Cleaning your teeth with braces on, here are some great tips by a Central London dentist
Cleaning your teeth is hard enough at the best of times, but when you`re wearing a brace it can be really awkward says a Central London dentist. The most important thing with braces is flossing; this will remove more food debris and therefore bacterium, than any other method of cleaning your teeth. You should also buy yourself a specially designed tooth cum brace brush known as a Proxabrush; ask your dentist about these particular brushes or at a major chemist shop. With flossing, if you choose non-waxed, thin thread floss then you will be able to get around the frames on the teeth. You will also find that using the thin floss you will be able to thread it through the wires and get into places that are hard even for the Proxabrush. Always give your mouth a good rinse out, using a good mouth wash, floss first then brush. Usually you will see your dentist every 6 months, but with braces you will need to halve that to 3 monthly appointments as they will need to remove the tartar build up more frequently. Braces needn`t always be a burden, it just needs a bit more better planning when it comes to the cleaning regime. Bacterium and acid builds up in the mouth and will cause you extra problems with braces, at night the saliva gland stops working, so throughout the day and night keep some water handy to swig, and swish around your mouth. There are now braces that do all the usual things a brace does, but they are removable when you need to clean your teeth or eat, they are called Inman Aligners and Invisalign Braces and are used mainly with adults, but the old style braces are still out there; and it just needs a little careful planning and common sense when keeping them clean and sterile.