Why Teeth Cleanings Are Essential for Our Patients
Because preventative dental care is essential for maintaining optimal oral health, we at Zawaideh Orthodontics provide professional teeth cleaning services for our orthodontic patients and their families. While daily brushing and flossing keeps plaque and tartar from building up on the surfaces of the teeth, professional cleanings remove buildup from places that toothbrushes simply cannot reach. Dental cleanings are recommended at least twice a year to help remove plaque and tartar build-up that can cause cavities, tooth decay and gum disease (gingivitis) and a host of other harmful conditions. If it’s been longer than a year since your last cleaning, then it’s time to make an appointment!
How to Brush with Braces
Brushing teeth with braces isn’t too different than brushing without braces. It’s still important to brush twice a day for at least two minutes, and if possible brush after every meal to remove loose food from under brackets and wires. If brushing isn’t an option immediately after a meal, then rinse your mouth out with water to help remove larger food particles.
Your care kit includes a soft bristle orthodontic toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste. You need to brush under and on top of your brackets to ensure all plaque is removed.
Good oral hygiene prevents white spot lesions, cavities, gum disease & inflammation. At every appointment we will tell you how you are doing with your oral hygiene and show you any spots that you are missing.
How to Use the Interdental Toothbrush
Your care kit includes also an interproximal brush, and wax. The interproximal brush is a small, tufted brush that helps you clean between the teeth and around the braces. This brush can help you get to the hard-to-reach places around your braces.
You should brush your teeth first with your regular toothbrush and after that brush around the brackets using the interdental toothbrush.
Do Braces cause "White Spots" on the teeth?
After you spend lots of time and money on your orthodontic treatment, you expect that you will have the perfect smile when you get your braces removed. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Sometimes, a patient will experience what is known as decalcification from their braces. These are Orthodontic white spot lesions (white spots) that appear on the teeth either around the area of the bracket, up near the gumline and can negatively impact the smile you’ve worked so hard to achieve with braces. The spots are not caused by the braces, but by plaque buildup on the teeth, allowing the acid in the plaque to sit on the teeth which causes decalcification, or loss of hard minerals. Fluoride use, along with excellent brushing and flossing habits, coupled with low sugar diet and restriction of the intake of acidic drinks (such as sodas) can help to prevent or reduce this decalcification scarring of teeth.
