Care for Braces

Oral Hygiene | Brushing & Flossing | Fluoride | Foods to Avoid

Oral Hygiene

You’re investing a lot of time, effort and money into the construction and placement of your orthodontic appliances. Our instructions may seem extreme, but always remember that your treatment may not be as effective and may take longer if you don’t take proper care of your teeth.

We keep emphasizing that orthodontic treatment is about teamwork, and in the case of taking care of your braces and your teeth, you’re the most important team member. You’re the team leader when it comes to keeping your teeth and mouth clean and healthy and ensuring that you’ll get your new healthy smile on schedule.

Our regimen of oral hygiene during your orthodontic treatment includes:

  • Instructions on how to brush, floss and take care of your braces and removable appliances
  • Topical Fluoride
  • Foods to Avoid

Always keep in mind that cavities, gum disease or damage, such as broken, lost or bent appliances, will require extra care, possible extra appointments to fix and may make your treatment take longer.


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Brushing & Flossing

Brushing
Plaque and debris from food stick to the surfaces of your teeth, especially around brackets, bands and wires, and can cause tooth decay and gum disease. That’s why it’s important to keep your teeth and all parts of your braces squeaky clean at all times.

Braces won’t cause you to get more cavities, but they will mean you have to spend a little extra effort to keep your teeth and mouth clean. You may need to use more than one cleaning device to do this.

When you first begin flossing and brushing properly, gums that have not been kept clean may become sore and bleed. After a few days of excellent hygiene, your gums should stop bleeding and heal. If they don’t, please call us. Healthy, clean gums don’t bleed!

Brush after every meal and before going to bed. Use a soft toothbrush and moderate force and use the following method:

  • Place the toothbrush at an angle so that you feel the bristles under the gumline.
  • Move the brush in small circles, vibrating the brush on each area of each tooth above and below the archwire.
  • Brush each tooth about 10 seconds.
  • Work systematically from one side of the mouth to the other.
  • Be sure to brush all surfaces of all your teeth.
  • Push the bristles under the wires and between the teeth.
  • Always brush within 10 minutes after eating and before bed.
  • Use a fluoride rinse once a day.
  • Spend enough time brushing to make sure you clean all your teeth properly.
  • When you’re finished, your braces should be shiny, and your gums should be firm and light pink.

We may recommend that you invest in an electric toothbrush, such as a Sonicare, Braun or Rotodent brand. We have found the hygiene results from an electric toothbrush to be superior to those accomplished with a regular toothbrush.

We may recommend that you use an interdental brush to clean around your bonded appliances and under your archwires. The advantage of an interdental brush is that it reaches areas, such as between teeth, that your toothbrush cannot. With an interdental brush, use slow, repetitive movements, work systematically and be sure to clean all parts of your braces.

Flossing
Dental floss is a nylon thread specifically created to remove plaque and food particles that are trapped between teeth. Just like an interdental brush, flossing reaches the parts of your teeth and braces that your toothbrush cannot. Here are a few flossing tips:

  • Cut a piece of floss about 12 inches long, enough to wrap around the middle finger of each hand or to use with your floss threader.
  • Using thumbs and index fingers, insert the floss between your teeth with a gentle, back and forth movement. Floss must be threaded under the archwire before it is passed between your teeth.
  • Curve the floss in a C-shape around each tooth and floss up and down.
  • Don’t snap the floss or use heavy pressure. This can damage your gums.
  • Clean the adjacent tooth the same way, then move to the next space.
  • You can change the position of your hands and fingers to maintain a good grip on the floss.
  • Be sure to floss all your teeth every day, including the back ones.

Flossing may be more difficult when you have braces and wires, but it’s worth the effort to keep your teeth clean and breath fresh. You may find flossing easier if you use a floss threader to get around your wires, but be careful not to put too much pressure on the wires. Superfloss, a thick, fluffy floss, may be best for cleaning under your wires.

Cleaning a Removable Appliance
A removable appliance, such as a retainer, will accumulate plaque and food particles just like your teeth do. Clean your removable appliances daily with a toothbrush. You should also soak your appliance several times a week in a glass of lukewarm tap water and a denture-cleaning tablet such as Efferdent or Polident.

When you’re not using your appliance, store it in cool water with a little added mouthwash for freshness. Taking care of your appliance and keeping it clean will help prevent plaque build-up and oral infections and will keep your appliance tasting fresh.

Never use hot water to clean your appliance. You might damage it. Also, be gentle with your appliances ... they’re breakable.  If damaged or broken, your appliance will have to be replaced. This delay might mean a lengthened treatment time, so be careful!

Antibacterial Mouthwash
When needed for inflammation to gums and cheeks, we recommend Peroxyl, a hydrogen peroxide antiseptic mouth rinse. Peroxyl helps to fight infection, decrease irritation and will help your mouth heal. Peroxyl will also help canker sores, cheek bites and other minor temporary injuries to your mouth tissue.

To use Peroxyl:

  • Rinse with two teaspoons (half a capful) of Peroxyl for one minute, then spit the liquid out.
  • Use up to four times a day, after brushing, which should be after every meal and before you go to bed.

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Fluoride

Topical fluoride is used during orthodontic care to help prevent cavities, to re-mineralize tooth enamel and as an antibacterial agent. We recommend that you use Phos-Flur (a topical agent with 1.1% sodium fluoride) during your orthodontic treatment, but not as a substitute for toothpaste and good brushing and flossing habits.

Apply a thin ribbon of Phos-Flur to your teeth with a toothbrush at bedtime. Leave it on for one minute, then spit it out. Don’t drink or eat for at least 30 minutes after using Phos-Flur, because that will dilute the effects.

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Foods to Avoid

Common sense will guide you in choosing most of the foods you need to avoid or alter while you’re wearing braces. Simply stay away from anything that may break, bend, pull loose or stick to any parts of your braces. You should also take steps to protect your teeth against decay and your gums against periodontal disease by avoiding high sugar content foods and drink. Always use common sense and caution when eating the following foods ...

Hard Foods
Hard foods may damage your braces by bending the wires, loosening the cement bonding material or breaking the brackets. Here are examples of the hard foods you should avoid or modify ...

  • Carrots or celery – grate, cook or cut into small pieces
  • Apples – cut into bite-sized pieces
  • Corn on the cob – cut off the cob
  • Chicken, ribs, etc. – cut meat off the bone
  • Do not eat nuts, pretzels, hard pizza crust or chips
  • No bread with hard crusts, such as French bread, hard rolls or bagels
  • You may have popcorn, but only the soft pieces from the top half of the bowl - never the hard, crunchy kernels on the bottom
  • Absolutely no chewing on ice, pens, pencils, fingernails!

Sticky Foods
Sticky foods can bend wires, loosen cement, even pull brackets off your teeth. Do not eat ...

  • Taffy
  • Sugar Daddies
  • Peanut brittle
  • Caramels
  • Candy apples
  • Licorice
  • Any sticky candy such as Starburst or Now and Laters

Gum
Just like sticky foods, gum can bend your braces or pull off brackets, so don’t chew bubblegum or regular gum of any kind. If you must chew gum, please use sugarless gum only, one stick at a time.

Foods and Drinks High in Sugar Content
Whether you’re wearing braces or not, foods and beverages high in sugar content should be avoided. The bacteria that cause tooth decay, decalcification and gum disease live naturally in your mouth and use the sugars on your teeth to live. Sweets provide an extra food source for these bacteria to breed and produce the acids that damage your teeth and gums.

Most of the damage done by this bacteria occurs within 30 minutes after eating, so brush your teeth immediately after each meal. Be especially careful to clean the area between orthodontic bands and gums.

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