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Dental Care at Home
Caring for Your Braces at Home
When you have braces, it's tougher to keep your teeth plaque-free and avoid cavities.
Use a soft toothbrush and a toothpaste with fluoride, and be sure to brush after every meal. Brush every surface of every tooth and pay extra attention to the areas where the brackets and bands meet the tooth and where the tooth meets the gum line.
Brush in small circular motions, brushing two to three teeth at a time.
You must also floss your teeth; toothbrush bristles can't remove the plaque between your teeth.
Thread floss into a floss threader and slide up under your archwire. Then pull the floss between your teeth, pull into a C shape, and move around your mouth flossing both sides of every tooth.
After you're done, check carefully to see if you've missed any areas and then rinse thoroughly with a lot of water.
Cutting down on sweets will help prevent cavities, so avoid sticky, sugary foods. Beware of hard foods such as Cornnuts and ice; they can damage your braces. Eating softer foods and cutting harder foods into smaller bites is your best bet.
Watching your eating habits and paying careful attention to your daily homecare will keep your mouth healthy and your teeth looking good!