Oral care during orthodontic treatment
Orthodontic treatment is the best option to provide you a beautiful and healthy smile. Actually, it is an investment for your future and you should care about your teeth and gums during the treatment period. Generally, everybody should have good oral hygiene but oral care during orthodontic treatment is much more important. You need to wear some appliances like braces and clear aligners during the orthodontic treatment which are a good place to trap food particles easily.
During orthodontic treatment, you should have a special diet that prevents tooth decay. You need to avoid sugary foods such as ice cream and sweets which increase the risk of tooth decay as well as foods that stuck in your braces like caramels and toffee. You also should avoid hard foods such as nuts, ice and hard candies which may damage or break your wires and brackets. If your wires or brackets get damage it will affect the straightening process.
It is very important that you have regular brushing and flossing during orthodontic treatment, although it is difficult to clean around brackets and wires. There are some general tips that help you to keep clean your teeth, gums and brace properly during the orthodontic treatment:
- If you have an elastics appliance, you can remove them before brushing.
- You can use a special toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste for brushing your teeth. Brush your teeth along the gumline and do a circular motion on each tooth.
- Try to brush your teeth in a set pattern and spend about 10 seconds on each tooth and don’t miss any teeth.
- Apply a circular motion on each tooth to brush inside and outside surfaces of your teeth.
- You can brush the chewing surface by a back and forth motion.
- After brushing replace your elastics.
- Since you are wearing brace you are at a higher risk of tooth decay and your doctor may recommend other oral care products such as interdental brushes.
Use fluoride and other oral care products
It is highly recommended to use fluoride toothpaste twice a day in order to prevent tooth decay. According to different researches brushing teeth with fluoride toothpaste is more effective to prevent tooth decay than only brushing once a day. Because after eating and drinking some acids will be produced in your mouth but fluoride makes your teeth more resistant to the acids and even puts back minerals that are lost in the early stages of tooth decay. Try to brush your teeth in the morning and before bedtime.
Although you visit your orthodontist regularly, you need also to see a general dentist ensure the health of your teeth rather than improving bite and alignment. Keep it in your mind that the role of your general dentist is very important same as your orthodontist during the orthodontic treatment.
General speaking orthodontic appliances don’t cause tooth decay, decalcification or gum disease by itself but they are risk factors for retaining food particles and dental plaque. As much as your orthodontist clean and prepare your teeth before putting brace, but good oral hygiene during orthodontic treatment is the main factor that keeps your teeth healthy and clean.