Posted: August 14, 2017
So you finally did it, you committed to getting that straight smile you’ve always wanted, but after getting your braces, you have realized your dream of having pearly straight white teeth requires a little more maintenance than before. Having a mouthful of braces requires a little more TLC when it comes to your oral hygiene. Braces create a lot of hard to reach places where bacteria can harbor and create unwanted dental problems that can only delay you removing your braces. That is why you need to ramp up your oral hygiene routine when it comes down to it. The most common difficulty of having braces is flossing. Flossing around those wires is challenging, but it doesn’t make it impossible. Flossing is definitely something you should not ignore during your daily oral hygiene routine.
When brushing your teeth, a tooth brush is good at cleaning the front and back of your teeth to remove any plaque or food debris. But what about the sides of your teeth? When plaque and food debris do form along the sides of the teeth, it is a hard to reach area for the toothbrush bristles to get to and clean properly. Flossing is very important and is one of the best things you can do to ensure bacteria does not harbor and cause dental cavities. The way to prevent dental cavities and avoid delays to your orthodontic treatment is by getting the floss underneath the wires.
There are certain tools to effectively floss while having braces. One helpful way of getting under your wires is using a floss threader; it is a thin piece of flexible plastic with a large loop at the end. The large loop allows you to put the dental floss through it to facilitate getting the floss under the wires and in between your teeth. After getting the threader under the wire and the floss between your teeth you can then floss normally, repeating the process until each tooth is cleaned properly.
Another tool is using a floss pick, it has a short section of floss on one end that is thin enough to fit under the wire and the other end of the handle has a bristled pick that you can use to clean your brackets.
There are many effective tools on the market that can aid in flossing under your braces and making it easier. You can even pick them up at your local grocery store. Flossing is a very important habit in achieving the perfect smile, so don’t forget to use floss daily to ensure a cavity free orthodontic outcome. If you have any questions regarding which tool is the right tool for you to floss underneath your braces schedule an appointment with us today! We are located within minutes of Downtown Fort Worth and provide dental care to patients from Arlington, Keller, and Fort Worth Areas.
