If you have had the luxury of getting a removable aligner fitted, you will know only too well the luxury of keeping your mouth healthy throughout your treatment in London- you simply take them out. But those of us not so fortunate have to have fixed braces fitted and oral hygiene takes on a whole new set of rules until the treatment is complete. Plaque and tartar are a menace on their own, as they feed off the residual of food that gets caught up in the mouth; combined with a fixed brace, your teeth are in great danger. The wires of the brace can be cleaned with a good flossing program, using interdental brushes and floss-threaders to get right in amongst the brace’s mechanism. Most chemists can supply you with dyes that highlight any build up of plaque so that it can be removed: electric toothbrushes and plaque mouthwashes are highly favoured for doing this. But the best back-up you can get is your dentist. Once you have the brace fitted, your dentist should offer you at least four visits a year, not just to check the progress of your treatment, but also help you out will your cleaning, check you are doing it right and to ensure your mouth has no signs of plaque.

A lot of braces and aligners that are fitted in central London these days are removable, which is great for maintaining a good program of oral hygiene. But if you’ve had the misfortune to be fitted with a fixed brace, extra care needs to be taken when cleaning the teeth and brace to remove all the foodstuffs that can promote a build up of bacteria. This can appear quite complex at first, but bacteria is accompanied by plaque and gum disease- followed by decay, so it’s imperative to get the cleaning right; the cleaning will get easier with time and practice. There is a whole program designed for those wearing fixed braces. It starts with the choice of brush and electric brushes are very good for working around wires and plates. But like all brushes, they will not remove foods that are lodged between gum and tooth. This job is down to small, interdental brushes and floss threaders that can be worked in and around the brace, and into the teeth. The choice of toothpaste is also important- some are designed to attack bacteria and plaque more fiercely than others, a perfect choice for the brace wearer. Of course, mouthwashes are priceless too, and are a perfect accompaniment to a good brush and paste. But there is another trick available to the brace wearer in the form of a dye that highlights any traces of plaque in the mouth. Finally, there’s the dentist, who will be able to clean the brace to when you visit.

Many of us would like to improve our teeth, given the chance. This can be achieved in a number of ways. Both the condition and appearance of our teeth can be improved. The way to improve the condition is through better cleaning and more regular visits to the dentist. We have probably all been told hundreds of times in our lives to make sure we brush and floss twice a day and see a dentist every six months, but in all honesty, how many of us actually do this? By making these small steps you can go a long way to improving your teeth.

At a check up, your Central London dentist may suggest an appointment with the dental hygienist. Nearly all dental surgeries now have hygienists who can work in conjunction with your dentist to ensure your teeth are as clean as possible. They can develop a dental hygiene plan, designed specifically for your teeth and show you more effective methods of home cleaning. This plan, together with some corrective dentistry treatments constitutes preventative dentistry, the idea that by sticking to the routine you can avoid any future dental complications.

Improving the appearance of your teeth will happen naturally with the more care you take of them, but in some cases it is preferable to have some cosmetic dental treatment. This could take the form of a tooth whitening treatment or even porcelain veneers. There are many different cosmetic treatments that can be used to improve your teeth that range in complexity and price. Ask you dentist for more information about how to get the best out of your smile so you can have the best looking smile possible.

Braces can help to radically improve the appearance of a smile. Not only do they align and straighten teeth but they can also improve bite and profile altering the appearance of more than just the teeth. However, braces can cause other problems in the mouth, especially if they are of the fixed bracket variety. Certain parts of braces such as wires and elastic ties can attract bacteria and brackets and palates can trap food particles which can be breeding grounds for bacteria.

If teeth are not cleaned sufficiently when wearing braces they can leave patched areas when the brackets are removed at the end of treatment. Therefore it is very important to keep teeth clean when you are wearing braces. This involves sticking to a cleaning regime very diligently and one that may be more vigorous than for people without braces. If teeth are not kept clean during orthodontic treatment it can cause dental decay and gum disease that may be very difficult to treat because of the braces. This can increase the damaging power of these conditions.

Central London dentists recommend that patients undergoing orthodontic treatment try to clean their teeth and braces four times a day, after each meal and before bedtime. This helps to remove food trapped in the brace and any bacteria that may have accumulated. It is also recommended that brace wearers floss at least twice a day. Carrying floss and a travel toothbrush with you can help you to remember to clean your teeth even if you are not at home. Your diet can also help to keep your teeth clean. By avoiding sugary foods during orthodontic treatment and eating more fresh fruit and vegetables you can help to keep your teeth healthy. Also, you will need to keep up your six monthly dental appointments.

Here are a few simple tips to help you maintain your oral hygiene to the best of your ability.
1. Brush your teeth daily after you get up and before going to bed. Although this seems like a silly thing to tell someone it’s really important and you should follow it religiously.
2. Floss before you brush. Although brushing is pretty effective in cleaning your teeth .The bristles don’t really reach between your teeth. This is where flossing can preserve the health of your gums and clear out the interdental spaces of foul smelling gunk.
3. Limit the amount of soda, alcohol and sweet juices you drink. These drinks contain minute amounts of alcohol which can eat away the enamel causing erosion cavities. These erosion cavities also cause severe sensitivity in the teeth.
4. Sue a soft bristled tooth brush and preferably tilt your tooth brush at an angle to your gums .Aim your tooth brush like a brush sweeping away debris away from the gums towards the biting surface of the tooth.
5. Replace your brush ever two or three months to avoid getting infected with throat infections.
6. Consider an electric tooth brush and learn how to use them well.
7. Consider getting an oral irrigator to massage your gums and clean in interdental spaces.

Daily flossing has to go hand in hand with brushing of teeth to achieve maximum oral hygiene. Brushing cleans the surface of the teeth and flossing prevents the formation of plaque in the small spaces between the teeth. The plaque formation starts immediately after the brushing, taking another day to form fully. The flossing done daily prevents its’ formation. The common inhabitants of the mouth, the bacteria, are just waiting for an opportunity to flourish. Let us not oblige them!

The plaque is actually a gel-like sticky substance formed by bacteria. The plaque formation if left undisturbed progresses due to calcification into tartar within 24 to 72 hours. This is harder to remove and can be done only by your London dentist. The minerals from the saliva and oral fluids help the calcification process. Complications like gingivitis, abscesses and bone infection should not arise due to our negligence. Gingivitis is an inflammation of the gums with swelling and subsequent bleeding. Abscesses (pockets of pus) occur in advanced infection of the gums. In patients with little resistance, infections of the jawbone may occur resulting in a difficult-to-reverse situation. Halitosis accompanies the plaque formation and the odor is worse in the infections.

Dental flossing prevents dental caries, halitosis, gingivitis and advanced infections. Inconsistent flossing will be as harmful as no flossing. The technique of flossing needs to be correct without causing harm to the gums or teeth.

Floss is obtained in 10 metre or 50 metre lengths in plastic containers. Sufficient length is loosely wound around the fingers, thumb and index, and inserted between the teeth and rubbed gently upwards in a C-shaped curve around the teeth from just below the gum line ( where the bristles of a toothbrush do not reach) . The back teeth should not be neglected. This technique removes food particles and plaque formation. Learn from a London dentist or a hygienist the correct method. If despite bettering your technique, you have bleeding, see the dentist.

Floss may be available in ribbon or string forms. For children the ribbon form may be better suited as teeth would be wider apart. There may be lightly waxed, waxed or unwaxed varieties. The waxed variety serves crooked or misaligned teeth better. You can indulge in your favorite flavour; plain, cinnamon, mint and bubblegum. Special plastic wands are available to help hold the floss. Floss is made from Nylon or Teflon.

Newer varieties of floss are being developed. Oral-B has produced the ‘Ultra-Floss’ which is ultra strong, a thicker woven but softer single strand unlike the earlier floss which is made up of several strands. It is less rough on our fingers and available in shorter strands. ‘Butler Weave’ from the John O’ Butler company does not shred easily, is smoother, glides more easily and acts like a tape covering more surface of the teeth during the flossing. Daily teeth brushing and flossing together contribute to our oral hygiene.