During your treatment with braces, you will need a maintenance routine to preserve your oral health and achieve the aim of the treatment. Using braces may mean spending a little longer brushing your teeth and being mindful of the kind of food you eat.
At first, your orthodontic treatment may seem challenging, but it can be easy if you take your treatment seriously. The time you will spend wearing braces can pass quickly, and you can have your desired healthy and attractive smile.
Your care routine is vital if you want your braces to straighten your teeth as scheduled. Below is a maintenance routine during your braces treatment for better oral health and successful treatment.
Cleaning your braces
While wearing braces, you have to brush your teeth more often, including the parts of the braces glued to your teeth, the brackets, rubber bands and wires. These parts of your braces can easily trap plaque and food.
Without proper cleaning, your teeth can become stained or develop cavities. The general recommendation for brushing the teeth is at least two minutes, but two minutes is insufficient to clean your teeth and the braces when wearing braces.
Ensure you also brush after every meal and before going to bed at night. Rinse your mouth after every snack to remove lingering food particles in your mouth and between the braces.
Brushing your teeth with braces
If you’re wearing braces, opt for a soft toothbrush and brush all tooth surfaces, focusing more on the areas between your gum line and braces because they tend to accumulate more food and plaques. This area is usually stained and decayed after treatment with braces.
Brushing your teeth in small circles is advisable but may prove difficult with braces, so you can move the toothbrush across the surface of your teeth from one side to the other. This brushing technique can effectively remove plaques and dirt on your teeth without much pressure.
You can use a water flosser to clean between your teeth. The pressure from the water flosser can remove food lodged between your braces and teeth and maybe better than using the traditional floss.
Flossing with braces
While flossing with the regular floss, thread the floss under the wire and pull gently between your teeth in upward and downward movements. If you want to floss quicker, use a floss threader made for people with braces. This floss option is a good alternative to traditional floss and makes flossing easier. Ensure you floss at least once daily for optimum results.
Have a small dental travel kit
Having a small dental travel kit ensures that you can brush your teeth wherever you are. Your travel kit should have fluoride toothpaste, a flossing tool, a toothbrush and a small-sized fluoride mouthwash.
Dealing with braces irritation in the mouth
Lip and cheek irritation are common with people who wear braces. An easy fix for irritation in your mouth is applying orthodontic wax on the irritated areas, between the wire, brackets or any part of the braces causing irritation.
If the wire causes lip or cheek irritation, you can gently bend the wire with a pencil eraser and coverusing orthodontic wax. To place the orthodontic wax, roll a small piece in your hand to soften the wax, then mould to cover the wire. However, you may have to schedule an appointment with your orthodontist for a permanent solution.
Choosing the right food during braces treatment
To avoid breaking your braces, stick to soft foods. If you want to take something hard, ensure you cut the food into small pieces and chew from the back of your teeth. Sticky and sweet foods can also affect your braces treatment, leading to decay and white spots. Sticky foods can also be difficult to remove between your wires and brackets.
Routine hygiene appointments and check-ups
You need to attend regular dental appointments for cleanings and check-ups during braces treatment. Your dentist can identify dental issues that may affect yourtreatment and provide early intervention for better results.
Your dental hygienist will professionally clean your teeth during your regular hygiene appointments. Although these appointments may take longer, it ensures the area of your teeth beneath the braces are clean.
If you want to start your teeth-straightening journey with Invisalign braces or any brace type, visit here or call 020 3745 7520 to book an appointment.
