A lot of adolescents and children go for braces for aesthetic reasons or to solve a structural issue with their teeth. However, it is very important to know how to keep these braces clean. The best dentist in Houston, Texas, has witnessed patients who struggle with the aftercare of getting braces. It can be a challenging aspect of getting orthodontic treatments. The good news is that you can keep your teeth and braces sparkling clean with some mindful habits.
Braces are primarily used to straighten and correctly align your teeth. However, if no proper care is taken, they can deteriorate the oral health of your child. Even though your child might be brushing their teeth regularly, it takes more to free their mouth of all debris and to keep braces squeaky clean. The hardware used in braces consists of various angles that can make them particularly hard to clean. There might also be some discomfort during brushes that can allow children to get lazy with their dental hygiene routine.
Kids with braces in Houston, Texas, can accurately maintain their overall oral health without having to deal with a lot of complications.
Let us look at some easy yet effective ways to develop good oral hygiene routines and habits:
Show Your Kids How to Brush Properly
Before it comes to brushing, make sure that your kids use the right type of toothbrush. You can even consider an electric toothbrush since the vibrations can clean the hardware faster and better than mechanical ones. Your child needs to learn how to angle their toothbrush downwards at 45-degrees and brush the hardware from top to bottom. They should repeat the brushing with the bristles pointed directly to the teeth, then change to a 45-degree upward angle. This brushing technique gives them total control of their orthodontics. They can also brush the outer part of their teeth, the gums, and the biting edge before doing the insides.
Flossing Is Of the Utmost Importance
With orthodontics, your kids need to focus on flossing more than ever. Food particles can get trapped between braces and your teeth very easily. When the alignment of your teeth changes, food particulates can get collected in the crevices and cracks. This may lead to a greater debris accumulation than your child is used to. Soft picks or dental floss is a good way to get the tiny spaces between the orthodontic hardware and the teeth very clean.
When your kid flosses, keep in mind that they need to cover all the gaps both under and over the wire. They can also use a dental threaded which is a very valuable tool that helps in getting the floss under the hardware’s wire. It helps you in getting down all the way till the base of the teeth. If any particulate food matter is left behind, it can easily damage your child’s tooth enamel. This might potentially lead to an oral decay and some even more expensive dental care.
Conclusion: Keep Your Child’s Oral Hygiene Top-Notch
You can use these easy and quick care tips that might greatly help your child get the best out of their orthodontic hardware. In addition to using these tips, your orthodontist or dentist will talk to you before and after the procedure about upkeep, cleaning, and proper care of the oral health of your child or the hardware while they have braces. You should ask them any questions that you might have and encourage your children to do the same.
Consulting your dentist will go a long way into managing the oral health of your child and will help them in getting a new, brilliant smile with braces in Houston, Texas.
