Oral hygiene with braces

Orthodontic appliance hygiene does not have to be difficult or tedious. Although at first, the amount of new information and accessories may overwhelm both the little patient and his parents. What is worth changing in the daily care of teeth when braces appear in a child's life? What brush for the orthodontic appliance will not damage it and will permanently clean all nooks and crannies? In this post, we explain in detail how to care for oral hygiene during treatment with orthodontic appliances, both fixed and removable.

Child's braces: does the treatment process always look the same?

Beautiful, straight and well-groomed teeth are a showcase that stays with your child for life. The more that it improves not only well-being and appearance. Orthodontic braces that correct malocclusion are also an investment in health. In the long run, it affects, inter alia, comfort of eating, correct pronunciation and optimal shaping of bones, ligaments and muscles in the craniofacial area and related structures.

There are two basic types of orthodontic appliances:

• Movable, otherwise known as removable. The child, following the orthodontist's recommendations, wears such braces for a specific part of the day. The parts of the removable orthodontic appliance are: acrylic plate (often available in many colors to choose from), screws connected to the plate and wire elements (acting directly on the teeth). The braces are created individually for the child, affecting the malocclusion in a given period of time.
• Constant. They consist of locks glued to the teeth (usually made of metal), screws and wire elements, the so-called arches, the thickness and degree of tension of which are regulated by the orthodontist. Such braces work on the teeth around the clock, because the patient cannot remove them on his own (and should not try to do it, as it may end up damaging the teeth!).

Expert advises

It is the orthodontist who decides what type of braces will be used in a given child and how long the treatment process will take, taking into account: the type and complexity of the malocclusion, age and cooperation between the patient and the specialist. This last point - contrary to appearances - is crucial for the success of orthodontic treatment and in children should be carried out under the constant supervision of parents. Cooperation with an orthodontist includes not only regular check-ups, but also compliance with the received dietary recommendations and those regarding the proper hygiene of the orthodontic appliance and teeth.

Alicja Zawislak

Dentist, Orthodontist, Molecular Biologist, Acting Head of the Department of Maxillary Orthopedics and Orthodontics, Institute of Mother and Child

In the recesses of the apparatus, food remains and sediment accumulate in an increased amount. Because Improper care for the oral cavity during orthodontic treatment may result, among others, in intensification of carious lesions, discoloration of the enamel, inflammation of the gums, painful thrush or an unpleasant smell from the mouth. Simple, but neglected and "holey" teeth? A small patient can avoid this thanks to the support of parents and an orthodontist who will show you how to properly clean your teeth with an orthodontic appliance during the first visit.

Accessories useful for cleaning teeth with orthodontic braces

Before we move on to discussing the oral cavity cleaning process itself, we must consider what to clean the teeth and apparatus. Which braces brush is the best? Above all, In order to clean all the elements of the braces and the teeth themselves, one type of toothbrush is usually not enough. There are many products available on the market that help to care for the proper hygiene of orthodontic appliances.

Examples of types of brushes for braces:

• Contoured, manual brush with soft bristles arranged in the shape of the letter "V". Especially recommended for fixed appliances. It helps to clean the entire surface of the apparatus from accumulated sediment and food debris. For some electric toothbrushes, you can also buy specially profiled heads for cleaning parts of the fixed orthodontic appliance.
• Interdental brush, the shape resembling a small brush (the one used for cleaning e.g. bottles). We use it to thoroughly clean hard-to-reach parts of an orthodontic appliance, tooth surfaces under wire arches or recesses around brackets. Interdental brushes have a profiled, easy-to-use handle and variable sizes of cleaning tips, which we adjust to the space between the appliance and the teeth (sometimes the size of the cleaning tip needs to be changed several times during a single wash to clean problem areas as well as possible).
• Single-tufted brush. It is a plastic handle with a bunch of soft fibers that allow you to gently and precisely clean every nook and cranny of the camera. It is perfect not only for cleaning parts of fixed orthodontic appliances, but also for the hygiene of removable appliances.
• Traditional toothbrush: manual, electric or sonic. Indispensable for cleaning the surface of the teeth without an orthodontic appliance (chewing, palatal and lingual parts of the teeth). It is suitable for treatment with fixed appliances and for cleaning teeth after removing removable appliances.

Additional accessories

Now you know which braces to choose for braces. However, apart from them, it is worth getting a few additional, very helpful accessories:

• Orthodontic, three-piece thread.In addition to the traditional part with floss (for cleaning the contact surface between the teeth), it also has a soft, sponge-covered part for thorough cleaning of the side surface of the brackets and a special, harder tip that allows easy "threading" under the arches of the braces.
• Irrigator. Equipment without which many people cannot imagine effective teeth cleaning with braces (it is also great for children and adults who do not wear braces). The electric irrigator, creating a stream of water under increased pressure, allows to "sweep" from the interdental spaces, gum pockets and recesses of the orthodontic appliance any food remnants and sediment that may have remained on the teeth and apparatus after brushing and flossing.
• Mouth rinses / washes.It is true that they will not replace the mechanical removal of plaque and food remains (brushing and flossing, above all!). However, they soothe irritations and show antibacterial properties, reducing the rate of plaque deposition.
• A special toothpaste for cleaning teeth with an orthodontic appliance. It is not essential. For oral hygiene, you can use the fluoride toothpaste used so far. Specialist toothpastes for orthodontic appliances, however, have a slightly more thin consistency and composition that may reduce the severity of the deposition of sediment on the appliance components;
• Denture brush. It has soft bristles and two specially profiled tips. They are perfect for the hygiene of removable orthodontic braces.

The use of all these accessories only at the beginning seems problematic and time-consuming, but over time, the little patient (with the help of his parents) will develop a routine that will allow for efficient dental and orthodontic hygiene.

Teeth cleaning with fixed orthodontic braces

First of all, we try to brush our teeth after each meal, so carrying a toothbrush and toothpaste is a very good idea. If for some reason cleaning your teeth with braces is not possible so often, it is worth rinsing your mouth with water after eating a meal. This significantly minimizes the risk of caries and periodontal disease.

How to clean teeth with fixed braces?

1. Remove any movable parts of the orthodontic appliance such as pulleys.
2. With the use of toothpaste, we thoroughly brush the surface of the apparatus, using a specially profiled manual or electric toothbrush (bristles at a 90-degree angle to the apparatus). Then we set the brush at a 45-degree angle, with a circular sweeping motion, cleaning the surface of the teeth to which the braces are attached.
3. Using an interdental brush and / or a single-tuft brush, we clean the spaces between the teeth and the arches of the braces, and all nooks and crannies of the brackets. Cleaning is carried out carefully so as not to damage parts of an orthodontic appliance.
4. With a traditional, flat brush, we clean the surface of the teeth to which the braces are not attached (palatal and lingual - unless the child has a fixed lingual appliance attached to the inside of the teeth) and the chewing part of the teeth.
5. Using orthodontic thread, we clean the spaces between the teeth and hard-to-reach places of the braces. We guide the thread carefully so as not to damage the elements of the fixed braces. When working on new teeth, we make sure that you always use a clean, unused part of the thread.
6. We use an irrigator / mouth rinse.

How to clean your teeth with braces removable?

In the case of removable braces, there is one key rule: we put a clean braces only on clean teeth. We do not carry out tooth cleaning with on with an orthodontic appliance movable: we always take it out before starting oral hygiene, cleaning the teeth and braces separately. We brush our teeth in the traditional way with the use of fluoride toothpaste, brush, floss, and irrigator and / or mouth rinse.

More parents and children have trouble getting it right hygiene of the orthodontic appliance movable - how to clean it properly?

1. Before each insertion into the mouth, the apparatus should be rinsed under running water and washed: what brush for braces removable? Traditional brushes with very soft bristles that do not scratch the acrylic surface of the camera work very well. You can also purchase a delicate but precise toothbrush for dentures, which will help you reach hard-to-reach nooks and crannies. For cleaning, we use a preparation for dentures, water with a little soap or a special paste for orthodontic appliances. Ordinary paste may scratch the surface of the camera too quickly. When cleaning the removable appliance, hold it by the acrylic part (a grip on the wire elements may damage them).
2. Use a single-tuft brush to clean hard-to-reach ones parts of an orthodontic appliance.
3. Rinse the appliance thoroughly and put it in your mouth (after brushing your teeth!) Or store it in a ventilated, dry place until the next use. The orthodontist usually supplies the patient with a special container for storing a clean appliance.

Expert advises

To get rid of sediment and limescale, which are often deposited on the braces, it is worth cleaning the braces once every two weeks with special tablets (e.g. for cleaning dentures). According to the manufacturer's instructions, it is usually enough to dissolve the specificity in a glass of water in which the removable apparatus is immersed for a certain amount of time.

Alicja Zawislak

Dentist, Orthodontist, Molecular Biologist, Acting Head of the Department of Maxillary Orthopedics and Orthodontics, Institute of Mother and Child

Oral hygiene with braces: what else is worth knowing?

Especially at the beginning it is worth helping the child to get used to the new accessories hygiene of the orthodontic appliancebefore you get used to using them yourself. You should talk a lot with your child about why it is worth taking care of the teeth and braces regularly. A child will not be consistent in keeping the apparatus and mouth clean if he does not understand why he is doing it. It is also indispensable daily control of the parent how the child cleans his teeth with braces and how often he does it, especially if the little patient is under 12 years of age. Although older teenagers should also be regularly reminded of the proper hygiene of the orthodontic appliance.

Despite regular visits to the orthodontist and home hygiene, visits to the dentist should not be forgotten either. They should take place min. every six months. If your child is wearing a removable braces, please take it with you to the appointment. A dentist will check the oral health of a child with an orthodontic appliance. If necessary, she will treat any cavities and perform hygienisation (removal of tartar and fluoridation).

Author

Alicja Zawislak

Dentist, Orthodontist, Molecular Biologist, Acting Head of the Department of Maxillary Orthopedics and Orthodontics, Institute of Mother and Child