If you have never worn braces before, there are usually a lot of questions that patients have about wearing braces. One of those questions is How Can I take care of my teeth while wearing braces? That’s a very important question. At Smiles Hollywood Orthodontics, we want your teeth to be straight but also healthy! To keep them healthy while wearing braces, there are several important things that need to be done. It is super imperative that you brush your teeth at least two times per day. When wearing braces, you are brushing around a lot of things in your mouth, so brushing will take longer with braces on, but it will be very worth it in the end!
We do recommend an electric toothbrush, but if you do not have one, a manual toothbrush will work. Please use a soft toothbrush and always brush in small circular motions on each tooth. You never want to brush in a saw-like motion, because this will cause your gums to go down on your teeth. This is called gum recession, and you do not want that. So, please be very careful when you brush your teeth.
Another thing you can do when asking yourself How Can I take care of my teeth while wearing braces is at Smiles Hollywood Orthodontics, we give you a bottle of fluoride when you start your braces. You will swish around a cap full of fluoride each night before you go to bed and then let it soak into your teeth all night long. Since you are brushing around wires and brackets while wearing braces, the fluoride will help to prevent decay, in case you miss an area brushing every once in a while. Note: Please do not swallow it… swish only!
When starting braces at Smiles Hollywood Orthodontics, we go over and give you a list of foods that need to be avoided while in braces. This is another way to help you when you ask yourself How Can I take care of my teeth while wearing braces. While wearing braces, the patient needs to avoid sticky, gooey, chewy foods, such as taffy, caramels, starbursts, gummi worms, gum and gummi bears, etc. These foods will bend and break wires and brackets. If something does break, it is not a problem. Call our office and we will get you in as soon as we can to deal with the emergency. It will help to decrease the number of emergencies a patient has if they stay away from these chewy, sticky, gooey foods. Also, you do not want to chew on ice or hard nuts or hard bagels. It is common sense on what may break or bend a wire or a bracket in your mouth. Also, it is very important that you do not bite into something really hard with your two front teeth, such as an apple. A patient can still eat apples, but it just needs to be sliced up first, so you are not biting with your two front teeth into a hard piece of food. Also, for chicken or ribs, you would want to take the meat off the bone before eating it. Corn on the cob needs to be taken off the cob so you do not use your front teeth to bite into it. The orthodontic brackets are glued onto your front teeth, and they are pretty sturdy, but they can break or become loose if the patient is not careful as to what they are eating. One other food item that needs to be avoided is popcorn. You may ask yourself, why can I not eat popcorn? The kernels in the middle of the popcorn can get wedged between your wires and your gums and then cause inflammation or worse, an infection in the gums. So, it is best to avoid popcorn because of the kernels. It is fine to eat puffed popcorn (hulless) that is found in most grocery stores.
Another very important thing to do when thinking about How Can I take care of my teeth while wearing braces, is to be sure and get your regular 6 months cleanings at your dentist. Sometimes, if a patient has poor hygiene, or if their gums are puffy, we will recommend getting their teeth professionally cleaned by their dentist every four months. Dr. Crise and Dr. Downs will let you know if they feel like you need to have your teeth cleaned more often. A great way that the dentist can clean your teeth is by using a prophy jet cleaner. It is great for cleaning braces. In a regular cleaning and polishing, the hygienist uses a rotating rubber cup containing abrasive paste to clean your teeth, whereas; the use of a Prophy Jet sprays high pressured water to blast away soft deposits such as dental plaque. Baking soda is used to scour off tooth stains caused by foods and drinks. This method is great for patients with braces on their teeth. So, the next time you get a cleaning, ask your dentist if they can use the Prophy Jet on your teeth. It will make your teeth so clean and really get all the plaque and grime off!
When a patient gets their braces on at Smiles Hollywood Orthodontics, we want you to take great care of your teeth always but especially while in braces. We are here to help you and guide you through the braces process. You may ask yourself How can I take care of my teeth while wearing braces? Flossing is very important, and it will take more time while wearing braces, but it is so important to get in between each tooth. We give you a special flosser to use in order to get under the wire on all of your teeth while in braces. We also give you a special hygiene kit the day you get your braces on at Smiles Hollywood Orthodontics. The kit contains special flossers, a toothbrush and toothpaste. It also includes wax that can be used in case of emergencies to put on a pokey wire or an area of your braces that may be rubbing on your cheeks, until you can get back into our office to get the pokey wire clipped.
At Smiles Hollywood Orthodontics, we are here for you and happy to answer any questions you may have including How can I take care of my teeth while wearing braces? The day the patient gets their braces on, we have the patient watch a short video that talks about taking care of their braces, and brushing and what they can and cannot eat. There may be a few things they cannot eat and yes, brushing and flossing will take a little longer, but remember the end result will be beautiful, straight, clean, teeth and a spectacular Hollywood Smile!
If you are interested in learning more about braces, please call our office at 972-529-9700 or click here to schedule online for your complimentary exam with our highly trained orthodontist. We look forward to hearing from you soon!