How to Brush Teeth With Braces

How to Brush Teeth With Braces

My daughter and I are working with 3M this year reviewing their Clarity™ ADVANCED Ceramic Braces. You can find the first two posts in the series here:

• About ceramic braces for teens
• Helping kids adjust to braces

We’ve just had our fist check up appointment since having the braces put on, and what I’m most interested in is how well my daughter has been brushing her teeth! It’s something we are still fine-tuning. With braces comes extra care when brushing, and I’ll list down some tips, plus the orthodontist’s recommendations.

But first, new colours!! My daughter went with Midnight Glow, Light Blue and Mediterranean Blue this time. Go blue!

 

TIPS ON HOW TO BRUSH WITH BRACES:

1. Rinse: Start by removing loose food particles.

2. Tree brush: An interproximal brush is a great way to check behind your wires for any remaining food debris.

3. Water flosser: Many people wearing braces use a water flosser as added assurance they’ve removed food particles from around their braces.Note: We don’t have one of these so skip this step, but I’m looking into it to see if it may be worthwhile.

4. Floss: Remove any food that’s in between your teeth with floss.Note: To floss teeth with braces you have to thread it under the wire first and it’s easier to do this by folding over a centromere or so at the end.

5. Power brush: A specially-designed electric toothbrush head is made to remove plaque in tiny, hard-to-reach spots like the areas around your braces.Note: We often use manual brushes, but my daughter has just started trying a power brush and it does make a big difference, so a better option if you can.

6. Final rinse: Now that you’re done cleaning your teeth, make sure your mouth is fresh and toothpaste-free with a quick rinse.

 

Handy Tools:

• Tree Brush (or Piksters)
• Regular or Power Brush
• Wax for rough spots on the braces to minimise ulcers
• Floss
• Toothpaste

I hadn’t heard of a water flosser before, and pictured below is a WaterPik Waterflosser. It’s a bit on the expensive side, but I’m looking into it.

All is going well. I think like everything we do in our family, we adjust, and then just make things work as we go along, so it hasn’t been a stressful process. And it’s good to see my daughter’s confidence is as bright as ever.

This is a review post. You can read my review policy here