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Braces or no braces?
It should go without saying that wearing dental braces may help everyone have a gorgeous smile. However, braces are used for more purposes than just straightening teeth. Anyone wearing braces can benefit from several health advantages in addition to improved aesthetics.
The benefits of dental braces are:
Strengthening your oral health
Improve the appearance of your smile
Can adjust your bite alignment
Allow for better pronunciation and speech
Boost your self-confidence
Limit your dental problems
Improve your biting and digestion
Enhance your mouth hygiene (Lee et al., 2012)
Cleaning your braces is essential!
When wearing braces, improper cleaning practices can exacerbate gum disease, tooth decay, and discolourations. While gum disease is typically curable, deterioration can necessitate fillings (Edwards, 2021).
How to clean your teeth while wearing braces?
The orthodontic toothbrush:
Use your preferred toothpaste after rinsing your toothbrush. Aim the toothbrush toward your gum line at a 45-degree angle and begin sweeping the brush in circular patterns around your teeth and braces.
Spend two minutes cleaning each tooth's front, rear, and top. Then, give each quarter of your mouth a thorough 30-second brushing. Using an interdental brush, clean the spaces between teeth and beneath the braces' wires. Lastly, do not forget to rinse your tongue afterwards (Natalie, 2023).
Cleaning aids:
Floss (Super Floss)
Super Floss is a dental floss specifically made to clean large spaces between teeth, bridges, and braces.
Using a stiffened-end dental floss threader, you can clean beneath braces and other appliances. Regular floss might also help remove plaque behind the gum line (Sawan et al., 2022).
This video demonstrates how a super floss and dental floss is used in conjunction to clean braces-worn teeth.
Interdental Brush
The interdental brush, used in addition to brushing, eliminates more dental plaque than brushing itself. Research revealed that the use of interdental brushes significantly improved plaque scores.
Patients undergoing orthodontic treatment are advised to use their regular and interdental brushes at least once a day. They can apply it conventionally to areas between teeth and along brackets. To remove food particles, carefully glide the brush up and down, between the orthodontic wire and the teeth (Slot et al., 2008).
REFERENCEs
REFERENCEs
Edwards, G. (2021, March 25). The Ultimate Guide—How to Clean Braces Properly. Smile Stories. https://smilestories.co/how-to-clean-braces-properly/
Lee, Y.-Y., Tang, T.-K., & Lai, O.-M. (2012). Health Benefits, Enzymatic Production, and Application of Medium- and Long-Chain Triacylglycerol (MLCT) in Food Industries: A Review. Journal of Food Science, 77(8), R137–R144. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1750-3841.2012.02793.x
Natalie, A. (2023, October 3). How to Brush Your Teeth With Braces to Optimize Oral Health. Dentaly.Org. https://www.dentaly.org/us/adult-braces/brush-teeth-with-braces/
Sawan, N., Ben Gassem, A., Alkhayyal, F., Albakri, A., Al-Muhareb, N., & Alsagob, E. (2022). Effectiveness of Super Floss and Water Flosser in Plaque Removal for Patients Undergoing Orthodontic Treatment: A Randomized Controlled Trial. International Journal of Dentistry, 2022, e1344258. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/1344258
Slot, D., Dörfer, C., & Van der Weijden, G. (2008). The efficacy of interdental brushes on plaque and parameters of periodontal inflammation: A systematic review. International Journal of Dental Hygiene, 6(4), 253–264. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1601-5037.2008.00330.x
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