Traditional braces move your teeth into even, straight positions, transforming your smile. Braces also help improve your oral health as overcrowded or crooked teeth can be harder to clean. Braces fix issues like overbites, crossbites, spacing issues, crowding, and underbites. The length of your treatment depends on your specific case. How do you keep your braces and teeth clean? Here are some of the best oral hygiene tips:
Avoid Certain Foods
When you have braces, you need to be more careful about what you eat. Certain foods can damage your braces or be very difficult to remove from the wires and brackets. Avoid snacks like chips, popcorn, sticky candy, and beef jerky. You should also not chew gum. By avoiding hard, sticky, and chewy foods, you make it easier to clean your teeth and braces.
Brush Carefully
Speaking of cleaning, brushing and flossing are very important while you have braces. You don’t want food to get trapped in the wires and brackets. Before brushing, remove any elastics. With a soft-bristled toothbrush, brush your braces and teeth gently and carefully.
Consider Using Special Cleaning Tools
A regular toothbrush and floss may not cut it. What kind of special tools are there? An interdental toothbrush makes it easier to clean the spaces between the metal and your teeth. For flossing, use a floss threader. You can pair the threader with stiff-tipped floss designed for people with braces.
Keep Up with Recommended Dental Visits at Dental Solutions of Columbus
Even if you take great care of your teeth while you’re wearing braces, it’s important to visit our office in Columbus. We’re able to diagnose any issues and provide advice on how to keep your smile healthy! While braces are gentler and sleeker-looking than in the past, it’s still a bit challenging to clean your teeth during the treatment. Regular appointments with our dentists are an important part of good oral hygiene. If you have any questions about orthodontics or our other services, please contact us today!