Taking care of your teeth is always important, but it becomes especially critical when you’re wearing braces. Brackets and wires create extra places where food and bacteria can hide, making it easier for plaque to build up. With the right brushing techniques and habits, you can keep your teeth and gums healthy throughout treatment and ensure your smile looks its best when the braces come off.
Tips for Brushing Your Teeth with Braces
- Soft-bristle toothbrushes are better for everyone, no matter their age. Bacterial plaque is sticky and soft like pancake syrup. If you spilled pancake syrup onto the kitchen table, you wouldn’t try to clean it off with a wire brush.
- A soft rag would do a much better job. Soft-bristle toothbrushes do a much better job of flexing into tiny hard-to-reach spaces to then wipe the plaque off your teeth, as well as not wearing away tooth structure.
- Discard the brush after sickness. Toothbrushes can have microbial buildup.
- It’s important to brush everywhere, but do it gently. Brushing harder does not clean better. Brush for 2 full minutes by the clock (play a song on your smartphone and brush for the entire length of the song) at least twice a day, before breakfast and before bed. And don’t forget to floss 1x/day every day.
- Handle shapes don’t matter. The neck of the brush has little effect on the overall results.
- When you are wearing braces, brush 45º down from the top, 45º up from the bottom, to get the bristles behind the wires.
- In actuality, the act of chewing increases salivary flow, which can help wash away plaque. But when you’re in braces, avoid gum because it can bend wires and detach the braces.
- Store your toothbrush at least 6’ away from the toilet bowl to prevent yucky aerosol contamination.
The Importance of Using a Soft-Bristled Toothbrush with Braces
Back in the day, animal hair was stiff, unyielding, scratchy. Today’s toothbrushes have soft nylon or rubber bristles that are designed to gently flex into all those hard-to-reach spaces, easily pushing the bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease off of your teeth. This is especially important when you are wearing braces, which create places where bacteria can hide. Then the bacteria eat all those sugars/starches that you snack on and convert them into acids that they poop out all over your teeth all day long. Remember, clean teeth not only look good but they taste good, too.