Penn-Mont Plaza
7520 Montgomery Blvd NE
Suite D-9
Albuquerque, NM 87109
505-884-5610

Toothbrushing Tips

stock photo of woman brushing her teeth One of the common fears about orthodontics is that the braces may cause decay. Your full bands, or the brackets bonded to your teeth, if your orthodontist has chosen to use this method, cover and protect that portion of your teeth as long as they are firmly attached. Either way, your brushing challenge is the same. The bands or bonded brackets, either, do make your teeth harder to clean. The brackets, tubes and wires tend to make a little shelf around the outside of the teeth. This shelf makes it harder for your toothbrush to clean the spaces between your gums and the attachments. If you fail to get the teeth clean and fail to exercise your gums, then the gums swell and make it even more difficult to clean. Foods that usually slide across the teeth and gums during chewing are held back and prevented from doing their job of helping to clean the teeth and exercise the gums. Continued neglect of these areas will result in decay and gum disease.

So, When and How Should You Clean Your Teeth During Orthodontic Treatment?

When

Within five minutes after you eat. Easy to say but sometimes hard to do? When you're away from home, we suggest you carry a travel type or folding tooth brush with you.

How

  1. First, brush back and forth across...between the wires and gums on the upper and lower teeth to loosen the food particles.
  2. Next, brush correctly as if you had no bands on.
    1. Start on the outside of the upper teeth with bristles at a 45 degree angle toward the gum or shelf we have referred to. Scrub with a circular motion two or three teeth at a time using 10 strokes and move on.
    2. The same on the inner surfaces of the uppers teeth.
    3. Scrub the chewing surfaces last.
    4. Start on the outside of the lower teeth and repeat this process. Remember, direct the brush at an angle toward the gum or shelf area.
  3. Rinse your mouth and toothbrush. Look in a mirror to see if you have missed any places. Check the little half moon spaces of tooth between the bands and gums and the space between the molar tubes and gums. If you see any areas you have missed, clean them now.
  4. When you have finished, the bands and wires should be free of all food particles and the soft white coating (called plaque). The bands should look clean and shiny.

The oral lavage or oral hygiene device (water type) can be very helpful but it is to be used after thorough brushing. It is not a substitute for brushing but does remove food particles that the brush cannot reach.