If you are wearing braces, taking care of them is equally as important as taking care of your teeth. If you take proper care of your braces, it will reduce the rate at which you visit your dentist, but more importantly, it will ensure that you achieve the result which you desire.
So how do you go about caring for your braces and your teeth at the same time? In this post, we have highlighted a few ways you can do this.
Brush Regularly and Properly
When wearing braces, you don’t just brush your teeth, you are also clean the braces as you brush. To do, hold your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle towards your gum and clean your gum line. After this, hold your toothbrush at a downward angle on the top of your brackets to clean the bottom part of your brackets.
When wearing braces, endeavor to brush after every meal so as to get rid of food debris that may clog the openings between the teeth.
Make Flossing an Important Oral Hygiene Routine
In addition to brushing, flossing is an important part of your oral hygiene routine that shouldn’t be ignored, especially while wearing braces. Regular flossing will help ensure that smaller food particles do not stick to the opening between your teeth. You may use interdental brushes, or floss threaders in place of flossing tape for an easier flossing experience when wearing braces.
Be Gentle When Flossing Or Brushing
In as much as it is important to brush and floss regularly, it is also important to avoid exerting too much pressure when doing so.
You should be gentle so as to prevent your braces from breaking which will warrant visiting the dentist for fixing.
Avoid Certain Kinds of Food
Although wearing braces doesn’t stop you from consuming any kind of food, it is advisable to avoid sticky, crunchy, chewy, or hard food. In most cases, your doctor will discuss this with you and possibly give you a list of food to avoid during the treatment.
Also, generally, sugary foods and drinks are not good for dental health. They can stain your teeth and if you are wearing braces, they can even cause decay around the brackets. Limiting the intakes of these kinds of food will help you get the desired result.
The aim of wearing braces is to improve your dental structure. Adhering to these care instructions will help you achieve the result you seek.
