Braces are a long term investment in yourself or your loved one. They’re going to be with you for awhile. Like any investment, you need to take care of braces. One of the most common question we get asked from our patients getting braces in Cincinnati is what can they do to ensure their teeth and braces stay clean and healthy. We always give our new Cincinnati braces patients a detailed regime on how to properly brush and floss with braces so here are the top items we suggest at our Cincinnati orthodontics office to make brushing and flossing even easier while wearing braces.
Super Floss: The Three in One Multitasker
The toughest part about cleaning braces is trying to fish your floss between your teeth and the wire spanning across your mouth. We recommend using a floss threader and standard orthodontic floss, but there’s another option that makes flossing with braces even easier! Oral-B Super Floss makes flossing with braces a snap. Super floss is made of three separate parts, a hard end much like a floss threader, a soft thicker portion, and then finally standard floss at the end. Super Floss is pre cut, so you just simply pull it out of the box and get to flossing. The thick spongy portion makes it easy to clean around your braces, and the standard floss allows you to get between your teeth like normal.
Soft Picks for on the Run
Another difficulty of wearing braces is keeping food particles out from between your braces and teeth while you’re out and about. One good idea is to always keep a travel toothbrush with you, but sometimes that just isn't enough to clean throughout your mouth. Because of this, we recommend also carrying GUM soft picks. These tiny toothpick like brushes are disposable and can fit in between your braces and your teeth, allowing you to make sure your teeth are thoroughly clean after lunch or dinner. If you’re worried about stuck food in your braces after a meal, soft picks are a must have because of how quick to use they are and how easy they are to get into hard to reach places.
Braces Specific Mouthwash
Making sure your mouth is clean is more important than ever while wearing braces. Getting into every little nook and cranny to remove plaque and bacteria will insure that there aren’t any changes in your teeth after braces other than your new beautiful smile! If you don’t use it already, mouthwash is a great tool to help you clean your teeth while wearing braces. Not all mouthwashes are made the same however. You’re going to want to stay away from some of them while you’re wearing braces. Whitening mouthwash for instance, should not be used while wearing braces as you could unevenly change the color of your teeth. Instead, we recommend using mouthwash specifically made for people wearing braces. By using braces friendly mouthwash you’re making sure you don't harm your braces or your teeth!
Dental Wax
We always give our patients dental wax when they get their braces for the first time. It is very common to have your braces poke your mouth whether it be a wire that’s a tiny bit too long or a bracket with a sharp point. The wax we give you is perfect to cover these areas and keep your braces from poking your cheeks causing discomfort and irritation. While we’re happy to give our patients wax, often it gets lost throughout the day or accidentally left in the laundry, only to melt in the wash. We recommend our patients stock up on dental wax so whenever they lose or run out of a pack, they have backup and don't have to wait until their next appointment to get more.
High Tech Dental Cleaning
If you want to take your oral hygiene to the next level, you can also go electric. Electric toothbrushes and water picks are an alternative to brushing and flossing that can help you clean your teeth with less effort. The only downside to electric toothbrushes and water picks is they can be expensive.
Electric toothbrushes are great because they allow you to use less effort to clean your whole mouth. Because they are smaller and you don't have to brush back and forth the heads can be smaller too, allowing you to go where other toothbrushes can’t always go, especially with braces. Water picks give you similar ease of electric toothbrushes. Instead of fishing a piece of floss between your teeth or through braces, you simply just have to point where you want to clean and push the button, sending a high-pressure jet of water to your designated location, blasting away food and bacteria without damaging your teeth or gums. While these items aren’t needed to keep your teeth clean, they will make your teeth cleaning regime much easier and possibly more enjoyable!.
Call Your Local Cincinnati Orthodontist
We hope you enjoyed our list of must have dental cleaning tools to have while wearing braces. If you or your loved one is thinking about getting braces and you have any questions about braces, or invisalign, please call our office at anytime during office hours and we would be happy to answer any question you may have. If you’re ready to start your journey to a bright new smile, contact our office today and set up your appointment for your first consultation. We hope to see you soon!