An Informative Guide To Brush Your Teeth With Braces

Getting the perfect smile you’ve always desired requires more than simply wearing braces! You must take good care of your teeth and braces if you want stunning results and a healthy mouth. To stop plaque or food particles from accumulating around the brackets, regular tooth cleaning and proper oral hygiene are necessary. Try to clean your teeth at least twice a day, and after every food, rinse your mouth out with some water.

People who have teeth braces know how exhausting it can be to keep the wires, brackets, and teeth clean, but the consequences of not taking proper care of them are much worse. And the benefits of good hygiene, such as a clean and attractive smile, are highly satisfying.

This guide on how to brush your teeth with braces is going to provide you with everything you need to know about brushing your teeth while wearing braces.

Importance of Brushing Teeth With Braces

It’s important to put up the time and effort needed to do teeth cleaning with braces. By brushing your teeth properly, you can prevent issues like tooth decay, gum disease, and decalcification.

People with teeth braces need to take extra care of their teeth. This will lower the risk of acquiring more dental issues. The design of the braces make them a trap for plaque and food. Bacteria, food debris, and plaque will accumulate around the tiny brackets that are attached directly to your teeth. If these aren’t taken out, the enamel around the bracket could get demineralized and develop cavities.

We are now sharing our step-by-step guide that can help you understand how to brush teeth with braces.

Step-By-Step Guide to Brush Your Teeth With Braces

Braces will temporarily make brushing your teeth a little more challenging. Fear not, our guide can help you deal with some of these challenges! You can follow the steps we have listed below:

1. Get the Angles Right

Clean your teeth by going around your braces using a circular motion. To remove all food from your braces and ensure proper dental hygiene, you must rotate your orthodontics toothbrush three times.

Each of these positions should be held for 30 seconds:

• Front of the braces: Brush gently in a circular motion immediately on top of the wire, and do this multiple times.
• Bottom of the braces: Then, brush the area under the braces. Brush from one side to the other several times before switching to the next angle, angling the toothbrush bristles 45 degrees upward and using just enough pressure to get the bristle tips beneath the wire.
• Top of the braces: Start with the top section of the braces. Brush your teeth with a bristle angle of 45 degrees downward, applying just enough pressure to bring the bristle tips beneath the wire. Before switching to the next perspective, brush repeatedly from one side to the other.

2. Pick A Quality Dental Brush For Braces

Regardless of whether you have teeth braces or not, it’s a good idea to frequently use a high-quality electric toothbrush. You should use a soft-bristled braces brush that is mild on your gums, teeth, and braces. Additionally, you should clean around and beneath your brackets and cables with a specialised orthodontics brush.

3. Brush The Gum Line Gently

Your teeth and gums connect at the gum line. This is a particularly important location since gum disease is easily brought on by plaque buildup.

Gum recession brought on by gum disease can alter the way your teeth look. The toothbrush bristles should be angled at a 45-degree angle to the gum line so that they extend just below the gum line. To brush each tooth, move your mouth in a gentle circular manner.

4. Brush Behind Your Teeth And The Surface Of The Teeth Gently

You probably have a habit of cleaning your teeth twice a day, before bed and in the morning. Many people might do it more often, which is commendable. Since, it is necessary to brush your teeth after every meal or snack after you have braces. This is how:

• Before even starting to brush, rinse your mouth with water to remove any loose or big particles.
• Apply fluoride-containing toothpaste after wetting your toothbrush. Avoid using whitening toothpaste because it will only lighten the portion of your teeth not covered by braces, leaving you with tiny darker patches where the brackets were.
• Brush the areas of your teeth above the braces while holding your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to your gums.
• Repeat for your biting surfaces, the backs of your teeth, the parts of your teeth that are covered by your braces, and the brackets themselves.
• Brush carefully for three to five minutes (at least). Keep in mind that “completely” doesn’t mean “aggressively.” Brushing too hard can damage your enamel and gums and potentially cause periodontal disease and cavities at the tooth roots.
• Remember to brush your tongue as well!

If for some reason, you are unable to brush your teeth after eating, make sure to drink plenty of water or rinse your mouth well after eating.

5. Rinse with Mouthwash

What hydrogen peroxide can do for shallow wounds and skin conditions, a hydrogen peroxide antiseptic mouthwash can do for your gums and inside of your cheeks:

• Avoid Infection
• Reduce Irritability
• Lessen Inflammatory

6. Assistance in the healing process

If you have orthodontic braces,  you can try Peroxyl, which is a fantastic brand of mouthwash to use. It can aid in the recovery of canker sores, cheek bites, and other transient gum injuries. If you are getting poked by your braces or getting rashes in your mouth, you should definitely get in touch with a dentist, who’ll prescribe healing mouthwash and medications if necessary.

7. Use Fluoride

As you probably already know, fluoride fortifies your teeth’s enamel, avoiding damage and decay. You probably already use fluoride-containing toothpaste, but it can also be a good idea to add a post-brushing treatment. Phos-Flur, a sodium fluoride gel that destroys bacteria and replenishes minerals in dental enamel, is one efficient brand. Contrary to brushing and mouth washing, you should only use a fluoride treatment at night.

In addition to these step-by-step instructions, you can also refer to our infographics on brushing teeth .

Side Effects of Not Brushing Teeth With Braces

Lack of maintenance of proper oral hygiene causes bacteria to grow in your mouth. The tissue supporting the teeth could be destroyed if this is not stopped on time. As a result, periodontal disease develops. Additionally, bacteria can get into your system and could cause other health issues. Plaque removal, cavity filling, and other dental difficulties that can arise as a result of poor oral hygiene must be dealt with while wearing orthodontic braces, which only exacerbates these concerns.

Additional Dental Care Advice

• Rinse Regularly: Rinsing with mouthwash, mouth rinse, or tap water should be a normal part of your hygiene regimen. Any food that becomes stuck in your teeth or mouth braces can be removed by rinsing your mouth after meals and before brushing.
• Try Flossing: The health of your gums and teeth depends on flossing. Since wearing braces makes flossing challenging, try doing it at night when you have more time.
• Chew on Plaque-Disclosing Tablets: Disclosing Tablets are an excellent product for tracking plaque reduction. Chew on one tablet for 30 seconds and swish saliva around the mouth. After spitting, carefully rinse your mouth with water. Look at your teeth in a well-lit area. The colour of any food particles, bacterial plaque, and improperly cleaned surfaces is vivid pink. To get rid of the coloured region, thoroughly brush.
• Limit Crunchy, Sticky, or Hard Meals: These things could become lodged in your braces, harm them, and cause more plaque development.
• Try Not To Smoke: Tobacco products and cigarettes can stain teeth, make it more difficult to address cosmetic issues, and cause other dental issues.
• Use an Oral Rinse: To help enhance oral hygiene, lessen oral discomfort, supply moisture to oral tissues, or help with bad breath, you can swirl a liquid solution around your entire mouth, including your teeth, gums, and tongue. Use frequently for optimal outcomes (preferably after you have brushed your teeth at night).

Final Thoughts

If you want to prevent potentially harmful tartar accumulation, stains, and cavities, you must learn how to properly brush your teeth while wearing mouth braces.  It is necessary to get a special orthodontic brush for braces, which can help you clean your teeth better.

Ask your next orthodontics treatment appointment with your dentist, you can share your concerns about properly brushing your teeth with braces, especially if you are having trouble reaching a certain spot in your mouth. You can visit Dental Sunshine Coast Clinic for top-notch dental care, we’ll help you maintain proper dental hygiene even while wearing braces.

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