Top Tips for Maintaining Good Oral Hygiene with Braces

Oral hygiene with braces can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be! Your braces are there to help you achieve a beautiful, aligned smile, but they require proper maintenance - so the best thing you can do is start with good habits. Bad oral hygiene with braces can lead to enamel damage, tooth discoloration and staining, but these can be easily avoided by following a few simple steps. 

Rinse Your Mouth First

Many people rinse their mouths as the final step in their tooth brushing routine, but it should be the first! Rinsing your mouth with water before you start brushing dislodges bigger food particles that may have gotten stuck in your bands and brackets and avoids heavy-handed brushing to dig these out with a toothbrush.

Brush Carefully

After you rinse your mouth, remember to rinse your toothbrush, as food particles can sometimes get stuck there, too. Hold your toothbrush at a 45 degree angle and gently follow your gum line to make sure you’re cleaning every tooth, then adjust the angle to clean all the inner surfaces of your teeth.

Take Your Time

Experts say we should spend two to three minutes brushing our teeth, but this can sometimes take longer when carefully brushing braces. Don’t rush, make sure you’re cleaning every individual tooth. One great way to make sure you’re spending enough time on your brushing is to stick on your favourite song and brush for its duration - you’ll be amazed at how quickly the time passes.

Try An Electric Toothbrush

An electric toothbrush gives you a deeper clean in those hard-to-reach areas. Our portable Pulse sonic toothbrush delivers 31,000 strokes per minute, so each tooth is ensured an intensive clean. Sonic toothbrushes work by massaging the teeth rather than brushing up and down, which also helps to avoid issues such as overbrushing or enamel damage.

Don’t Forget to Floss

Nobody likes flossing, but it’s an important part of caring for your braces. Although it can be difficult to avoid brackets and wires, there are plenty of purpose-made interdental brushes and flosses for people with braces, which help you to clean all the hidden parts of your teeth.

Brush Your Teeth Daily

You should be brushing your teeth at least twice daily, in the morning and at night. Because food particles and plaque build up throughout the day, this is the easiest way to avoid future problems such as gingivitis and tooth decay. As braces often trap more food particles, it is often necessary to also brush after meals, which isn’t always convenient when you’re out and about. A simple solution is to carry a portable toothbrush, so that you don’t get caught up with unsightly bits caught in your braces.

Brushing your teeth with braces can be challenging at the start, but if you follow the above tips and get into a routine it will soon become second nature, and you’ll be rewarded with a beautiful smile.