To keep your braces clean, read our blog for crucial steps and ensure your teeth stay clean and healthy.
Orthodontic patients must know how to keep their braces clean, to protect their teeth – and their investment. By learning the proper way of cleaning your braces, you can ensure your oral health stays healthy for the remainder of your treatment time at Quality Orthodontic Care, including the commitment necessary for oral health.
Food & Debris that Can Get Caught In-Between Braces
The many different components of braces have its own unique challenges, when it comes to cleaning. Springs, elastics, screws, springs, expanders, brackets, bands, and wires provide added surfaces; this is a perfect hiding place for food debris, plaque, and acids, in which to adhere to the hardware. This makes it difficult to clean, but not impossible. Bacteria can then make a home, as well as acid, which is the by-product of the germ-digestion process.
Brace Hygiene at Home
Whether manual or electric, the right toothbrush is crucial for the care of braces. A toothbrush consisting of soft bristles and a compact head is optimal for cleaning braces. Just remember to remove elastics before brushing, so as not to disrupt the hooks and wires. Also, the toothbrush should be kept at a 45-degree angle at the gum line, when brushing back-and-forth then upward, toward the biting surfaces of the teeth.
Brush the top and bottom surfaces of the brackets, which will eliminate bacteria. You may benefit from holding back your lip with one hand, while you brush the bracket areas with the other hand.
Visit your orthodontist for regular checkups, and allow Dr. Gluck or Dr. Levin to examine your braces. Contact us for any questions at 770-609-3270 for braces in Johns Creek, Georgia.