When it comes to brushing and flossing our teeth, one of the main things we’re doing is preventing plaque from building up. Have you ever run your tongue over your teeth and felt a kind of sticky film? That’s plaque! It can develop on the surface of teeth as well as under the gums, and the acid it produces can cause cavities. If plaque isn’t cleaned away properly, it can also harden into something called tartar, which is even more difficult to remove. In fact, you can’t do it yourself at home—you’ll need to get a dental professional to handle it for you!
While preventing plaque buildup is a concern for everyone, it’s especially important for people who wear braces to watch out for. That’s because the wires and brackets of braces create more hard-to-reach and harder-to-clean areas where plaque likes to hide. It’s not fun if you finally get your braces removed only to have to now deal with straight teeth that have cavities!
Here are some ways you can prevent plaque buildup with braces:
Floss Properly
As you might’ve realized, traditional flossing with braces isn’t the easiest thing to do, but there’s a handy tool to remedy that: floss threaders! A floss threader can help you maneuver your dental floss around the wires so you can more effectively clean between your teeth. Another alternative is to use a water flosser to dislodge any food particles between your teeth and around your braces.
Brush More Often
The general rule is to brush twice a day, morning and night. With braces, it helps to bump that up to brushing after every meal. That’s because it’s easy for food to get stuck around your braces, and you don’t want to leave it sitting there for too long since that’s how plaque can develop.
Keep Up with Your Dental Appointments
Your dental team is here to help you fight off plaque. When you keep up with your routine dental cleanings, they’ll be able to remove any plaque that has accumulated so you’ll have a healthy foundation to go off of as you clean your own teeth at home.
If you’re looking for more tips on keeping your teeth clean while wearing braces, Stroope Orthodontics is here for you! We provide a variety of different orthodontic treatments at our practices in Farmington and Springdale, so we’re also here for any other questions you may have related to orthodontics. Contact us today!
