There is no denying that brushing your teeth when you are wearing braces is not only a time-consuming task but a difficult one at that. Unfortunately, if you want a beautiful and improved smile at the end of your treatment, you have to not only brush and floss regularly, but you have to use the proper technique.

To help make brushing your teeth a little easier while wearing braces, we have come up with four tips we hope will help you with this essential task.

Tip #1 – Before Brushing, Rinse Your Mouth Out with Water

Rinsing your mouth out with water before you even start brushing is an important first step, especially if you are brushing right after eating. Rinsing with water will remove some, but not all, of the food particles that are stuck between your teeth, around the brackets, and near the wires.

If you don’t remove the food particles before brushing, you are essentially just brushing over the particles and not really cleaning the teeth. Removing the particles before you brush allows you to get closer to your teeth. The closer you get to your teeth with a toothbrush, the easier it is to remove harmful clear plaque that may be accumulating around your gum line, around the brackets, and between the teeth. Failing to remove plaque can result in the development of cavities, teeth staining, and gum disease.

Tip #2 – Always Purchase the Right Type of Toothbrush

It might be tempting to just grab the cheapest toothbrush, but the cheapest toothbrush might make your brushing experience painful and uncomfortable. Even worse, it could cause you to damage your braces. It is important that you always use the right type of toothbrush when brushing with braces.

It is recommended that you use a toothbrush that has the following qualities:

• Soft bristles – this helps to remove food particles and plaque without causing you to hurt your cheeks and gums. It also will not damage your braces.
• Proper head size – make sure the head size of the toothbrush allows you to gain access to all the teeth in your mouth, including the ones in the back. Using a toothbrush with a head that is too big can cause you to miss teeth, and plaque and cavities may develop on them.
• Interdental brush – this type of toothbrush can be used in addition to a regular toothbrush. It allows you to easily access the areas around your wires and in between your teeth.

Tip #3 – Give Yourself Enough Time to Brush Your Teeth

Brushing when you have braces is a time-consuming task. It isn’t something that can be done in a minute or two. It will go faster as you get used to brushing with braces, but it won’t be as easy as when you weren’t wearing braces.

Make sure you always give yourself enough time to brush your teeth. Not having enough time will mean that you just brush over food particles and don’t really clean out your teeth.

If you don’t have enough time to properly brush your teeth, you may want to just swish some water around your mouth. This will eliminate any acids, sugars, or food particles from your mouth and then when you have enough time, you can properly brush your teeth.

Tip #4 – Better Brushing. It Gets Easier

Brushing with braces will get easier the more you do it. Keep practicing. It is important that you don’t get frustrated. When brushing, always remember to practice proper brushing technique.

Proper brushing technique includes doing the following:

• Brushing teeth for at least two minutes
• Removing any large food particles before brushing
• Moving the toothbrush in small strokes instead of large, harsh strokes
• Brushing all surfaces of the mouth and teeth including the gums, cheeks, tongue, chewing surfaces of the teeth, fronts of the teeth, and back of the teeth

Have questions about how to properly brush while wearing braces? The staff at Melbourne Orthodontics will help you! Our staff will not only provide you with tips on how to brush while wearing braces, but we will answer any questions you may have about brushing or flossing. Feel free to call our office and ask any questions you may have. We look forward to helping you.