Even if you’re getting traditional braces, you might think your oral care routine will stay the same. After all, what could possibly change? You’ll probably still brush twice daily, floss once daily, and occasionally rinse with mouthwash. However, the truth is that metal braces need care beyond regular dental hygiene. In fact, it’s best to have special dental tools to keep your mouth healthy during the straightening process. Here are five such devices you’ll need until you get your new smile.
A Floss Threader
With or without braces, you need to floss at least once a day. Brushing alone won’t get as much of your teeth cleaned, raising the odds of oral problems down the road.
When you have braces, flossing is best done with threaders. These loops of material make it easier to “thread” floss through the tiny gaps between your teeth and wires. You could also get “pre-threaded” floss, which is cut to length, compact, and comes in single-use packets.
An Interproximal Brush
True enough, a regular toothbrush can clean your teeth even with braces. But an interproximal brush would be a lot more effective.
Unlike the former, the latter has bristles that can move around your brackets and between the archwire. Consequently, an interproximal brush ensures no annoying food particles get trapped. Said brush also removes plaque, so it’ll be good to have after you finish your treatment.
Travel-Sized Toothpaste
For your braces to work well, you need to keep your teeth decay-free while you have them. That means regular toothbrushing after your meals.
Travel-sized toothpaste would be helpful for this post-meal brushing. It’ll let you effectively clean your teeth, whether at work or out for lunch with a friend.
Orthodontic Wax
Until or unless you develop calluses, your braces may irritate your gums and other soft mouth tissue. You can keep that from happening with orthodontic wax. By applying a small amount to a protruding bracket or wire, their sharp edges won’t be able to do major damage.
A Pocket Mirror
One downside of metal braces is that they easily trap food, thus giving plaque and bacteria more places to hide. You should probably keep a pocket mirror handy for a better post-brush check of your mouth. If you can’t, try using your smartphone’s selfie camera instead.
Dental issues are bad enough, let alone when you have metal stuck to your teeth. Make sure they don’t happen by using the items listed above!
About the Practice
SimpliBraces is an orthodontic practice based in Queens, NY. Committed to the teeth-straightening process, their core goal is to give patients functional and beautiful smiles. Their treatment options come in four varieties: early interceptive, teen comprehensive, adult, and surgical. As for the braces themselves, they offer traditional models, Invisalign, hidden braces, and modern techniques. For more information or to book an appointment, reach them at their website or by phone at (929)-229-1009.