Maintaining good oral health is absolutely critical for your braces to effectively realign your teeth. If you develop cavities or other areas of tooth decay, it could cause complications. It could potentially increase the number of adjustment sessions and the time needed to effectively realign your teeth.
If you’re having issues cleaning plaque and residual food particles from hard to reach places around your braces, there are a few special tools Liang Orthodontics’s orthodontists recommend trying.
A floss threader is a simple, loop shaped tool that can help work floss between teeth in places where a wire might be in the way. Waxed dental floss allows the strand to slide into place without forcing it or risking snapping it into your gums.
Small interdental brushes have narrow, shaped heads to help clean food particles and plaque from the contours where your teeth meet the gums. They are especially handy for cleaning food particles out bands and around spacers.
Dental water jets or oral irrigators produce a small stream of water that can be used to loosen and wash away food particles from hard to reach places. Just remember that a stream of water cannot replace the effectively of floss for removing plaque and food particles from between teeth.
If you have questions about tools and techniques to help clean around your braces, you should call Liang Orthodontics’s office in Washington, DC at 202-966-7711 for advice.