There are several guidelines and best practices you should adhere to if you or a family member is wearing conventional metal braces to treat dental misalignments in order to achieve the greatest results. Healthy oral hygiene practices should be established along with eating the right kinds of foods. When you neglect your teeth, you run the risk of breaking your metal braces, which might delay your orthodontic treatment schedule in the long run. Don’t worry though, we have some pointers for correctly maintaining your metal braces.

Brush Your Teeth To Get Rid Of Food And Drink Residue:

When you have metal braces on, brushing your teeth is unusual because you have to be careful not to break the metal wires or knock a bracket out of place while also getting rid of all the food debris that has been left behind. In addition to using a toothbrush with softer bristles that won’t harm your braces, brush your teeth gently. Follow these guidelines when brushing in order to protect your braces and maintain a healthy smile:

To get rid of food residue in your mouth, rinse with water.
To get rid of the food that accumulates here, angle the toothbrush along the gumline.
Brush the food from the top of the brackets once more using the angled motion.
By angling the toothbrush against the underside of the brackets, you should brush in an upward direction.
Brush both the front and back of each tooth in your mouth to get rid of microorganisms.
To get rid of additional food that gets stuck in your braces and teeth from meals or snacks, you should periodically rinse your mouth with water.

You Should Clean Your Braces and Teeth Using An Oral Irrigator:

To remove more plaque and food debris from your mouth, you really should invest in an oral irrigator. This small device must first be filled with fresh water by setting it on the bathroom counter before you can use it. The moderate pressure water expelled from the water irrigator’s tank by a wand will dislodge food, bacteria, and plaque from your gums, teeth, and braces. You can easily add an oral irrigator to your dental care routine as a complement rather than skipping brushing or flossing. You may only use an oral irrigator once a week for additional cleaning if your orthodontist advises it.

Make Sure You Invest in the Best Mouthwash, Toothpaste, and Floss:

Your orthodontist will provide you advice on the best mouthwash, floss, and toothpaste to use in order to get rid of the bacteria that could lead to bad breath, cavities, and gum disease. Many oral care products contain abrasive or harsh ingredients that could damage iron braces. When making your pick, make sure the floss will fit in between your teeth and along the bracket wires.

If you want to have fresh breath, using mouthwash is a great idea, but make sure to pick one without bright red or green dyes that could damage the metal parts or the detachable elastics of your braces. Make careful to follow your orthodontist’s recommendations pertaining to the kinds of products that you ought to purchase to preserve your metal braces in the best possible shape.

Pick The Type Of Food You Eat Wisely:

You need to eat a lot of nutritious foods for your alveolar bones, teeth, and gums while wearing metal braces. Eating the best foods is particularly important for children and teenagers because they are in their growth stages. You should avoid a few foods and drinks to protect the wires and brackets on your braces. Following the placement of your metal braces, your orthodontist will provide you with a list of foods to stay away from, these could include the following:

When wearing braces, you should avoid eating raw or fibrous vegetables.
Sticky candies like caramels and candy bars are not allowed.
Popcorn’s tough kernels can also damage your braces.
Peanut butter and other nut butters which have a sticky consistency
Tough meat, including steak and pork chops
Hard nuts, such as almonds or walnuts, which could damage a brace’s wires.
Bagels should be avoided as they are overly stiff and chewy.
Crunchy snacks such as corn chips.
Raw fruit that has not been cut – like whole pears and apples

After getting braces, you must eat soft foods that won’t cause irritation to your gums, tongue, or palate. After a few days, your mouth will get adjusted to the metal braces, and you can start eating the foods that your orthodontist recommends.

Use Dental Floss At Least One Time In A Day:

Your orthodontist will recommend you buy a specific type of dental floss after you get your braces. It is advisable that you purchase this prescribed floss. Whilst you have your braces on, it’s a good idea to use the recommended dental floss at least once a day. When flossing in the right way while wearing braces, issues such as tooth decay and bad breath can be avoided. To floss your teeth in the right way , you could follow these instructions:

Use floss thread or floss picks.
Make sure you are in front of a mirror while you are using the dental floss.
You should place the floss between your teeth or below the wires as required by using your fingertips.
Steer clear of pulling on the floss when it is encased in a wire as this could damage the wire.
Take a longer piece of floss to be able to access the teeth in the back of your mouth.
Take a new length of floss or a floss pick if you find the section of floss is covered with debris.
In order to avoid gingivitis, you should concentrate on clearing away remnants of food from the gum and surrounding areas.
Make sure you thoroughly rinse your mouth after you use floss in order to get rid of the loose particles floating around.
It is a great idea for you to carry dental floss with you at all times so you can remove any food that gets caught in your teeth or on your braces no matter where you are.

Looking After Your Metal Braces In General

It does not matter how long you wear your metal braces, the outcomes will be better if you adhere to all of your dentist’s suggestions and directions. This covers dietary limitations and even recommended treatments for brace-related pain.

You must continue going to your orthodontist for regular check-ups during this period in accordance with the suggested schedule in order to ensure that your progress is on track. Additionally, to avoid harm if your braces break during treatment, call your dentist right away. You should speak with your dentist about metal braces and other orthodontic solutions if you have any more questions or concerns that need to be addressed.

We aim to give you the greatest orthodontic experience possible. Get in touch with us at (971) 423-6804 so we can assist you with arranging a consultation with one of our skilled and personable orthodontists.