Why Cleaning Braces Is Key + The Must-Have Tools To Use

Struggling to keep your braces clean? You’re not alone. Braces are great for straightening teeth, but they can also turn into a magnet for food particles and plaque. If you’ve noticed your braces feeling grimy or your gums looking a bit swollen, you might be missing out on a key step in your oral hygiene routine.

Neglecting proper cleaning doesn’t just make your braces look messy—it can lead to bad breath, gum disease, and even permanent stains on your teeth. Worst of all, poor hygiene can slow down your orthodontic progress, keeping those braces on longer than expected. Nobody wants that!

In this article, we’ll explain why cleaning your braces is essential, guide you through the most effective cleaning techniques, and share the best tools to keep your teeth and braces in top shape. By the end, you’ll have all the tips you need to maintain a healthy, sparkling smile throughout your braces journey.

Why is Cleaning Your Braces Important?

Cleaning your braces is crucial for maintaining good oral health and ensuring the effectiveness of your orthodontic treatment. Here's why:

1. Prevents Tooth Decay and Cavities

Braces create small spaces where food particles and plaque can easily get trapped. Without proper cleaning, this buildup can lead to tooth decay and cavities around the brackets and wires.

2. Reduces Risk of Gum Disease

Neglecting oral hygiene while wearing braces can result in gum inflammation (gingivitis) or more severe gum disease. Plaque buildup irritates the gums, causing redness, swelling, and bleeding.

3. Avoids Bad Breath

Food debris trapped in your braces can cause bad breath due to bacterial growth. Regular cleaning helps eliminate these particles and keeps your breath fresh.

4. Prevents Discoloration and Staining

Poor cleaning habits can lead to white spots or stains on the teeth around the brackets, which may remain even after the braces are removed. Proper cleaning ensures your teeth stay uniformly white.

5. Ensures the Success of Your Treatment

Plaque buildup and tooth decay can interfere with the bonding of brackets or weaken teeth, potentially delaying or compromising the outcome of your orthodontic treatment.

6. Promotes Overall Health

Oral health is closely linked to overall health. Poor oral hygiene can increase the risk of systemic issues like heart disease or diabetes, emphasising the importance of keeping your braces clean.

How To Clean Your Braces

1. Rinse your mouth with water – Start by swishing water around to loosen any food debris that may be trapped around your braces and wires.
2. Brush your teeth and braces – Using a soft-bristled toothbrush, clean your teeth and braces with small, circular motions. Make sure to angle the brush toward the gum line to remove any plaque buildup near the gums.
3. Brush all surfaces – Don’t forget to brush the inside, outside, and chewing surfaces of your teeth to ensure they’re fully cleaned.
4. Use a small toothbrush for detailed cleaning – A toothbrush with a small, round head helps get around brackets and the gum line where regular brushing may miss.
5. Clean under the wires – Use an interdental brush to clean under the wire and between the brackets. This tool can also be used to remove debris between the teeth that a regular toothbrush cannot reach.
6. Floss daily – Use orthodontic floss threaders to guide the floss under the braces wire, and carefully clean between your teeth to remove food particles and plaque.
7. Rinse with mouthwash – After brushing and flossing, finish by rinsing with an antibacterial mouthwash to kill bacteria and keep your mouth fresh.

The Must-Have Tools for Cleaning Fixed Braces

Several dental tools can help make cleaning braces easier and more effective. Make use of the tools from the list below as well as any teeth cleaning tools recommended by your orthodontist and dentist.

It’s best to combine the information concerning the best tool for cleaning braces in this article along with the 16 ways to keep teeth & gums healthy & clean for overall great oral hygiene.

Interdental Brushes

These small interproximal brushes, sometimes known as proxabrushes, are specially designed to clean around and between the wires and brackets of braces. Their thin, pointed handle and soft, flexible bristles are designed to reach into tight spaces and remove plaque and hard-to-reach bits of food that a toothbrush may miss.

These are essential to clean braces properly as they are one of the few teeth-cleaning tools that can reach all the nooks and crannies without being too abrasive on teeth, and small enough not to threaten to snap any of the braces’ wiring.

Interproximal brushes are an effective tool for maintaining good oral hygiene while wearing braces and can help prevent tooth decay and gum disease. They are available in a range of sizes to fit the spaces between different teeth. Note that these brushes can and should be used in addition to regular tooth brushing and flossing.

Orthodontic Floss Threaders

Flossing with braces can be challenging, as the wires and brackets can get in the way. The last thing you want to do is detach or break any of the wires or brackets while cleaning. Orthodontic dental floss threaders make it easier by allowing you to thread the floss through the spaces between the teeth and under the wires gently.

To use orthodontic floss threaders effectively, follow the steps below:

1. Insert the threader under the wire of your braces: Hold the floss threader with the pointed end facing down and gently push it under the wire of your braces.
2. Thread the floss through the space between your teeth: Hold the floss taut and use a gentle sawing motion to move it back and forth through the space between your teeth.
3. Remove the floss threader: Once you have finished flossing, gently pull the floss threader out from under the wire of your braces.
4. Repeat the process for each space between your teeth: Repeat the process of inserting the floss threader, threading the floss, and removing the threader for each space between your teeth.

Water Flossers

Water flossers, sometimes called oral irrigators, use a stream of water to flush away plaque and food particles from between teeth and around braces. They can be especially helpful for people with braces, as they can reach areas that may be difficult to clean with a toothbrush or floss.

Disclosing Tablets

Disclosing tablets are a useful tool for checking the effectiveness of your cleaning routine. This is especially useful to show children the spaces they are missing when they start their young journey of wearing and cleaning their braces.

When dissolved in water and swirled around the mouth, these tablets release a dye that highlights any areas where plaque or food particles are still present as they have been missed in the cleaning process. This can help you identify areas that need extra attention and ensure that your braces and teeth are being thoroughly cleaned.

The Best Tools for Cleaning Removable Braces

Removable braces are arguably easier to clean because they can be removed before eating and for cleaning. Follow the steps below to properly clean and care for your removable braces (like Invisalign).

Soft-Bristled Toothbrush

Once you have taken out your removable aligners simply brush all their surfaces gently with the toothbrush.

Denture-Cleaning Solution

Soak your aligners in a denture-cleaning solution to help loosen and remove plaque and stains. Simply dissolve a tablet in a cup of warm water and soak your aligners for about 15 minutes.

Mild Dish Soap

If you do not have denture cleaning solution you can use a mill dish soap solution for the same effect. Mix a small amount of mild dish soap with lukewarm water and soak your aligners in the solution for about 15 minutes to help loosen and remove plaque and stains.

Interdental Brush for Cleaning Clear Aligners

As with fixed braces, the interdental brush can help you reach any small spots and tight spaces while cleaning your Invisalign braces.

Disclosing Tablets for Cleaning Clear Aligners

As with cleaning fixed braces, disclosing tablets can help visualise any spots you may have missed while cleaning removable braces or aligners. Instead of swirling the solution in your mouth you simply mix the solution in a vessel and soak your Invisalign to identify any spots you may have missed while brushing them.

Conclusion

In addition to using these tools, it’s important to brush teeth with a soft-bristled toothbrush at least twice a day, using fluoride toothpaste. Use a toothbrush designed specifically for braces, or a regular toothbrush with the bristles trimmed down to a size that can easily reach between the wires and brackets.

Be sure to replace your toothbrush every three to four months, or sooner if the bristles become frayed.

Finally, be sure to see your orthodontist regularly for check-ups and adjustments. Contact us for a free consultation and we will be able to check the health of your teeth and gums and make any necessary adjustments to your braces to ensure that they are working effectively.

By following a proper hygiene routine and using the right tools for braces, you can help keep your teeth and gums healthy while wearing braces and ensure that your orthodontics treatment is a success.

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