Looking at your smile in the mirror when you first get home from our dentist, Dr. Nikita Pastagia’s office, you may wonder how you are going to take care of your teeth through your new braces. After all, you may have trouble even seeing your teeth through all of that metal, how can you brush them?
Actually it can be done. As a matter of fact, it needs to be done, since your braces can trap food debris when you eat and give plaque and tartar extra places to hide.
Normally, you need to brush your teeth two times a day for two minutes at a time, twice a day. However, with braces, you will need to step up your game. You should brush your teeth thirty minutes after every meal and snack. And, you need to take it slow. Try concentrating on one or two teeth at a time. First, rinse your mouth the remove any loose food debris. Hold your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to your teeth and brush your gum line. Then brush your upper teeth, followed by your lower teeth. Brush from the gums to the down to the brackets, and then up to the brackets. Follow that by brushing along the wire. You will need to floss your teeth to remove any food particles that may have been caught in your braces. It may be difficult to use regular dental floss, so talk to the dentist about using a floss pick, floss threader or water flosser.
If you have questions about taking care of your teeth while you have your braces, we have the answers! If you live in the Shrewsbury, New Jersey area, you can call phone today to schedule a visit at Shrewsbury Dental Group.