When you have braces brushing your teeth properly becomes even more important than before. Fortunately, brushing your teeth with braces is easy… it just requires a little patience!
You need to begin by brushing your teeth the same way you did without braces. Here’s a little refresher for on how to brush with proper technique:
- Rinse your toothbrush and apply tooth paste.
- Position your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to the gums, and then to the tops and bottoms of your braces.
- Gently move the brush in 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: That's 30 seconds per “quadrant”.
- Remember to brush your tongue to remove bacteria and keep your breath fresh.
Once you've finished those steps it's time to use an interdental brush (you can get one from your orthodontist or local pharmacy) 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.
Here's a helpful video demonstrating how to brush your teeth while wearing braces, and use an interdental brush correctly.