The importance of oral hygiene and taking care of your teeth and gums remains while you wear braces. While braces straighten your teeth, you can contribute by making sure you are vigilant with your brushing and flossing habits.
Due to the brackets in braces, you should avoid certain sticky foods that may become stuck in them, such as apples, corn on the cob, bagels, caramel, carrots, popcorn, nuts, and more. The likelihood of food getting stuck in hard-to-reach places where they can contribute to tooth decay and gum disease increases with braces. The development of plaque that leads to bacteria can cause problems that braces alone won’t be able to help fix.
Brushing and Flossing
To avoid the accumulation of food particles in your braces, brush your teeth after each meal and then again before bed.
Pay special attention to the area under your gum line. Flossing is not necessarily a pleasant experience if you don’t do it regularly, and it can be even more difficult when your wear braces. However, flossing to remove food particles and plaque must be done every day. This process can take even longer with braces.
After your braces are removed, you want to see that you have a beautiful smile with straight and white teeth. Continuing to brush and floss every single day will help you achieve this goal.
To find out more about taking care of your gums and oral health with braces, please contact Dr. Robert Rudman at Cherry Creek Orthodontics.
