Getting braces is a great thing. They can do amazing things for your smile! But it can also feel a bit complicated at times. It can take longer to brush and floss your teeth. The good news is, there are some simple tips and tools that can make your life with braces easier and more efficient. Here’s what you need to know for better brushing with braces!

What Kind of Toothbrush Do I Need?

The truth is, any kind of soft-bristled toothbrush is sufficient to brush your teeth well, even with braces. You don’t have to get fancy to achieve better brushing with braces. However, an electric toothbrush can have some advantages to consider.

Some patients report that brushing with an electric toothbrush during the early days or weeks after getting braces or right after an adjustment can help to massage sore gums and soothe discomfort. An electric toothbrush can also make brushing feel a bit easier by saving you effort compared to manual brush strokes.

Do I Need to Brush My Teeth Differently?

Brushing your teeth with braces is a lot like brushing your teeth without braces. It’s still important to brush your teeth after meals and for 2 minutes at a time. It’s also important to brush up and down and side to side, ensuring that the bristles of your toothbrush reach the surfaces on all sides of your teeth. With braces, though, you should also ensure that you brush at an angle around the brackets on your teeth, to ensure that all the edges that may accumulate plaque get cleaned thoroughly.

How Do I Clean the Tough Areas?

Unfortunately, braces do add a lot more difficult-to-clean areas to the surfaces of your teeth. Some tools that may be helpful include dental picks and a Waterpik.

Dental picks are small flexible rubber tools with a handle that make it easy to use them to reach the small areas underneath and between your braces brackets to scrub away food particles and plaque that might accumulate or get lodged there.

A Waterpik is another tool that can be helpful for braces-wearers. It is similar to the tool that dental hygienists use during professional cleanings to clean between your teeth and along your gum line. The Waterpik utilizes a pressurized stream of water and can be useful to clean the areas where it may be difficult to thread floss through or reach with a brush.

Talking to Your Orthodontist

If you want to achieve better brushing with braces, talk to your orthodontist about their recommendations for the specific type of braces or orthodontic appliances you have. They’ll be happy to provide tips for proper use of tools or products so that you can most efficiently and effectively clean your teeth and braces. They may also be able to provide you with some samples, as well, so that you can try things out and see what works best for your home care routine. Brushing with braces can feel like a big change, but it doesn’t have to be difficult, so don’t be afraid to ask for tips and tricks from the experts at your orthodontist’s office!

Call our McKinney, Rowlett, Sherman, Greenville, Rio Bravo or Montgomery dental offices to make an appointment with a dentist who may be able to help you find out more about this topic, and improve your oral health.