How Braces Can Help and How to Keep Them Clean

Visiting the braces dentist has become a rite of passage for many children and teenagers in modern society. The braces we use today have come a long way in terms comfort and efficiency with straightening out your teeth. Designed originally to solve problems primarily associated with malocclusion, also called crooked teeth, braces have taken on a much broader range of issues that they can resolve. For example braces are now used for people who have a chronic overbite, a condition where the upper jaw is larger than the lower jaw leading to your upper teeth being far more forward placed than your lower ones when you bite. Braces are also a remedy for an under bite, which is the opposite condition. People with an under bite have a lower jaw that is much larger. In either case, this improper alignment can lead to challenges with the strength and structure of the teeth, can cause a person to have trouble with chewing later in life, and can even lead to specific challenges with language and enunciation. As a braces dentist, we know that braces can resolve many of these issues.

As a braces dentist, we are always concerned with the element of oral hygiene. There is no treatment that can be as successful if you are not engaged in the proper amount of oral hygiene. This is particularly true with braces. With braces, you are inserting metal or plastic into your mouth and creating the perfect places for food to get stuck. If you are not careful with your oral health and hygiene habits you can find this stuck food can lead to a number of problems like bad breath, swollen gums, and discolored teeth. Even worse, if this food stays in place for a longer period of time, it will turn into a plaque buildup that can ultimately result in a bacterial cavity. It is even possible to contract a gum infection because of bad hygiene habits while we are working to make sure that you have straight teeth. Since giving you great looking teeth is the goal, here are a couple of tips that can help avoid these eventualities.

Remember, the best practice is to brush or clean your teeth immediately after a meal or snack. When you get into the habit of doing this, you will take an important step in preventing plaque buildup or allowing food that has gotten stuck in the braces to remain there. As a  braces dentist, we also recommend that you change the way in which you typically brush your teeth. Most people brush their teeth in quadrants, rather than focusing on the individual tooth. We ask that you change this, since each tooth is affected by the braces and may get food stuck. Brushing individual teeth, for 10 to 15 seconds each, will result in a more thorough brushing where you will get all the surface area of the tooth completely clean. This includes the back of the teeth, on the tongue side of the mouth, which can get ignored sometimes. For more tips regarding braces - call our dental office.