Wearing Braces: Dental Braces Care

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If you or your child has dental braces, you are no doubt aware that dental braces care is extremely important. After all, braces are quite an investment of money and time. With braces, wires, rubber bands, springs, and other dental appliances, food and plaque can easily build up, and will stain teeth if they are not cleaned away thoroughly.

People with dental braces should brush their teeth after every meal and if possible after every snack with a fluoride toothpaste. Some orthodontists recommend a fluoride mouthwash, either over-the-counter or prescription. Sometimes these mouth rinses can clean away bits of food that a toothbrush has a hard time reaching.

To floss with dental braces, you have to feed the floss through the space between the main wire and the upper portion of your tooth. There are special flosses for dental braces care made with one end stiffer than the other for easier threading. Using a gentle sawing motion, clean the spaces between teeth. But don’t pull against the arch wire because you can damage it.

When you brush teeth, you should brush down from the top and up from the bottom on each tooth, and you should use a soft toothbrush. Another step that many orthodontists recommend is use of a proxabrush for dental braces care, which is also sometimes called a Christmas tree brush due to its shape. It is designed to clean between dental braces. You insert it down from the top, then up from the bottom on each tooth that has braces. Repeat with each tooth until all teeth have been cleaned.

If you have dental braces, you can still eat most of the foods you like as long as you cut them into small pieces. But some foods should definitely be avoided, such as: foods that are hard to bite, like bagels; taffy, caramel, or other chewy, sticky foods; corn on the cob;and popcorn, nuts, hard pretzels, and carrot sticks. You should not chew gum or ice.

If you’re done with dental braces but are still wearing a retainer, brush your retainer each time you brush your teeth. Once every couple of days, disinfect your retainer by soaking it in denture cleanser. Make sure that you rinse your retainer thoroughly before putting back into your mouth.

Dental braces care also extends to protecting your braces while you play sports. Braces won’t stop you from playing any sport, but with sports where there is the possibility of being hit in the mouth, you need to wear a mouth guard that is made to fit comfortably over your braces and protect your gums and tongue as well.

If you wear dental braces and a bracket or wire breaks, it isn’t necessarily an emergency, but you should set up an appointment for having the problem fixed. If you are injured in your mouth or face, you should seek immediate help. There are some things you can do to make yourself more comfortable until you can get to your orthodontist in the event of a break or other problem.

You can use a small piece of orthodontic wax (available at any drugstore) to reattach loose brackets, or put the wax over the bracket to provide cushioning between the bracket and your gums or other soft tissues.

Loose bands will have to be re-cemented or replaced. If the band has come off, save it and schedule an appointment to have it fixed.

If you have a broken or protruding wire, you can use the eraser end of a pencil to gently push the wire to where it will cause less irritation. If you can’t move it, put some orthodontic wax over the end that sticks out. Don’t try to cut the wire: it’s too dangerous because you could swallow the wire or inhale it, in which case you’d have a medical emergency. If you develop a mouth sore from a broken wire, rinse with warm salt water. Some people find relief from over-the-counter dental anesthetic.

Dental braces care is extremely important if you are to get the most from your orthodontic treatment. Make it into a fixed part of your daily routine, and once you’re through with the braces, you’ll not only have straight teeth, but a dazzling smile.