Your orthodontic journey is an investment in a healthier, more confident smile. To protect that investment and ensure the best possible results, excellent oral hygiene is not just important—it’s essential. The brackets and wires that are working hard to straighten your teeth can also trap food particles and plaque, making your teeth more susceptible to cavities and gum inflammation.
At Rosenzweig Orthodontics, we want to empower our patients across Central Oregon to master their oral hygiene routine. Think of this as your guide to keeping your teeth sparkling clean and healthy from the day you get your braces on to the day they come off. With a little practice, patients in Bend, Redmond, Burns and Sisters will become pros at brushing and flossing with braces.
Brushing with Braces
Brushing with braces requires a bit more time and attention to detail, but the technique is easy to learn. We recommend brushing after every meal, or at least twice a day, for a full two minutes each time.
Here is a step-by-step guide to brushing effectively:
- Prepare Your Brush: Start with a soft-bristled toothbrush and a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste. An electric toothbrush can also be very effective at cleaning around brackets.
- Angle for Success: Position your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to your gum line. Use gentle, circular motions to clean the area between your gums and the brackets.
- Clean Above and Below: Next, adjust your brush to clean on top of the brackets, angling down. Then, angle the brush up to clean underneath the brackets. This ensures you clean the entire surface of each tooth.
- Don’t Forget Other Surfaces: Brush the chewing surfaces and the inside (tongue-side) of your teeth using short, back-and-forth strokes.
- Focus on Brackets: Pay special attention to the brackets themselves, brushing them gently to dislodge any trapped food.
Flossing with Braces
Flossing is crucial for removing plaque and food from between your teeth, where your toothbrush can’t reach. It might seem tricky at first, but with the right tools, it quickly becomes a simple part of your daily routine.
Using Traditional Floss:
- Thread the Floss: To get the floss under your archwire, you’ll need a floss threader. This is a small, flexible tool with a loop at one end. Simply pull about 18 inches of floss through the loop.
- Guide it Under the Wire: Gently guide the stiff end of the floss threader under the wire between two teeth.
- Floss Each Tooth: Once the floss is through, wrap the ends around your index fingers. Gently slide the floss up and down the side of each tooth, making sure to dip slightly below the gum line to form a “C” shape.
- Repeat: Carefully remove the floss and repeat the process for every tooth.
Using a Water Flosser:
For many patients, a water flosser (or oral irrigator) is a game-changer. This device shoots a thin stream of pressurized water to blast away plaque and food debris from between teeth and around brackets. It’s fast, effective, and can be a great addition to your routine, though it does not replace traditional flossing entirely.
Tools for Success
Having the right tools makes all the difference. We recommend equipping yourself with an orthodontic care kit to make your daily routine easier.
- Soft-Bristled Toothbrush: A small-headed brush is ideal for maneuvering around brackets and wires.
- Fluoride Toothpaste: Fluoride helps strengthen tooth enamel and fight cavities.
- Floss Threaders or Orthodontic Floss: These are essential for navigating traditional floss around your braces.
- Water Flosser: An excellent tool for a deep clean and for patients who struggle with traditional flossing.
- Interproximal Brush: This small, cone-shaped brush is perfect for cleaning in the tiny spaces under the wire and around individual brackets.
Your Partner in Oral Health
Remember, you are not on this journey alone. The team at Rosenzweig Orthodontics is your partner in achieving a healthy, beautiful smile. During your regular appointments, we will check your hygiene, offer personalized tips, and demonstrate techniques to help you improve.
If you ever have questions about brushing, flossing, or choosing the right products, please ask us! We are dedicated to providing our patients in Bend, Redmond, Burns and Sisters and all of Central Oregon with the support they need to keep their smiles healthy and bright throughout their treatment and beyond.