Whether you are wearing braces or invisalign, it's very important to brush and floss after every meal in order to keep your teeth and gums healthy throughout your orthodontic treatment. We get a lot of questions about choosing the right toothbrush, toothpaste, and dental floss so we have tried to make things a little easier for you:
CLICK HERE to visit our MHO Amazon Storefront where you can see our recommendations for oral health care products and tools for taking care of your teeth while undergoing orthodontic treatment. Should you have any questions, please ask Dr. Mack, Dr. Hansen, or any of our team members at your next visit!
Brushing with Braces
Be sure to brush your teeth for two minutes after every meal with a soft-bristled, small-headed toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste.
We recommend using a powered toothbrush though in order to increase your brushing effectiveness. There are many powered toothbrushes out there with a wide range of features and capabilities.
Oral-B offers a toothbrush head that is specifically made for brushing around braces which works great and can be used on most of their electric toothbrushes including the 2 above!
Brush the outside and inside surfaces of your teeth using small, gentle, circular motions while positioning the head of the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to the gum line. Brush your teeth’s chewing surfaces and the inside surface of your front teeth using short, gentle, back-and-forth motions. Pay close attention to the areas around your braces, brackets and/or other appliances.
Flossing with Braces
One of our favorite products for easy flossing behind braces is the Platypus Orthodontic Flosser, which can be found here.
If you feel like you are not able to floss well or your floss is not removing all of the food between your teeth, consider a Waterpik. Waterpiks make flossing an absolute breeze and can be used during and after orthodontic treatment!
Flossing after every meal will help keep your teeth and braces clean, which will also help keep your treatment time on track. To floss with braces, use a floss threader,, special orthodontic floss, or Superfloss to thread the floss behind your orthodontic wire as seen below. Wrap the ends of your floss around each pointer finger while leaving a few inches of floss between them. Gently slide your floss between each tooth with a back and forward motion as seen below. Floss beneath the gum line to remove plaque and food not reached by brushing. Reapeat this until all of your teeth have been flossed, even the molars way in the back!
