A proper oral care is of vital significance in order to keep a healthy and beautiful smile. It is important to be aware that braces require special care.
If you are wearing braces, then you should keep in mind the fact that you should take good care of them. Tooth brushing is essential. This procedure should become a part of your daily morning and evening routine.
It is actually recommended to thoroughly brush all the teeth on which braces are placed, after each meal. Special care is required because dental plaque and tartar are forming much faster in this case.
Am I cleaning my teeth in a right way?
It is better to clean you teeth using a soft toothbrush, which you should hold in your hand in such a way that its bristles would get under the elastics.
The actual process of cleaning the teeth must involve a meticulous brushing of each tooth, including the areas above and below the braces, as well as between them.
All teeth - upper and lower ones should be brushed with sweeping motions, away from the gum line. The average time required for each tooth is at least 2-3 minutes, which is the equivalent for about 10 swiping motions per tooth.
Get the best result
It is necessary to follow a couple of rules in order to obtain perfectly clean teeth and a gorgeous smile.
You could use special disclosing solutions that reveal all the spots of dental plaque by coloring them. These disclosants were previously used only by dentists, but nowadays they are available for everyone. They are absolutely safe and can be easily removed after the procedure.
It is also a good idea to use an irrigator, in case you have one. This device is most frequently used to remove larger chunks of food, trapped between the teeth. You could also apply topical fluoride on all tooth surfaces, which will ensure caries prevention and therefore, will protect your teeth.
Using dental floss is not mandatory, but it is still crucial and certainly not less important than tooth brushing. Are you not sure whether you will succeed in properly flossing your teeth? We are convinced you will. It all depends on the technique you are using.
Dental floss is able to thoroughly remove all debris and pieces of food remaining between the teeth and braces are definitely not an obstacle. You could use special orthodontic flossers that have an unique design, allowing to easily access the areas underneath the arch. The flossing process should consist of back-and-forth vertical swiping motions on the surface of the teeth. It is important not to use excessive pressure over the arch while performing these movements. In the end you should also clean the areas around the rubber bands.
If you still hesitate to use dental floss by yourself and you are afraid of traumatizing the gingiva, you could use interdental brushes, specifically designed for cleaning the spaces between the teeth.
Trusting your dentist - professional cleaning of the teeth
It is good to use various at-home methods of cleaning the teeth, but they are certainly not enough and it is not always worth the risk to rely only on your own when you are not fully confident in your skills. Therefore, the help of a specialist is essential.
An orthodontic treatment does not only consist of placing the braces on the teeth, but it is a complex process involving a wide variety of aspects. At-home care is extremely important, but professional care is certainly crucial and unavoidable. Even the most meticulous at-home care is not enough to prevent dental plaque and calculus formation, thus it is recommended to visit your doctor for a regular professional cleaning once in a while.
Professional cleaning involves several steps: Removing plaque; Removing food remnants; Complex cleaning; Polishing the enamel and using topical fluorization remedies.
If required, an additional procedure providing supplementary protection of the teeth against harmful bacteria can be performed.
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