How Do You Brush Your Teeth With Braces?
Braces are appliances that are attached to your teeth. Whether you choose traditional metal braces, self-ligating braces, or clear braces, there’s no shortage of benefits from wearing braces.
Wearing braces comes with some extra responsibility. Knowing how to brush your teeth with braces can help you avoid staining your teeth or developing other concerns. If you are wearing Invisalign, there are different steps to caring for your aligners.
Our patients often ask us questions like, “how many times should I brush my teeth with braces?” This question is perfectly understandable. That’s why we created this blog with answers to common questions about how to brush your teeth with braces, flossing with braces, and more!
How To Properly Brush Your Teeth With Braces
Taking care of your teeth while wearing braces is an important part of your treatment. Braces offer a lot of opportunities for food and other particles to hide in your smile.
Getting your toothbrush to fit in all those hard-to-reach areas can be hard. But it is important that you clean every part of your smile. Brushing can keep plaque from forming on your teeth. If not dealt with, plaque can become tarter that stains teeth.
Regular brushing after each meal can help eliminate plaque. Here are some steps on how to brush your teeth with braces:
- Wait about 30 minutes after eating so your saliva can wash away any acids in your food.
- Rinse your mouth with water. This will help free up some of the trapped food from your mouth.
- Start by brushing along the gum line.
- After finishing your gum line, move on to your upper and lower gums. Brush in the spaces between your gums and your brackets
- Next, brush your wires.
- Finally, attend to any other area you may have missed during your routine.
How Many Times Should You Brush Your Teeth A Day With Braces?
People without braces generally only need to brush their teeth two times a day. However, braces wearers need to go a little above-and-beyond during their morning and evening cleaning schedule.
You should brush your teeth after every meal while wearing braces. Frequent brushing can help you avoid food build-up. Some people really enjoy the feeling of clean teeth and will brush their teeth 8 or 10 times a day! Others may prefer only brushing after meals and before bed. Brushing is one of those activities that feels so good, and you can do it as much as you want!
Everyone will have a different routine. But make extra sure that you brush your teeth before you go to bed. Having an unclean mouth for 8 hours while you sleep is very risky to your smile’s health.
How Long Should You Brush Your Teeth With Braces?
Many of our patients ask us, “how long should you brush your teeth with braces?” The answer is pretty simple. You should at least spend thirty seconds on each section of your mouth, totaling two minutes of cleaning time.
But we encourage you to take your time while cleaning and really enjoy taking care of your smile.
What About Flossing With Braces?
Flossing is an essential method for freeing trapped food and debris. But many patients say that the wires that connect some braces make their flossing challenging.
Although flossing can be a little difficult, here are some tips for achieving the perfect floss.
- Flossing will require about 18 inches of waxed floss. Waxed floss is less likely to get caught in your braces.
- Thread the waxed floss under the main wire before slipping it between your teeth. Be gentle and move the floss on and down slowly.
- Remove the floss and reposition it under the main wire to reach the next set of teeth.
- Once you’re done with flossing, rinse with some mouthwash to remove excess material.
Small investments in tools like floss threaders or water flossers can improve your results. If you are struggling with your flossing routine, the professionals at Lund Orthodontics can work with you to find a method that works with your routine.
More Questions About How to Brush With Braces?
How to properly brush your teeth with braces requires a little more finesse than many people realize. Following some basic guidelines can help improve your treatment time. Taking care of your teeth while you wear braces can set you up for a lifetime of healthy smiles.
Getting a brilliant smile requires experts who are committed to helping you. For over two generations, Lund Orthodontics has helped people around Lake Stevens, Kirkland, and Snohomish, and Smokey Point get the smile they’ve always dreamed of having.
Schedule your free exam today to get started! You can reach us by phone, text message, or our online scheduler.
