Living with braces

At night, or whenever you have more time, spend at least 5 minutes giving your teet a really good brush. Start with the spiral brush. This is great for getting huge chunks of food out, but it is also essential for daily use to remove all the plaque from your teeth and gums. Bend the wire part of the brush so that it is at right angles to the handle. Direct the brush under the archwire of your braces. Going from the gums towards the biting edge of your teeth, use long strokes and brush 15 times, from above one bracket to above the other bracket.

Spiral left – Five strokes from the left
Spiral middle – Five strokes straight up and down
Spiral right – Five strokes from the right

Make sure the bristles of the brush are held firmly against your gum and the tooth above/below each bracket. If you pull against the archwire with the brush, you will be holding the brush away from your gums and this will be ineffective. Once you have used the spiral between each of the brackets, use your regular toothbrush in the same way discussed above. After brushing, have a good look and make sure everything looks clean and shiny. If anything looks dull or cloudy, there is still plaque there and you need to brush again.

Caring for appliances other than braces

Here at Braces N Faces Orthodontics, we use different types of appliances, not just braces. These appliances can be categorised as either fixed or removable.

Fixed appliances are cemented into position in your mouth. They are usually made up of metal bands around at least two teeth, and a wire joining these bands.

Removable appliances hold teeth in their new positions, or are used to achieve minor tooth movement. It is important they are worn as instructed by your orthodontist, and that you contact us if at any stage you are having problems with them.

Care of removable appliances

If you have been fitted with a removable appliance, your speech may be affected for the first few days. Try not to remove it though because this will mean it will take longer to get used to. The only exception to this is for singing or playing a wind instrument.

Each time the appliance is taken out of your mouth, it should be rinsed with water to remove the saliva. This will keep the retainer from becoming slimy and hard to clean. Twice a day take the appliance out of your mouth and scrub it with toothpaste and a toothbrush. A hard toothbrush can be used on the appliance, but always use a soft one in the mouth.

Do not use hot water as it can distort the appliance.

Your appliance should be in its box at all times when it is not in your mouth. It should never be in a pocket or bag as it can be easily lost or broken. Wrapping a retainer up in a tissue will usually result in the whole thing being thrown out, so leave it in the mouth to eat if the box is not available.

If a retainer is lost or broken, a new appointment will be needed to repair or replace it. Replacing retainers are costly mistakes, as a lab fee will need to be charged to your account.

So if I brush my teeth thoroughly, I won’t get decay?

Careful toothbrushing combined with good eating habits will give you the best chance to avoid decay. Remember: plaque + sugar = acids = tooth decay! This doesn’t mean that you can’t eat any sugar for the rest of your life, but it is important to limit the number of times you eat sugar during the day. Sugary foods should be kept for mealtimes because the other food you eat can reduce the amount of acid produced. For example, a small piece of cheese at the end of the meal can help to neutralise acid around the teeth. Every time sugar comes into contact with plaque it causes at least a 30-minute acid attack on the teeth. So don’t eat sugar in between meals.

What if I want a snack in between meals?

If you have to eat something in between meals, make sure you choose ‘safe’ snacks e.g. wholemeal bread, cheese, fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, diet drinks, milk. Always check the labels on foods to see if they contain sugar. The higher on the list of ingredients sugar appears, the higher the proportion there is of it.