Oral hygiene is very important, and it is something everyone should take seriously, especially for people with braces. Keeping your teeth and gums clean is very important if you want to avoid prolonged treatment and more visit during your orthodontic treatment.
Poor oral hygiene can cause gum disease or tooth decay and even unattractive white spots. You don’t want to deal with tooth decay after your braces come off. This is why you need to make your oral hygiene a priority if you don’t want to experience any oral health problems and make sure your orthodontic treatment goes as smooth and quick as possible.
Here are some essential oral hygiene tips to keep in mind while wearing braces:
1. Brushing
Brushing the teeth is very important even for people without braces, and this makes it even a crucial exercise for those with braces. Brushing can help get rid of debris and bacteria that could lead to severe tooth and gum problems.
Dentist advice that you brush after every meal, so you can keep unsightly stains on the teeth at bay and keep your braces as clean as possible. If this is too hard for you, then you can stick to brushing twice a day, but make sure that you brush for at least two minutes each time you brush.
2. Make interdental brushes a habit
An interdental brush is a small brush that can help clean small areas of the teeth, making them useful for cleaning underneath and around your wires and braces. You can use an interdental brush to remove large pieces of debris then use your normal toothbrush to brush.
3. Flossing should be your friend
Just like interdental brushes, floss also help cleans teeth areas a regular toothbrush can’t reach. You can use a flossing threader to clean under the brace wires, as this can help remove plaque that causes the gums to swell and bleed. Plaques can form a calculus that can only be removed by cosmetic dental when it stays for long without being removed.
4. Maintain a Proper Diet
According to a popular saying, “we are what we eat.” In order to maintain your braces you need to also maintain a balance diet. You need to avoid foods that may lead to cavities or cause damages to your wire. Especially sticky or hard foods, they are the enemies of braces.
5. Ask Your Dentist in Danville about Cleaning Tools
Cleaning the teeth properly while having braces on can be challenging especially the back of the mouth. So, instead of stressing yourself, it is advisable that you visit your dentist in Danville for dental cleaning tools that can make the whole process easy for you. You can make a difference by getting tools like inter-dental brushes to clean between your brackets and wires before you floss and brush.