Brushing & Flossing With Braces
Brushing and flossing regularly and thoroughly is even more important when you have braces, because braces create a lot more small spaces for food particles and plaque to build up.
Oral Hygiene & Braces
Braces, springs, wires, rubber bands, and other orthodontic appliances can quickly attract food and plaque that could stain or damage teeth, if not brushed away regularly.
Patients who don't stay on top of their oral health care routines typically require more frequent visits to the dentist for professional cleaning appointments.
Adults with a history of gum disease should also see a periodontist during orthodontic treatment.
Brushing & Flossing with Braces
We recommend that you brush your teeth after every meal or snack with fluoride toothpaste, and carefully remove any food that may have gotten stuck in your braces.
We also sometimes prescribe fluoride mouthwash, which can help clean places in your mouth that your toothbrush can't reach. You might also find a waterpik or airflosser helpful in flushing out stuck food particles.
Brushing
Using a standard soft toothbrush, brush down from the top and then up from the bottom on each tooth.
Then, brush your teeth with a proxabrush or "Christmas tree" brush. This type of brush is designed specifically for cleaning out the spaces between braces.
Insert the brush from the top down, and then from the bottom up between two braces.
Make several strokes in each direction before moving on. Repeat these steps until all your teeth have been cleaned.
Flossing
Feed the floss through the space between the main arch wire and the portion of the tooth closest to the gum.
Use a gentle sawing motion and move the floss up and down each side of the two teeth the floss is between. Be gentle, and don't pull with too much force around the arch wire.