be even more problematic. Popcorn is a good one to avoid because the shells can easily become wedged between teeth. They're easy to remove when you don't have braces, but having orthodontic apparatuses in your mouth can make it much harder to remove the shells. If you've ever had one stuck in your teeth, you know how painful and irritating it can be. Extremely sticky or tacky candies and other foods can be dangerous for braces too. They can become stuck and are incredibly difficult to remove. Aside from being uncomfortable, having sugary items stuck to your teeth can trap sugar around your teeth, making it easier to get cavities. If you have spacers between your teeth, sticky foods can pull these out as well.

2. Adapt your brushing techniques

Brushing your teeth is always important, but with braces, there are specific risks involved with failing to take proper care of your teeth. When you brush your teeth with braces, it's vital to adapt your technique to reduce the chances of food being trapped between the brace and the tooth. When you brush, be sure to follow these steps: * Brush the top half of the tooth from the top down. * Brush the bottom half from the bottom up. * Be sure to brush all surfaces of the tooth, reaching the bristles below the metal wire. If you don't adequately care for your teeth with braces, you may end up having to spend more time in braces than originally planned. In addition, staining may occur around the braces, creating an unsightly staining pattern once braces are removed. When you seek out orthodontic treatment Fairborn, you may want to ask your orthodontist for additional advice on toothpastes, toothbrushes, and brushing techniques. It's important to brush after every meal and snack - food can become stuck every time you eat. In addition, make sure you replace your toothbrush or toothbrush head ever three months - this help guarantee that your brush will be working properly and that your teeth will be sufficiently cleaned. orthodontics

3. Floss every day

Flossing is important regardless of your teeth having braces or not. However, Centerville Orthodontics or any other orthodontics establishment will tell new patients that flossing is paramount to your continued dental health while you have braces. Flossing can become very tedious with braces, but it's important to keep flossing thoroughly each day. In order to do this, you'll need to thread the floss under the wire so it can reach the full length of the gaps between teeth. When you seek out orthodontic treatment Fairborn, you may want to talk to your orthodontics provider about flossing techniques to help more thoroughly clean your teeth.

4. Use mouthwash

As noted earlier, staining of teeth around braces can become an issue. The risk of staining increases with time in braces and also with poor dental hygiene. In order to reduce the risk of disproportionate staining, use a mouthwash that whitens teeth. In addition to whitening teeth, the proper mouthwash can kill harmful bacteria and clean your mouth more thoroughly.
Orthodontists may have chosen mouthwashes that are especially helpful for those with braces. When you first get braces, talk to your orthodontist about recommended mouthwashes.

5. Prepare to clean braces on the go

Unless you always just eat at home, you'll likely need a way to clean your teeth when you're on the go. You could carry a toothbrush, but it's often necessary to have a small, portable brush to quickly clean off braces or remove a stubborn piece of food. For this reason, most people who wear braces carry around a small, triangle-shaped brush called a proxabrush. These brushes come with a cap to keep the bristles clean. You often can get them from your orthodontist's office, but they're also purchasable at many pharmacies and other stores. Braces can be expensive, painful, and a nuisance to care for, but they also can greatly improve various aspects of your life if you care for them properly. Having a fresh toothbrush, good-quality toothpaste, mouthwash, and a proxabrush on hand when you start with braces is a step toward maintaining the health of your teeth and gums. When you care for your teeth properly, you limit the amount of time you'll be spending in braces (and therefore save money), reduce the risks of staining around the braces, and make it less likely that you'll suffer cavities while in braces. It's important to talk to your orthodontist about any questions you have. Braces are an adjustment, and many people have mouth soreness when they're first put in and when they are adjusted later. When you seek out an orthodontist in Centerville, it's important to follow the directions of your orthodontist, ask questions, and care for your teeth properly, you make it much more likely that you'll have a positive post-braces outcome.

Contact a Best Orthodontist in Centerville

When looking for an orthodontist in Centerville, don’t forget to contact King Orthodontics, because we offer a wide variety of options. In addition to Invisalign Teen braces, our orthodontist will be able to provide Invisalign pictures to help you see what your teeth will look like in the future.

King Orthodontics, 400 East Dayton, Yellow Springs Rd. Fairborn, OH 45324

Phone: (937) 878-1561 Fax: (937) 433-9530

Five Tips in Caring for Your Braces During Orthodontic Treatment

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