If you have crooked or crowded teeth, you might have to be fitted with braces. Olson Orthodontics is a top-quality orthodontic office in the Verrado and Litchfield Park, Arizona areas that can find you the best braces to suit your needs, lifestyle, and preference. After you get the right option, you’re on your way to straight teeth and a beautiful smile.
Wearing braces is sometimes a challenge. As a result, these tips can help you maintain the best oral hygiene while wearing them.
Brush Your Teeth Regularly
One of the first tips Dr. Olson, an orthodontist in Verrado and Litcfhield Park, recommends that you continue brushing your teeth regularly. Although twice a day is enough for most people, brushing your teeth multiple times per day is important when you wear braces. Make it a habit to brush after every meal so that you can eliminate as many food particles as possible.
It can help to keep tooth decay and gum disease at bay and improve your oral hygiene. If you don’t already use an electric toothbrush, now is the time to switch. It’s the best way to get between and under the wires and brackets of your braces to get your teeth clean.
Make Flossing Part of Your Regular Routine
Flossing is certainly more difficult when you wear braces, but that doesn’t mean you should skip doing it. Instead, your family orthodontist in Verrado recommends switching to floss threaders. They can make it much easier to clean in between your teeth.
Use a generous amount of dental floss and push it through the loop of the threader. You can then slide the threader until the floss gets behind the archwire of your braces. Make this a part of your routine and be sure to get under the gums and between each tooth as best you can. Pull the threader to remove the floss to repeat the process for all of your teeth.
Avoid Certain Foods
Per Dr. Olson, you should avoid eating certain foods while wearing your braces. Any hard, sticky, or crunchy foods can weaken the enamel of your teeth and get stuck in the wires and brackets of your braces. The key to achieving healthy, straight teeth is to avoid these foods as much as possible. Highly acidic foods can also break down your tooth enamel, so you should aim to consume very little of them.
While you are still wearing your braces, you can still have certain treats. Just be careful about what you eat so that you can avoid doing damage to your braces.
Use a Water Pick
Your family orthodontist in Verrado may advise you to use a waterpik in addition to doing your regular flossing. It can help to reach excess food particles that get stuck in your braces. However, it shouldn’t be used as an alternative to flossing. Use a mixture of water and mouthwash to kill potentially harmful bacteria that could lead to tooth decay.
Keep All Your Orthodontist Appointments
Periodically, you will have to go to the orthodontic office for appointments so that Dr. Olson can check on your progress as your teeth move into the proper position. He will check your braces and make any necessary adjustments and give you advice that can help improve your oral hygiene if necessary.
If you need to be fitted for braces, contact the office of Dr. Olson, an orthodontist in Verrado and Litchfield Park, at your earliest convenience.