Home Care / Oral Hygiene

You will be shown the proper care of your braces when your orthodontic treatment begins. Proper cleansing of your mouth
is necessary every time you eat. Teeth with braces are harder to clean, and trap food very easily. If food is left lodged on the brackets and wires, it can cause unsightly etching of the enamel on your teeth. Your most important job is to keep your mouth clean. If food is allowed to collect, the symptoms of gum disease will show in your mouth. The gums will swell and bleed and the pressure from the disease will slow down tooth movement.

BRUSHING:
You should brush after every meal and snack and before bed and when you wake up in the morning. Before bed, brush with Prevident Booster 5000 toothpaste. Spit out the toothpaste completely, do not rinse and do not eat or drink anything until morning.

A. Brush back and forth across… between the wires and gums on the upper and lower to loosen any food particles.

B. Next, brush correctly as if you had no brackets or appliances on.

C. Start on the outside of the uppers with the bristles at a 45 degree angle toward the gum and scrub with a circular motion two or three teeth at a time using ten strokes, then move on.

D. Next, do the same on the inner surface of the upper teeth.

Then, go to the lower teeth and repeat steps A & B.

Use the go-between brush to access the hard to reach areas underneath the wires and between all the braces.

Look in a mirror to see if you have missed any places. Your teeth, brackets and wires should be free of any food particles and plaque.

Note:
If your gums bleed when brushing, do not avoid brushing, but rather continue stimulating the area with the bristles.
Be sure to angle your toothbrush so that the area under your gum line is cleaned. After 3 or 4 days of proper brushing, the bleeding should stop and your gums should be healthy again.

FLOSSING:
Use a special floss threader to floss with your braces on. Be sure to floss daily.

Removable Appliance Care
Clean your removable appliance by brushing it with toothpaste each time you remove it from your mouth. Always bring your removable appliance to each appointment. Avoid flipping it out with your tongue, this can cause damage to your teeth and can cause it to become loose. Place the appliance in the plastic case when it is removed from your mouth. NEVER wrap the appliance in a paper napkin or tissue, someone may throw it away. Don't put it in your pocket or you may break or lose it. Excessive heat will warp and ruin the appliance so do not boil it.


ELASTICS:
Wear your elastics (rubber bands) as prescribed. Wear your elastics correctly, attaching them as you were told. Wear elastics all the time, unless otherwise directed. Take your elastics off while brushing. Change elastics as directed, usually once or twice a day. If you wear elastics only half of the time when full time wear is prescribed it is not enough to move your teeth effectively and will prolong your treatment time. If elastics are worn intermittently, they will continually "shock" the teeth, cause more soreness, and lead to longer treatment time. Sore teeth between appointments usually indicate improper wear of elastics or inadequate hygiene.