The Importance of Clean Teeth

The Importance of Clean Teeth

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Good Oral Hygiene During Orthodontic Treatment

Doing your part:

Successful orthodontic treatment-a healthy and beautiful smileis the result of a team effort between you, your orthodontist and your family dentist, You as the patient play the key part. Most importantly, you must keep your teeth clean and maintain good dental hygiene when you are wearing braces.

Right now, proper dental care will take extra time and effort. But it’s well worth it and will keep enjoy the best possible results from your orthodontic treatment. Closely follow the instructions your orthodontist and staff members give you.

Plaque is the real challenge

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Plague is a colorless sticky, film of saliva, food and bacteria that is always forming on the teeth causing decay Trapped food and plaque around your braces and teeth, can cause, bad breath, cavities, swollen gums, and permanent marks on your teeth.

When to clean:

  • Brush carefully after every meal or snack.
  • If brushing is not possible after every meal, make sure to at least rinse your mouth well with water until you can brush. While travelling way from home always carry a travel toothbrush.
  • Always, brush your teeth and braces thoroughly until they are absolutely clean, and then floss. This may require a little extra time, so you may do it before going to bed at night.

How to Brush:

  • Always use a soft, mulitufted, toothbrush that’s in good condition and fluoride toothpaste. Toothbrush is worn out quickly by braces, so always replace your brush as soon as it wears out.
  • Brush every surface of your teeth – fronts, backs and sides and around the braces. Always remember to brush your tongue and roof of the mouth.
  • An efficient way to know if you’re brushing correctly is to look closely in a mirror to be sure all your teeth and braces sparkle.

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Start brushing on the upper right. Brush above and below the braces using a small circular motion. Slowly work your brush toward the front teeth and over to the left side. Then brush the insides and biting surfaces.

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Start on the right side; brush the outside of the lower teeth. Using the circular brushing motion, brush above and below the braces until the teeth and braces are sparkling clean. Move the brush toward the front and left side. Then brush the insides and tops of the teeth.

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  • Make sure to brush your gums gently and rinse thoroughly after each brushing.
  • Check your teeth and braces carefully to make sure they are spotless clean. Inspect closely for loose or broken brackets .in a well-lighted mirror. If there is any problem, schedule an appointment with the Orthodontist who will check and if required will do the necessary repairs

How to Floss: Flossing is extremely important during orthodontic treatment. While flossing, follow these instructions carefully:

  • It is advisable to use floss threader while flossing with braces. The floss threader helps you to get dental floss easily underneath your arch wire.
  • Take approximately 18 inches of floss and loop it through your threader, place the threader under your arch wire between two brackets and holding one end of the floss, gently pull the threader off.

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  • Make sure you clean carefully along and under the gum-lines on both sides.
  • It is advisable to floss every night before you go to bed.
  • Initially flossing with braces may seem little difficult but it is very important and a little practice will make you perfect.

Insert floss behind archwire. Gently clean sides of teeth and under gums with an up and down motion.

Other Hygiene Aids:

Your orthodontist may recommend the following aids to help keep your teeth clean:

  • Inter-proximal Brush
  • Fluoride Toothpaste or Fluoride rinse
  • Power Toothbrush or Water irrigator( Water-pik)

These devices are designed to make brushing easier and more efficient

The problems bad oral hygiene can cause during treatment

Good dental hygiene is critical during orthodontic treatment. Without it, plague and food can accumulate around your braces. The bacteria in plaque form an acid when it reacts with sugars and starches in food and can cause, cavities, enamel decay, white marks on your teeth or gum disease.

  1. Importance of Clean Teeth 08 Plaque accumulation around your braces can leave permanent stains on your teeth when braces are removed. This is called decalcification and will remain on your teeth for rest of your life.







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  3. Importance of Clean Teeth 09 Accumulation of the plaque leads to Periodontal disease. This occurs in three stages. In the first stage, plaque accumulation irritates the gums, which in turn leads to puffy or swollen gums. They may bleed when you brush or floss. This is called gingivitis.







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  5. Importance of Clean Teeth 10 Over a long period of time, plaque may harden into a substance called tartar. As tartar accumulates, gaps or pockets may form between your gums and teeth. Even more tartar can collect in these pockets. This is called periodontitis.







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  7. Importance of Clean Teeth 11 In the advanced stage, destruction of bone that anchors your teeth takes place. This is due to deep pockets of bacteria beneath your gums. Loss of bone can even cause healthy teeth to loosen or fall out. This is called advanced Periodontitis







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Good Dental Hygiene + Orthodontics = A smile that’s good for life

It is important that you take especially good care of your teeth during orthodontic treatment. By brushing and flossing regularly, you will keep your teeth and gums in excellent condition and ensure that your orthodontic treatment will deliver the healthiest smile possible. When your braces come off, you will see that your extra efforts have been rewarded with a healthy, great–looking smile that‘s good for life.