The team at The Smile Patio Orthodontics works alongside Dr. Albaugh to create beautiful smiles, but there's a lot patients have to do to achieve the best results possible.
So, we've compiled some tips you can follow to take good care of your braces.
Ortho Care Vista
Proper oral care is essential if you wish to achieve good results with your orthodontic treatment in Vista, as it is only thanks to thorough and regular brushing of your teeth and dental floss use that you can keep your teeth clean and your gums healthy.
Having this dental care routine is crucial because you need your teeth' supporting tissues as healthy as possible to withstand the force exerted by your orthodontic appliance.
If this isn't the case, your orthodontist will have to suspend the treatment to avoid damaging your teeth.
Similarly, there are other cosmetic concerns you can avoid with proper dental care during ortho treatment. Patients who do not brush their teeth frequently will develop stains or spots that aren't aesthetically pleasing and will be highly notorious when their braces are no longer there.
Trust us; all the extra effort will be worth it. And that's just the thing: wearing braces will make you need to brush your teeth more often and use dental floss daily, but if you do, you will be rewarded with a beautiful and healthy smile that lasts for a lifetime!
Patient Compliance Is Key
Dr. Albaugh is here to work with you as a team. When we embark on a journey with a patient, we do so committed to the success of their orthodontic care. We love what we do, which is why we work on personalized treatment plans that aim to achieve the best results possible.
Our patients play a key role in achieving this, and a lot is required from them. Fortunately, it's nothing extraordinary. Patient compliance is a deciding factor if you wish to maintain good oral hygiene while wearing braces and have a successful treatment.
There's no denying that the right dental care routine during your orthodontic treatment will require more time and energy set aside during the day, but as you continue to do so, you will feel significantly better and be able to achieve your results with peak efficiency.
Dental Plaque Is Your Enemy
What is dental plaque? Well, it is a sticky film that forms around your teeth as a result of bacterial activity in your mouth. When you leave food debris unattended in your mouth following a meal or snack, the harmful bacteria in it will begin feeding and multiplying. The plaque will cause your gums to start swelling and can lead to minor inconveniences, such as bad breath, or more severe problems, such as cavities and permanent marks on your teeth.
The best thing you can do is follow the recommendations given by the best orthodontist Vista has available and brush your teeth frequently. This will help prevent the formation of plaque around your braces. However, once there is a notorious amount of it in your mouth, you should get a professional dental cleaning to get rid of it safely.
How Often to Clean Your Teeth?
When you're wearing braces, it's essential that you clean your teeth much more often than you would normally have done before beginning your orthodontic treatment. You should brush your teeth every time you finish a meal or a snack, without fail.
Brush well each time you have a meal or snack. At the very least, you should try rinsing your mouth with plenty of water to remove most of the food debris that can contribute to tooth decay until you can brush your teeth thoroughly.
Please carry a travel kit with a toothbrush to carry on with your dental hygiene routine while you're away from home and then floss at least once per day.
How to Brush Your Teeth With Braces
Here are a few recommendations about the way in which you can take better care of your teeth while you're realigning your teeth with braces.
- The type of toothpaste you use is critical. We highly recommend you get some fluoride toothpaste as it will help keep your teeth strong.
- Next up is the toothbrush you use. Please get a rounded bristle and soft toothbrush to clean your teeth and avoid damaging your braces. You will also have to replace the toothbrush more often because the brackets will wear down the toothbrush much faster.
- Tilt your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle and brush around your brackets to remove food from your braces and from in-between teeth. Brush all the surfaces of your teeth, including the front, sides, and back. If you need help brushing in between your teeth, you should get an interdental brush for better oral hygiene.
- Frequently review your braces and check for damage, as it is essential that you contact an orthodontist about loose brackets or missing ligatures to get treatment for orthodontic emergencies in Vista in a timely manner.
How to Floss With Braces
Admittedly, using dental floss when you wear braces is not the easiest thing to do. Try following these tips to take your oral care routine to the next level.
- Set aside some time before going to sleep, and use dental floss to remove food from your teeth.
- Try using a floss threader, such as the Platypus Orthodontic Flosser., as it is a reusable tool that will help you get dental floss under the archwire easily for better cleaning.
- Utilize dental floss to meticulously clean along the gumline.
- Use an interdental brush or water irrigator as an alternative or complement to dental floss and get even better results.
What Tools to Use
As you may already know, brushing your teeth is not the easiest thing to do when you're wearing braces. Here are a few products that can help you a lot:
- Interdental brushes: You can use this brush to get in between your teeth and remove food particles.
- Electric Toothbrush or Waterpik: Several devices are an amazing way to help you brush your teeth even better.
Problems That Result from Poor Dental Hygiene
Without good oral hygiene, you run the risk of suffering from tooth decay and periodontal disease. As more and more bacteria feed from the starches and sugars left in your mouth, they create acids that erode your teeth' enamel, leading to cavities and gum disease.
Maintaining excellent oral hygiene is essential when undergoing orthodontic treatment, as neglecting it can lead to the buildup of plaque and food particles around your braces.
- The accumulation of plaque around your braces and teeth can result in decalcification, leading to permanent staining in the form of lines and spots. Avoiding this outcome is highly advisable.
- Periodontal disease can become increasingly more complex and harmful. Dental plaque will make your gums swell, which is made evident as they will start bleeding when you use a toothbrush or dental floss.
- Tartar can develop when you let plaque remain for far too long. Tartar will accumulate, leading to periodontitis and other complications.
- Periodontal disease doesn't just attack your gums. Bacteria will erode the enamel and go under the gumline, attacking the bone tissue that serves as a supporting place for your teeth, which could lead to some teeth falling off.
You Can Prevent Gum Disease
Vista early gum disease is not a problem you're doomed to live with when you get help from a professional. At home, there's a lot you can do to prevent these problems, but your Vista orthodontist can help make things much better. Carefully follow Dr. Albaugh's directions on avoiding these problems and maintaining good oral hygiene.