Maintaining good oral hygiene is important. You don’t want to be that person that everyone avoids because of bad breath. If you wear braces, your oral hygiene should be more deliberate since food particles can be entrapped in the braces or brackets.
Dentists usually recommend the use of a small-sized toothbrush for brushing post-application of braces. A small-sized brush can easily reach all the areas, allowing finer and more thorough brushing. You should brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste as fluoride protects the teeth against tooth decay. When braces are being used, it is usually recommended that brushing be carried out at least five times a day, with each brushing session lasting at least five minutes.
- Begin brushing from the top of the brace/bracket and aim right towards the tooth. Also, brushing back and forth is recommended.
- Properly clean the area under the brace/bracket using a back and forth movement to ensure proper cleaning
- Brush the occlusal (biting surface of tooth) and lingual aspect (tooth area facing the tongue)
- Use light circular motions while brushing the teethto prevent any damage to the braces
Regular flossing is also important as brushing as it removes food trapped in the braces. To appropriately perform flossing:
- Cut a long piece of dental floss so that it can be easily folded around the index fingers of both hands.
- Place a loop of the floss between the brace wire and the teeth. The floss must be aligned to the space between the gums and the teeth.
- Hold the ends of the floss firmly folded around the index fingers. This ensures a proper grip and allows the desired movements to be made without harming the gums and braces.
- Gently remove the food entrapped between the teeth and accumulated plaque. To ensure gentle cleaning, it is advisable to hold the floss in a ‘C’-shape around the teeth rather than keeping the floss in a straight position This vertical movement ensures minimal damage and proper cleaning.