How to Care for Your Traditional Braces

If you're wearing traditional braces, chances are you want to see the best outcome possible for your trouble. At Grove Dental Group and Orthodontics in Wyomissing, PA, we want that for you too. That's why our team provides care for those with metal braces throughout the area and gives tips on caring for your traditional braces.

Keep reading to learn how to take care of your braces to ensure you have a gleaming, straight smile when they come off.

Essential tips on caring for traditional braces

Not caring for traditional metal braces can make your teeth look worse. That's why it's crucial to:

1. Use the right toothpaste and other tools

Ask our team about a gentle, non-abrasive formula that's good for traditional braces so you're not wearing away at the material or getting tiny abrasive objects between your teeth and your equipment.

You'll also need a soft bristle brush that can get into the spaces where food accumulates between your teeth and the wires. You also want to be sure tools are gentle enough not to break or dislodge any part of your braces. And you'll need to use gentle pressure as well.

Flossing is still necessary, even though it takes more effort. It may be helpful to use floss picks and to pick up a water flosser (also called an irrigator) to get between your teeth. This helps prevent bad breath, gingivitis, and tooth decay caused by lodged-in food particles.

2. Get into a daily cleaning routine

Routines help us remember all the critical steps in caring for traditional braces. So, it's good to put all of your tools in one place and ensure you take the following steps to clean your teeth and metal braces every day:

Rinse your mouth with water (or a gentle, braces-friendly mouthwash) to dislodge food in your teeth. Once you see how much comes out (especially after eating certain foods), you'll be glad you didn't go to school, work, or bed with that food in your teeth.
Brush your teeth gently along the top and bottom of your brackets. Be sure to get each tooth on the front and back.
Floss your teeth each time you brush. If you use an irrigator, it may be helpful to use it after traditional flossing. Be sure to get between all of your teeth, but do not tug on your metal braces with the floss.
- Dental picks and irrigators are often helpful because they allow you to pick food out of your teeth without sliding it down the whole way.
- Remember to floss at least once a day, and if you're using floss thread or a pick, rinse your mouth after you're done.

3. Rinse your mouth after meals and snacks

Typically, we recommend that you try to brush and floss after each meal. But we know sometimes that's just not possible.

However, you can likely find a moment to use water after each meal to rinse your mouth. You only need to swish water around gently to get most large food particles to dislodge. This will give you less work to do later and ensure you're not walking around with food stuck in your metal braces all day.

4. Keep up with your orthodontist appointments

Our team is here to help you maintain your braces so you can get the best results possible from your hard work. Sometimes, braces need an adjustment, or patients are not cleaning well in a hard-to-reach area and don't know it. It's helpful to get an insider's look at how our teeth are doing while we wear traditional braces.

Get care tips for traditional braces in Wyomissing, PA

If you are planning to get or already have traditional metal braces, our team can help you care for them with professional advice. That way, after all of your effort, you’ll be left with a straight and radiant smile. If you’d like to learn more about traditional braces or their upkeep, simply schedule an appointment today at Grove Dental Group and Orthodontics in Wyomissing, PA.