Patient Information
Keeping Them Clean
One of the common fears about orthodontics is that the braces may cause decay. Your full bands, or the brackets bonded to your teeth, cover and protect that portion of your teeth as long as they are firmly attached. Either way, your brushing problem is the same. The bands or bonded brackets 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. So...When and How should you clean your teeth during orthodontic treatment? 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 of folding toothbrush with you.
How to Brush
First, brush back and forth across...between the wires and gums on the upper and lower to loosen the food particles. Next, brush correctly as if you had no bands on. Start on the outside of the uppers with bristles at a 45 degree angle toward the gum or shelf to which we have referred.
Scrub with a circular motion, two or three teeth at a time using 10 strokes, and move on. The same on the inner surfaces of the uppers. Scrub the chewing surfaces last. Start on the outside of the lower teeth and repeat the process. Remember, direct the brush at an angle toward the gum or shelf area.
Rinse your mouth and toothbrush. Look in a Mirror to see if you have missed any places. Check the little half-moon spaces of teeth 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.
When you have finished, the bands and wires should be free of all food particles and the soft white coating (called plaque). The braces should look clean and shiny throughout your orthodontic treatment.
The water pik 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.
No No List
- Ice...A thousand time NO. It will totally destroy braces.
- Pizza crust...The hard crust bends wires. Eat the pizza, just avoid the HARD CRUST
- Hard pretzels...Bends wires, loosens bands, knocks off brackets.
- Doritos, Tacos, Tostitos, Cheetos, Fritos and the like...will form a hard ball and break you braces.
- Caramel candy, gum...Sticky goo which pulls off wires and feeds the bacteria in you mouth.
- Fruit Roll ups, Now and Laters, Laffy Taffy, GUMMY BEARS all are nonos.
- Hard rolls, Bagels, Chicken wings...Bends the wires and knocks off brackets. Eat the chicken wings, just Pull the meat off the bones.
- Beef jerky, Slim jims...Tough as nails.
- Suckers and hard candy...You might weaken and bite into the candy.
- Nuts...No nuts of any kind.
- Ribs...Knocks off brackets. Again, just pull the meat off the bones.
- Pens and Pencils...Favorite exam time food, breaks everything. Don't chew on your pens & pencils.
- Popcorn...The little shells get between the gums and bands-hurts like crazy.
- Raw carrots...Hard as rocks. Buy the smaller matchstick carrots or zap them in the microwave to soften them up a bit.
- Avoid excess sodas and pop due to all the sugars which can harm your teeth.
