Oral hygiene can be the key to ensuring a healthy future for your teeth, especially while you are receiving orthodontic treatment
At Ortho3 in Sydney’s CBD and Bondi Junction, we wish to help our patients achieve a sound oral hygiene routine while they are receiving orthodontic treatment. Maintaining a sound oral hygiene routine is one of the most important things you can do in order to help keep your teeth for life. Great oral health is also important for your general wellbeing.
While it is vital to maintaining a sound oral hygiene routine if your gums bleed constantly or you experience discomfort when brushing or flossing it is important to contact our professionals.
If you are receiving the orthodontic care it is still important, if not more so, to maintain a stringent oral hygiene routine. Just because you are wearing braces or receiving an orthodontic treatment does not mean that you should neglect your wider dental health.
Tips for maintaining a healthy smile
While there is normally an adjustment period, brushing and flossing should not be significantly impacted by your orthodontic treatment. It is important while receiving orthodontic treatment that patients still:
• Brush
It is important that you continue to brush your teeth twice a day even throughout your treatment. Depending on your orthodontic treatment you may need to adopt new techniques when brushing. If you are wearing a removal device, such as the invisible aligners, you will be able to remove your orthodontic device and brush as you normally would.
For those receiving traditional, ceramic or lingual braces it is important to practice brushing around the brackets (even if they are on the tongue side of your teeth). This is important as plaque and bacteria can build up around the brackets and beneath the wire.
It is important to brush at a 45-degree angle to the gum line, jiggling the brush on each tooth for at least 10 seconds.
• Floss
Even if you are receiving orthodontic treatment it is still important to floss in between your teeth. Wearing brackets on the teeth can make it even more important to floss as bacteria can build up around the gaps between these teeth if the brackets block your toothbrush.
When flossing you can use normal string floss, or if you are wearing braces you can now purchase floss brushes which can get between brackets and wires. It is important to slide the floss between the teeth and reach the contact points of the gum.
• Avoid excess sugar and damaging foods and drinks
Avoiding foods that are high in sugar or that are very acidic is important throughout your life. It is often important when receiving orthodontic treatment to avoid sugary or staining foods as the tooth can become damaged around the brackets. These foods can also cause orthodontic devices to become stained and thus become more noticeable.
• Attend your orthodontic appointments
During your orthodontic treatment, our professionals will examine your dental health to ensure that you are maintaining excellent oral health. In monitoring your oral health we can also discuss with you the best methods to keep your smile healthy.
Book an appointment.