A fixed brace can do incredible things for your teeth. During the course of your realignment treatment, your fixed brace will completely redesign your smile. In return, you’ll need to put in a bit of extra effort to keep your brace in tip top condition.
Obviously we should all be brushing our teeth thoroughly every morning and every night. It’s recommended that we all use dental floss or interdental brushes to clean in the gaps between our teeth.
A fixed brace makes this process a little more involved, as there are more places for food and plaque build up to gather. Simply add in a couple more steps to your usual toothbrushing routine and you’ll have nothing to worry about.
There are some great tools available to help you care for your brace.
Interdental brushes (such as tepe)
Specialist toothbrushes for fixed braces are called interdental or proxy brushes. They have smaller more triangular heads that make it easier to move them around your brace. Their bristles are specially designed to reach around and underneath brace wires.
Ortho heads for electric toothbrushes
If you use an electric toothbrush, we’d suggest that you invest in some specialist orthodontic heads. These circular heads are designed to clean around brackets and wires gently but effectively. Normal electric toothbrush heads are generally too tough on fixed braces.
Floss threader
It can be tricky to use traditional floss when you have a fixed brace. A floss threader can make it easier to manoeuvre around wires and brackets.
Air or water flossers
There are electronic tools available that allow you to floss without using traditional floss at all! Air or water flossers use air or water to clean the gaps between your teeth. This can be more effective than traditional floss, and can make it much easier to work around fixed braces.
Fluoride mouthwash
We also recommend using a good quality mouthwash with fluoride during your orthodontic treatment. This will offer extra protection against tooth decay.
