Make Taking Care of Your Teeth a Top Priority
Good oral hygiene is imperative to the health of your teeth and the success of your orthodontic treatment. We will go over brushing and flossing with you the day you get your braces on and at follow-up appointments as needed.
If an adequate level of oral hygiene is not being maintained, your braces may have to be removed early to avoid permanently damaging your teeth. We always do everything in our power to keep this from happening, but it is ultimately up to you to keep your teeth healthy by avoiding certain foods and with regular brushing and flossing.
Good Oral Hygiene Tips
- Brush your teeth at least twice a day for at least two minutes each time. Be sure to time yourself—two minutes is longer than you think.
- Always brush your teeth before you go to bed.
- Floss your teeth at least once every day. Flossing is the only way to effectively clean in between your teeth.
- Waterpiks are a great tool to supplement brushing and flossing. You can use a waterpik as many times per day as you want. It helps tremendously in getting food out from between your teeth and in your braces, but flossing is still necessary even if you are using a Waterpik.
- Electric toothbrushes are also a great tool. Most have timers built in to ensure you are brushing for two minutes, and they provide more strokes per minute than a manual toothbrush. We are happy to provide recommendations on electric toothbrushes if you are interested.
- PLEASE ASK US IF YOU NEED HELP WITH BRUSHING OR FLOSSING!!!!!
