At London Bridge Smiles, our orthodontist, Dr. Alan Kessler and our team are pleased to help our patients in Virginia Beach, Virginia, straighten their teeth and create the healthy smile they deserve. Today we would like to share just a little bit about how to care for your smile while you wear braces.
Oral hygiene is crucial for a healthy, beautiful smile, and even more so when you are wearing braces, as you still need to clean them and the areas around them to keep harmful plaque at bay. To keep your teeth and gums in tip-top shape, be sure to practice the following:
– Maintain your daily brushing habits. You can use a soft-bristled toothbrush which not only protects tooth enamel (and your gums) but can clear away oral debris and food particles from your pearly whites, wires, and brackets. An orthodontic toothbrush can help you do the job effectively because of the V-shaped bristles, which is created specifically to clean around your braces.
– To clean those areas between the brackets, you will want to use an interdental toothbrush for the job. It is designed to work between the teeth and the wires on your braces.
– Floss as usual (daily) to reach those areas where your toothbrush can’t, including the gumline, between teeth, and underneath the braces wires. You can use a pre-threaded flosser, orthodontic floss made for cleaning around braces, or even an oral irrigator. Just be sure to find something that works for you, and do it!
– Your follow-up appointments with our orthodontist as well as routine dental cleanings are also crucial for maintaining your oral health while straightening your smile.
If you have any questions for our orthodontic team, please give us a call at 757-340-8805 today!