Your child has braces and they can’t wait until they see their new smile. Whether they’re stuck with this treatment for six months or two years, one thing is certain – if they want impressive results, they must properly brush and floss their teeth. This can be more difficult than usual while wearing braces, but when they see their bright pearly whites in the end, it will all be worth it!
Daily Routine
*According to the ADA, someone with braces should brush after every meal!*
1. Get started. Remove elastics, bands, or removable parts of your orthodontic appliance.
2. Clean your braces. Don’t forget about cleaning around the wires and pins.
3. Brush each wire. Move top to bottom, and all the way around your upper and lower teeth.
4. Brush your teeth. It is recommended to brush your teeth for two minutes, twice a day. This means each quadrant of your mouth gets 30 seconds.
5. Floss once a day. Use waxed floss and thread it carefully under the main wire before passing between two teeth. Simply move up and down gently – remove – and move on to the next pair of teeth.
6. Rinse, and then check your teeth. Remember to look out for any remaining food particles!
Don’t let plaque win. With all the wires and brackets in their mouth, plaque and food particles have additional places to accumulate and become trapped. Make sure your kids are effectively and gently cleaning around their braces.
Treat gums kindly. You may want to consider buying your child tooth sensitive toothpaste and a soft bristled toothbrush. This will provide them with extra care and comfort along the gum line – and around the brackets and orthodontic wires.