Menu
PUBLISHED ON 24/01/22
We recommend using an electric toothbrush with a small oscillating head, eg oral B. If you don’t like the electric toothbrush, you can use a soft manual toothbrush. However, the manual toothbrush is not as efficient in cleaning. Brushing should be done for 2min morning and night. Also with braces brushing after meals will have benefits.
For top teeth (similar for lower): angle the bristles of your brush 45 degrees up towards the gum, to clean underneath and around the gums on the inside and outside of your teeth. Now use this angle to clean the lower part of the braces. After that you can angle the bristles down at 45 degrees to clean above the brackets/wire
You can use the Pikster (a wire with little bristles, looks similar to a small toilet cleaner). Or you can use Soft Picks that are more gentle for your gums.
This is placed between teeth when there are large enough gaps. It can also be placed under the wire.
The flossette with a handle may fit in as seen in the photo.
Floss with a stiff segment or Supa Floss may be threaded under the wire and used to floss between teeth.
If there is not enough space for the pikster to fit and if compliance is difficult you may benefit from a Waterpik to clean in very hard to reach places.
Avoid habits that could damage your braces: biting on nails, lids, etc
Avoid high sugar foods and drinks to prevent tooth decay and permanent discoloration of the teeth. Keep under 6 tspn (24g) sugar.
Avoid really sticky foods like toffee, liquorice, caramel and lollies.
Avoid hard/large foods like ice, whole apples, corn on the cob . Cut foods eg apple or corn on the cob into bite sized pieces before eating for longer lasting brackets.
With these tips and tricks, you’ll have a great smile when the braces come off and it will prevent you from losing brackets so treatment will be quicker.
Don’t use toothpaste to brush the retainers as it can wear away at the plastic in the retainer. Do not use hot water or it can distort the retainer. Keep your retainer in a box when not in use, so it is less likely to be lost or damaged/eaten by the dog.
Clean your teeth before putting the retainer in your mouth. Use a separate toothbrush to brush the inside and outside. You can use soap and rinse well after. If there is hard build up, you can use a Poli dent tablet in the coolw ater to let it soak and allow the build up to soften so it will come off easier.
