Dental Hygiene for Braces

Good dental hygiene is important for any orthodontic treatment! With braces, you will need to be especially careful and pay extra attention when taking care of your teeth.

dental hygiene for braces - allen orthodontist - dr. krausThe Basics

You know you should still brush and floss every day when wearing braces, but how do you get the most out of your regular habits? A few devices and items are available to make life easier for you. Find a soft bristle or bi-level brush, and keep in mind that electric brushes need to be used cautiously. Make sure electric brushes are at a low level and don’t let the back of the brush touch any part of the braces.

Continue to brush with flouride toothpaste twice a day. You’ll need to reach every part of every tooth, so rotate your brush and get all of the food particles out of all the tiny spaces.

Specialized Tools

Even when you keep up your good hygiene habits, you can still get food stuck in your teeth and your braces. A few tools have been especially made to help. The interdental toothbrush, or proxabrush, is a small brush with thick bristles similar to a pipe cleaner. This useful tool can push stuff out of your braces that might otherwise cause damage, cavities, or other problems.

Flossing Basics

Flossing is still important, but you are probably wondering how you’re going to do it now with all the wires in the way. Luckily, floss threaders have been invented! This small device is similar to a needle, and the floss like the thread. You will pull one end of a piece of floss through the threader, and then slip the threader under the wire.

Grab the floss from either side and move it up and down the side of both teeth, all the way to the gums, until you hear a clean squeak. Pull the floss out and continue the process with the remaining teeth. Dr. Kraus in Allen, Texas will have some floss threaders for you when you visit.

For answers to questions about keeping up good oral hygiene with your new braces, call us in Allen, TX. (469) 619-9959