10 Essential Tips to Take Care of Your Braces [+Caring Reasons]

Braces are a common orthodontic treatment that goes beyond achieving a perfectly aligned smile. Proper care of your braces is important for proper functioning and better results. 

Having braces is just the first step towards a healthy, happy smile. Brace care is quite extensive, ranging from regular brushing after every meal and flossing to mouth guards and orthodontic wax. 

However, some aspects differ depending on the type of dental braces. 

Why is Braces Care a Must?

Before discussing how we can protect our oral health with braces, let’s find out why it is important to look after your braces.

Prevents Tooth Decay

Braces can make it hard to clean your teeth, making some difficult to reach. These spaces can also accumulate food particles, and bacterial growth can occur, causing cavities and even tooth decay.

It can affect overall oral health, leading to further complications such as abscess formation, painful chewing, or eventually tooth loss. So, make sure you clean your mouth with or without braces. 

No Discomfort

Once your braces are in place and you are not paying attention, this can cause infection or inflammation. This physical discomfort affects your oral health, affecting normal oral functioning. The good part is that this physical discomfort is avoidable if your braces remain in good condition.

Prolonged Treatment

Improper cleaning and poor maintenance of these orthodontic devices can affect the functioning of these braces. This significantly increases the treatment time, intensifying your oral health problem and adding to your burden. 

Prevent Braces Damage

Braces consist of different parts and are susceptible to damage. However, taking good care of them keeps all their parts in the best possible state. This also prevents the additional cost of braces repair and doesn’t increase the treatment duration unnecessarily.

Better Aesthetics

Taking care of braces is also essential for their aesthetics. If you don’t pay attention, your overall smile will suffer, leaving behind stained teeth, etc.

10 Best Tips to Take Care of Your Braces

The following are the best tips for taking good care of your braces during the treatment period. These care tips can slightly vary for certain braces types, such as Invisalign, but overall, they remain the same.

1- Brush Brush Brush

Just like good teeth, good braces require regular brushing. Brushing helps you get rid of food residues, germs, and other oral debris that can cause infection. 

However, unlike brushing twice daily, people with braces should brush their teeth after every meal. This is because the structure of braces is different from that of our natural teeth and has a greater tendency to hold food particles. 

While brushing regularly, you might consider using an electric toothbrush for efficient cleaning. 

2- Don’t Forget to Floss

Floss your teeth during the day with braces to protect your oral health. However, flossing with braces can be more tricky than you think. Here are some alternatives to traditional flossing for people with braces:

• Waterpik—A waterpik or water flosser is a handy tool for flossing hard-to-reach areas. It uses a thin stream of water to clean the areas between braces and teeth.
• Floss Threader—A floss threader is a simple alternative to traditional flossing. It uses floss thread that easily passes through the braces. 
• Proxabrush—You can choose a Proxabrush for in-depth cleaning of your teeth and spaces between them. The small bristles easily move and clean the surface. 

3- Choose Foods Wisely

One downside of getting braces is that you can’t eat anything you want. People who wear braces have to be choosy with the food textures. 

For instance, a general recommendation is not to eat sticky foods that can get stuck between the braces and are hard to clean later. Also, foods that contain a large amount of sugar are not a good choice.

So, equate yourself with what foods you can and can’t eat with braces.

4- Your Teeth as Tools – A Big NOOO

No matter if you have braces on or not, it is strictly advised not to use your teeth as tools. Don’t try to open caps or lids using your teeth. This can exert sufficient pressure on your braces and teeth structure, increasing your chances of braces damage. 

5- Use Mouthwash

A good laity mouthwash is a general oral care practice, but it’s essential if you have braces. Rinsing your mouth with an antibacterial liquid kills harmful germs in your mouth that can cause more considerable trouble later. 

6- No Whitening Toothpaste 

If you have been using a whitening toothpaste, leave it once you get your braces. A whitening toothpaste with braces is a horrible combination.

This is because it can whiten the exposed part of your teeth, which is not working on areas under braces. So, once your braces are removed, you will be left with a stained tooth. You can consider other options to whiten your teeth with braces.

7- Wear a Mouthguard

A mouthguard is necessary if your child has braces and is into playing sports at school. A mouthguard is a device that is worn over teeth and surrounding areas to prevent any sort of damage during physical activities.

8- Carry Your Braces Care Kit

Keeping your braces and care kit within your access is necessary at home or in school. A braces care kit includes all the essentials, including a toothbrush, picks, floss, orthodontics wax, painkillers, etc. 

9- Look for the Signs of Damage

An essential part of braces care is to keep your eyes on warning signs. If you are experiencing pain, trouble with movement, chewing, or feeling your braces are not at their places, it is best to go to your orthodontist immediately.

You can book your appointment with the best orthodontists via Palm Valley Orthodontics. 

10- Never Miss Your Orthodontist’s Visit

The last braces care tip is not to miss your orthodontist appointment, whether close or inconvenient. This will help to keep your braces in their best state and prevent complications.