Orthodontic tips from Kent Smile Studio in Maidstone
Ideally, children and young adults who require help correcting an uneven bite or crooked teeth would have access to braces nice and early.
A typical time for straightening teeth is about the age of 13, as everything is still developing and growing and it ensures a corrected bite and straighter teeth in time for adult life.
However, for many reasons, not everybody gets their teeth straightened as children. Although this isn’t ideal, all is not lost and there are a multitude of options for adult teeth straightening so you aren’t stuck with a smile you don’t love.
Here at Kent Smile Studio in Maidstone we offer a wide range of adult teeth straightening options. Although the objective is achieving a beautiful, straight smile, there are a few extra things you need to do during treatment to ensure your mouth stays healthy, including cleaning your teeth well.
If you do not clean the teeth and gums well during brace treatment you are at risk of staining, tooth decay and even gum disease. You could even damage the braces if you do not take care of them well, potentially even breaking them completely.
In this guide, we want to give you some handy tips to help you keep your teeth clean and healthy whilst wearing two popular adult brace treatments we offer here at your Maidstone dentist; clear braces and traditional braces:
How To Clean Your Teeth With Traditional Braces
You should brush your teeth after each meal when you wear braces, regardless of how little you eat. If you do not remove the food debris, they can stay trapped against your teeth causing problems. Start by rinsing your mouth with water which removes any loose food. Then brush gently against the gum line at a 45 degree angle, followed by the top of the brackets at a downward angle. Next, brush upwards to brush the bottom of the brackets. Once you have done this you can rinse again to remove any debris and check your work in case there is anywhere you need to brush again.
Flossing and using inter-dental brushes between the teeth can help with additional oral hygiene support, as well as using orthodontic flossers to floss underneath the wires.
In all cases, do be careful to avoid eating too many sugary or white starchy foods which can easily build up on the brackets and cause problems. Any sticky or particularly hard foods should be avoided at all costs when you have braces.
If you want more advice on what you can eat whilst wearing braces, your dentist and hygienist will be more than happy to provide you with more information to help. With braces, it is definitely better to avoid breaking or damaging them because of eating the wrong thing. It can be expensive and delay treatment if you need to get entirely new brackets made.
How To Clean Your Teeth With Clear Braces
Clear braces may not be as difficult to keep clean as traditional braces, but you still need to put extra effort in to both oral hygiene and your aligner care to ensure that both stay in great condition.
To keep your aligners in great condition, make sure that you rinse them really well when you take them out, then gently brush them with anti-bacterial soap before soaking them with approved cleaner for proper sanitation. It is really important to avoid cleaning your aligners with any coloured soap as it could stain them. Toothpaste is also a bad cleaning agent because it can scratch the aligners. Most importantly, don’t leave your teeth aligners out and unprotected when you take them off to eat. This could expose them to bacteria and germs that will then be transferred into your mouth when you put them back in. Where possible, rinsing before putting your aligners back in is a great idea.
When it comes to taking care of your teeth when you use clear aligners, proper oral hygiene is important. If you don’t clean your teeth well the food debris can be stuck to your teeth whilst you have the aligners in place, leaving you at risk of decay and gum disease. In all instances your teeth should be cleaned before you place your aligners back in, no matter how little the amount of food you consumed. You should also avoid eating any food whilst you have the aligners in as doing so can damage the aligners, stain them and even cause them to smell bad.
Your Dentist And Hygienist Can Help When You Have Braces
Your dentist has already helped you some of the way to a gorgeous smile by helping you with clear or traditional braces. There’s a lot to look forward to when it comes to your future smile. However, they can help you even more by providing support with dental care between brace adjustments. Your hygienist is highly trained when it comes to cleaning teeth and gums and keeping them healthy. They are experienced problem solvers and know how to get around each and every issue that might make cleaning your teeth and gums harder, such as having braces. If you wish, you can book appointments with our Maidstone hygienist independently of the dentist, ideal for cleanings and advice on keeping your teeth in great condition whilst you wear braces.
It is also important to continue to visit the dentist regularly for checkups to ensure that any new cavities or issues that are present can be diagnosed and treated quickly, to avoid them getting any worse. You can call your Maidstone dental reception team on 01622 754 662 to book an appointment with the dentist or hygienist today. We’re here to help support your oral health in any way we can!
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