Maintaining good oral hygiene is challenging, especially when you are wearing braces. So, that cannot be an excuse to neglect your oral health. Realigning your teeth is a lengthy process, and depending on the condition of your teeth, you may have to wear braces for one to three years. Therefore, it becomes necessary to maintain good dental hygiene. Dentist Blackburn suggests six simple ways which will go a long way in keeping your braces clean.
1. Using The Right Toothbrush
There is an ongoing debate regarding which toothbrush is best for cleaning dental braces. Some believe traditional brushes with soft bristles are good, while others believe electronic toothbrushes are better. Both brushes are equally good, but you need to combine them with interdental brushes to clean the spaces between the braces and the teeth. If your electronic brush makes it possible to clean the plaque build-up near the braces, it is good enough.
2. Brushing The Right Way
Brushing your teeth, the right way is vital to keep the teeth clean by cleaning the teeth’ exterior and cleaning the area underneath and above the brackets. Once the surface has been thoroughly cleaned, it is time to clean the interiors of the teeth. Special care is critical regarding cleaning the back and sides of the teeth with circular motion. It is essential to floss the teeth every as brushes may not be able to clean the teeth thoroughly
3. Flossing Regularly Once a Day
Flossing with braces is a challenge, and some practice is needed to use the thread floss as the arch wire of the braces would come on the way. Water flossers give a steady flow of water and are beneficial to clean in between the teeth along the gumline. They are efficient and are less time-consuming. One can also use floss picks; they are convenient to use, cost-effective and give better results than traditional floss.
4. Regular Use of Mouth Wash
Once you have finished brushing and flossing, it is advisable to rinse the mouth with a mouth wash. It is a relatively simple process that will be accomplished in less than a minute, clears the remaining bacteria, improves oral health, and fights bad breath. In addition, mouth wash will be able to reach out to even tricky spots that may have been left out by brushing and flossing.
5. Diligently follow Food guidelines
Once the braces have been put the orthodontists will give you diet instructions to follow. Some food items tend to damage the braces component like the rubber band, wires, and bracket. Avoiding sticky, chewy, and hard foods will go a long way in keeping the braces intact. It would be best if you avoided nuts, corn, ice cream, cookie, crackers and chewy gums or chocolates.
Conclusion
Once you have put on the dental braces, it is essential to maintain good oral hygiene. That said, maintaining oral hygiene with dental braces has challenges of its own. However, with some practice and discipline, you can clean your entire mouth, even the hard-to-reach places. All the hard work will pay off when the braces are removed to reveal a bright and radiant smile.