Dental care is important, especially during orthodontic treatment. If teeth with braces (or other orthodontic devices) are not cared for as well as they should be, they may develop cavities and tooth decay. This means that you would be switching misaligned teeth for cavities, and what would be the point of that?
It is a bit more difficult to care for teeth undergoing orthodontic treatment than it is to care for uncovered teeth. Devices like braces create barriers between the parts of the teeth they cover and a toothbrush. They also make it harder to floss. What is more, they have inconvenient nooks and crannies where food particles, bacteria and plaque can hide.
This does not mean that dental care is a hassle during orthodontic treatment. All you need to do is pay a little attention and learn a few hacks, and soon you will have straight, healthy teeth with no dental caries.
Even people with no orthodontic devices should stay away from too much sugar and carbonated drinks. For a person with braces, the sugar and acid find their way into the little gaps in the brackets. Because the little gaps are hard to clean, they may accumulate sugar and acids, which the mouth bacteria will feed on to create plaque and soon after, cavities. That is why a person who wears braces should limit the amount of sugar they consume and stay away from sticky foods that could get lodged in the braces.
The main goal of a person who has orthodontics is to keep their teeth clean and free of decay while the teeth are being straightened. This goal can be achieved through a good oral hygiene regimen that should take at least twice as long as it takes to clean regular teeth.
The teeth should be cleaned after every meal, and in order to clean all parts of their teeth, a person should:
With floss, an electric interdental toothbrush and five minutes, a person can clean their teeth and remove any harmful things that may have been lodged in their orthodontic appliance.
A dentist or orthodontist will prescribe products that will keep the mouth healthy for as long as a person has an orthodontic device. They may recommend products that have fluoride, which will strengthen and rebuild the enamel, or anti-bacterial rinses that kill harmful mouth bacteria and prevent cavities and tooth decay from occurring.
Just in case you missed a spot, you should see your dentist a few times a year. During your visits, your appliance will be adjusted, and the dentist will check to make sure that all your teeth are fine. You will also get your teeth cleaned by a professional, as well as pointers on dental care until your orthodontic treatment comes to an end.
Request an appointment here: https://familychoicedentistry.com or call Family Choice Dental at (505) 634-5657 for an appointment in our Albuquerque office.
Check out what others are saying about our dental services on Yelp: Orthodontics.
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