When you have braces, brushing your teeth properly becomes more important than ever. The good news is that while you’ll have to take extra care, brushing your teeth with braces is easy, it just requires a little patience.
Start by brushing your teeth the same way you did before you had braces. Here’s a refresher for how to brush with proper technique:
- Rinse your toothbrush and apply tooth paste.
- Place your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to the gums, and then to the tops and bottoms of your braces.
- Move the brush in gentle, short, circular strokes over your teeth and braces.
- Brush the fronts, backs and chewing surfaces of all your teeth.
- Brush your teeth thoroughly and methodically for at least two minutes: 30 seconds per “quadrant”.
- Don't forget to brush your tongue to keep your breath fresh and remove bacteria.
Next, use an interdental brush to brush between your archwires and teeth. Interdental brushes are shaped like a tiny bottle brush, making it easy to get into these hard to reach areas. Interdental brushes are available from your orthodontist or local pharmacy.
This video provides a helpful demonstration of brushing with braces, and how to use an interdental brush.