You’ve just had your brand new braces put on and are well on the way to straighter teeth! It’s very important that you clean your braces and teeth well during your orthodontic treatment in order to prevent tooth decay and gum disease.
Firstly, you must brush thoroughly at least twice a day – after breakfast and dinner. If possible, it’s also great to brush after lunch, but we know this isn’t always practical if you’re at school or work. We find that electric brushes with round heads are great as these will oscillate and help you to clean more thoroughly. You can use a soft manual brush also. Make sure to brush for at least 2 minutes, and angle the brush head 45 degrees towards the brackets. It’s also very important to brush the gumlines to prevent swollen, inflamed gums.
Piksters (interdental brushes) are great for cleaning around and in between each bracket. Be sure to use these at least once per day (preferably after your night time brushing). Making sure to use a large sized pikster (size 6 or 7), push under the wire and using a back and forth motion clean the sides of the brackets. Make sure you rinse off the pikster with water after use, and replace the lid. You can reuse them for several days, until the wire starts to bend or bristles deteriorate.
