Why is oral hygiene so important when you wear braces?

Posted on: March 25th, 2014 by freshadmin No Comments

Even though keeping good oral hygiene is important at all times it becomes even more of an issue when you are wearing braces. Bracket braces in particular can be difficult to keep clean and your teeth can suffer dramatically as a result if don’t look after them.

Keeping up a high standard of oral hygiene is recommended regardless of what type of braces you have (even Invisalign braces) and this means brushing and flossing throughout the day. Even after snacks you should brush your teeth to ensure that all particles of food have been removed as they can become caught in the tiny spaces of the braces themselves.

Indeed, not looking after your oral hygiene when wearing braces can cause major dental problems including tooth decay, staining and or even prolonging the time that you need to wear braces for. If you repeatedly fail to brush your teeth, floss and look after your braces then your orthodontist may actually have to remove them, wait for your gums to heal or fix a tooth decay problem and then reapply the braces again. Orthodontic work that should take 6 months could be extended to a year or even longer in some cases depending on the severity of the problem.

Please find below some tips on how to brush your teeth with the different types of braces.

Brushing with bracket braces

Brushing your teeth the same way as you would normally and cover the outside of your teeth, insides and chewing surfaces.

Spend extra time brushing your teeth if you have bracket braces to ensure that they are completely clean.

Floss regularly by threading the floss behind the arch wire.

Replace your toothbrush often as brushing the braces can wear it down sooner.

Use an antiseptic rinse after every meal to ensure that your teeth and gums are kept healthy.

Oral hygiene with invisalign

Invisalign and Inman aligners (removable braces) require a different care than the bracket braces.  We recommend you to take off your aligner each time you eat, and rinse and brush it before you put it back on. It will allow the bacteria to be killed and prevent tooth decay and gum disease as well as make sure your appliance remains invisible and doesn’t stain.

Retainer care

Finally if you have moved onto using a retainer and had your braces taken off then you should follow the same process as with the removable braces.

While cleaning your teeth is much easier as you can take a retainer out and you don’t need to worry about damaging the braces or missing trapped food you need to remember to clean your retainer too. Soak it in the solution that you have been recommended to use (don’t use hot water) and brush it as well to remove bacteria and keep your mouth healthy.

We also recommend you to book regular dental hygienist appointments at the while having braces on so that you can get professional teeth cleaning to make sure you have optimal oral hygiene and the straightening process is not delayed.