How to Properly Clean Your Teeth with Brace

Keeping your mouth and teeth clean is important part of your daily routine. However, it is even more important when you are undergoing orthodontic treatment. You must know how to properly clean your braces and retainers and that you aren’t skimping out on your end of the job. First of all, you should be seeing your orthodontist about once a month so they can make sure your treatment is going as planned and that your are taking care of your teeth. Keep in mind that it takes about three times as long to clean your teeth with braces than it does without.

Brushing

You should brush your teeth after every meal and snack. Not brushing after eating can cause strain on your teeth after your braces are removed. Oral B recommends using a two-step system when brushing your braces. First, brush your teeth from top down and then bottom up. You can also buy specially made toothbrushes designed to clean between brackets. Nevertheless, while these toothbrushes are helpful, they are not necessary. Remember to replace your toothbrush every 3 months. You should brush your teeth for about two minutes:

1.     Start by rinsing your mouth out with some water.

2.     If you wear rubber bands, remove them.

3.     Clean your braces: clean around and under your wires and brackets.

4.     Clean your teeth: focus on each tooth individually by moving your brush in a circular motion.

5.     Don’t forget to brush your gums: we don’t want them to get inflammed and bleed.

Flossing

When flossing it is important to use a floss threader so that you can get under the main wire and floss in between your teeth properly. Try to avoid putting pressure on the main wire.

Mouthwash

Many orthodontists recommend using fluoride mouthwash on top of brushing your teeth and flossing, for those hard to reach places. Mouthwash also helps control plaque build up. If you don’t have fluoride mouthwash then salt water is an excellent alternative because it can help kill sores and Gingivitis. You should rinse your mouth out with mouthwash or salt water for about 30 seconds after your brush your teeth and floss.

Proxy Brush

Most orthodontists will give you a proxy brush to help you reach difficult areas and to really get in between your wires. These are very useful; just remember to change them out frequently because they do collect germs.

Avoiding chewy and tough to eat foods like corn, nuts, apples, popcorn, candy, and gum will make the cleaning experience easier for you. If you have any further questions on keeping your braces clean or are unsure how to do anything we have discussed here, please contact Dr. Reed’s office today at 412-421-8565.

The Annoyance of Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth are the very last molars in your mouth to develop. They usually begin to pop through your back gums at around 16 to 19 years old. If you cannot see them around this age then your teeth may be impacted and you should talk to your dentist. Some people however do not have wisdom teeth and therefore do not have to deal with getting them removed. Because wisdom teeth are the last to come in they often do not have enough room to grow and can cause crowding in your mouth forcing your teeth to shift. More often than not, wisdom teeth are removed rather than forcing your teeth to shift. The crowding caused by growing wisdom teeth can cause intense amounts of pain, infections, and sometimes even cysts.

Removing your Teeth

Getting your wisdom teeth out can be very painful but the good new is you don’t have to be awake for the process. Depending on whether you teeth are impacted or not, the process can be a simple extraction or a surgical extraction. A simple extraction only requires some Novocaine and a dentist while with a surgical extraction, an oral surgeon will put you under with a general anesthesia and removed your teeth from your gums.

Braces and Wisdom Teeth

Most people get braces around 9 to 14 years old, long before wisdom teeth begin to appear. So why should you get braces when you don’t have all your teeth yet and they are just going to shift anyways? Many people get their wisdom teeth removed and therefore their teeth don’t need to shift. If you don’t get your wisdom teeth removed it is probably because they aren’t causing a problem, meaning the shift isn’t that big and braces can quickly fix the problem if there is one at all. We recommend that you get braces before you get your wisdom teeth removed or when your dentist recommends them because the chance of you needing them again later is life is slim.