At Galati Orthodontics, our orthodontist, Dr. Galati is happy to assist our patients in Scottsdale, Arizona, with their teeth straightening needs to give them the appealing smiles they desire. Because it is important to maintain healthy teeth and gums in or out of braces, we’re sharing some oral care habits to maintain as you straighten your smile in braces
Oral hygiene is important every day, all year round. Bacteria and plaque never take a day off, so you shouldn’t either! When you are wearing braces, you want to clean the areas around them to keep tooth decay (and gum disease) from taking hold. Be sure to follow these steps and your oral health will thank you!
— Toothbrush: Brush your teeth after you eat or at least three times a day. A soft-bristled toothbrush can not only keep tooth enamel intact and preserve gum health, but it can safely loosen bits of food along with oral debris around your wires and brackets. If you prefer, you can use an orthodontic toothbrush that is specifically designed to clean around your braces hardware.
— Interdental brush: You can clean more easily between the brackets by using an interdental toothbrush created to clean them, as they can reach those areas between your teeth and wires.
— Floss: Your toothbrush alone can’t clean bacteria and plaque off those areas between the teeth and gumline, or underneath the braces wires. Good flossing methods include using a pre-threaded flosser, orthodontic floss, or a water flosser. The goal is to find something that you enjoy using so that you don’t skip this important step in your daily oral hygiene practice.
— Orthodontic Visits: Attend your orthodontic follow-up visits, as well as your scheduled dental cleanings with your dentist, and your smile will thrive while you are straightening it to create a healthy, attractive smile.
For more information on how to care for your smile in braces, please give our orthodontic team a call at 480-656-7801 today!