The day you get braces on can be extremely exciting and overwhelming all at the same time. Let’s go over some brushing basics.
Brushing
You now have a lot more surfaces to keep clean now. Brackets have a lot of hooks, grooves, and wings. All of these surfaces are areas plaque can accumulate and get trapped. You need to make sure you are brushing your gum line, front surface of your teeth and bracket. To keep all surfaces of the bracket free of bacteria you have to angle the tooth brush 45 degrees to clean the top and bottom edges.
Flossing
Flossing with braces can feel a lot like sewing. Because you have a wire going across your teeth you can’t just floss normally. Now you have to thread the floss in what looks like a big needle and then use this “needle” to go under the wire and bring the floss with it. Recently, I came across an orthodontic floss pick that avoids the wire and can really help eliminate the this “sewing” technique. You can find these on Amazon and are called Platypus. SOCO PDO loves Waterpiks as an adjunct but remember it is not meant to completely replace flossing. These are really good if you have bands or an appliance where foods loves to get trapped.
Decalcification
If you have poor oral hygiene and allow plaque and calculus to grow around the bracket and gum line, when your braces are removed you can develop white spots.
These white spots commonly form in the shape of a square where your bracket once was.
These spots are opaque white and the beginning of a cavity forming. At this point these lesions are irreversible but can be remineralized.
We recommend the use of MI Paste throughout orthodontic treatment to help prevent white spots and lessen their appearance if they do occur.
MI Paste is a NOT a replacement for toothpaste but instead an adjunct to be used after brushing your teeth.
