Caring for Dental Braces

Unfortunately, we aren’t all blessed with a perfect smile. If you are reading this article, you either have braces or are thinking of getting them to straighten your teeth. You might be worried that braces will be too much trouble. Fortunately, advances in materials and methods have made wearing and taking care of braces easier and more convenient than ever.

Caring for Traditional Braces

There’s still no way around the fact that taking care of your teeth when you have traditional dental braces requires extra time. Even though the brackets are smaller and less intrusive than in the past, and the wires are thinner and more efficient, there are still more places to trap food particles than there would be without braces. Because of this, it is even more important to practice good oral hygiene and carefully brush — after every meal when possible. If you have elastics or other removable parts, taking them off first will make brushing easier and more effective.

You can still floss daily, even while wearing braces. There are flossing products specifically made for orthodontics, and we will show you how to floss around the braces properly. We also will provide you with a list of food and drink you should avoid, but generally, sugary drinks and sticky or hard foods are the ones to skip.

We recommend that you use a knife and fork to cut food into bite-size pieces when eating — even for foods you might not otherwise, such as carrots or hamburgers. You’ll be less likely to damage your braces or get food stuck in them.

The Convenience of ClearCorrect

Not everyone is a candidate for the clear tray version of braces. But if you are, we offer ClearCorrect. The huge advantage ClearCorrect has over traditional braces is that the trays are removable, which makes them more convenient to clean and care for, and there’s less risk for damage.

You can more or less eat what you like because you simply remove the tray, eat, brush your teeth and tray, then put the tray back in. Traditional orthodontic braces are always on the teeth doing their job until it is time for us to take them off. Wearing the trays and following the schedule for new trays to keep them working is important care that is up to you.

You Still Need Regular Checkups

You will need return visits to allow us to check your braces and make adjustments as necessary. We can make sure any problems are caught while still minor and avoid disrupting the progress braces are making on straightening your teeth.