You’ll enjoy the orthodontic journey and get the best possible results by taking good care of your teeth throughout treatment and beyond. You will need to make some changes to your oral health routine, but they are more than worth it! Caring for your orthodontic appliances is also essential, whether you have braces, Invisalign® clear aligners, or a retainer to maintain your new smile. Here’s the scoop on what you’ll need to do during and after your treatment.
You’ve made a great investment in your smile. Oral hygiene is always important, but we recommend taking it up a notch now to ensure that your teeth and gums stay healthy. The right toothbrush, toothpaste, and dental floss can make a world of difference for proper orthodontic dental care. Prairie Grove Orthodontics is happy to share the following tips with you. Just like your teeth, we’re all in this together!
Brush your teeth three times a day
Brush your teeth three times per day, for three minutes per session. With braces, angle your toothbrush around each bracket and under the wire.
Floss at least once a day
Flossing is essential for maintaining good oral health and should be performed once each day.
Rinse twice a day
Rinse twice a day with an over-the-counter fluoride rinse.
Use gum or breath mints with xylitol
Use gum or breath mints containing xylitol four times per day, after meals, for five to ten minutes.
Brush your teeth three times a day
Brush your teeth three times per day, for three minutes per session. With braces, angle your toothbrush around each bracket and under the wire.
Floss at least once a day
Flossing is essential for maintaining good oral health and should be performed once each day.
Rinse twice a day
Rinse twice a day with an over-the-counter fluoride rinse.
Use gum or breath mints with xylitol
Use gum or breath mints containing xylitol four times per day, after meals, for five to ten minutes.
At first, your teeth and mouth may feel a bit tender or sore. This is temporary – and perfectly normal. You can help relieve oral tissue discomfort by dissolving one teaspoon of salt in eight ounces of lukewarm water. Swish and gargle. Swish and gargle. Swish and gargle. This will help promote the healing of your mouth! But don’t swallow the salt water (trust us, you won’t like it). If the pain still doesn’t go away after rinsing, you can take a pain reliever. When you’re new to braces, your lips, cheeks, and tongue may also become irritated. This will quickly pass, but if needed, we can give you some wax to temporarily put over your braces and give your mouth a break.
Even with new advances in orthodontic technology, braces are still no match for sticky candy and other troublesome hard foods. You will need to be careful to avoid foods that could damage your orthodontic appliance. Softer foods are always recommended (hello, pasta!), especially after an appointment when your mouth may be sore. When in doubt, take it slow or just avoid hard and sticky foods altogether.
Avoid hard or sticky foods
Sticky foods can get wrapped around your appliances and cause them to break or come loose. Hard foods can break your braces and damage your appliances.
Avoid high-sugar and high-acidity drinks
High-sugar and high-acidity drinks, when mixed with saliva, create plaque—a sticky film that coats the teeth and is difficult to remove completely, even with brushing.
Cut food into smaller pieces
Some foods are fine to enjoy, as long as they’re cut into smaller pieces which won’t damage your braces or appliance. Examples include bagels, carrots, and apples.
Enjoy soft, braces-friendly foods
Many of your favorite soft foods and drinks are perfectly safe with braces or appliances.
Avoid hard or sticky foods
Sticky foods can get wrapped around your appliances and cause them to break or come loose. Hard foods can break your braces and damage your appliances.
Avoid high-sugar and high-acidity drinks
High-sugar and high-acidity drinks, when mixed with saliva, create plaque—a sticky film that coats the teeth and is difficult to remove completely, even with brushing.
Cut food into smaller pieces
Some foods are fine to enjoy, as long as they’re cut into smaller pieces which won’t damage your braces or appliance. Examples include bagels, carrots, and apples.
Enjoy soft, braces-friendly foods
Many of your favorite soft foods and drinks are perfectly safe with braces or appliances.
Because Invisalign clear aligners can easily come on and off, patients can be more flexible about what they eat and drink. But with great power also comes great responsibility, and you must be sure to keep track of your aligners and clean them frequently.
Clean your aligners regularly
Gently clean your aligners with a toothbrush and toothpaste or Retainer Brite®cleaner tablets 1-2 times daily.
Disinfect your aligners every day
You may use EverSmile® WhiteFoam or Steraligner daily to help keep your aligners fresh, whiten teeth, and help with dry mouth.
Keep your aligners safe
Keep your aligners away from pets, boiling water, bleach, denture cleaner, and any other cleaning products. Avoid placing your aligners in a napkin while eating to avoid accidentally throwing them away!
Apply and remove your aligners carefully
When you put your aligners in, make sure they’re securely in place. When removing them, loosen your aligners in several places, and then gently dislodge them.
Clean your aligners regularly
Gently clean your aligners with a toothbrush and toothpaste or Retainer Brite®cleaner tablets 1-2 times daily.
Disinfect your aligners every day
You may use EverSmile® WhiteFoam or Steraligner daily to help keep your aligners fresh, whiten teeth, and help with dry mouth.
Keep your aligners safe
Keep your aligners away from pets, boiling water, bleach, denture cleaner, and any other cleaning products. Avoid placing your aligners in a napkin while eating to avoid accidentally throwing them away!
Apply and remove your aligners carefully
When you put your aligners in, make sure they’re securely in place. When removing them, loosen your aligners in several places, and then gently dislodge them.
You’ve worked hard to attain your new beautiful and confident smile. But orthodontic care doesn’t end once your braces or aligners are removed – to retain your new smile, you’ll likely need a retainer. Retainers are stabilizers that keep your teeth happy and secure in their new position. If you lose your retainer or it no longer fits properly, let us know and we’ll get you back on track right away. Taking care of your retainer helps you take care of your teeth for a lifetime.
Clean your retainer regularly
Carefully scrub the retainer with a toothbrush and water at least once a day. Avoid brushing with toothpaste as it can be abrasive and scratch your retainer.
Apply and remove your retainer carefully
When you put your retainer in, make sure it’s securely in place. When removing it, loosen your retainer in several places, and then gently dislodge it.
Keep your retainer safe
Protect your retainer from heat and pets. Avoid placing your retainer in a napkin while eating to avoid accidentally throwing it away!
Replace your retainer when necessary
Even a well-made retainer will eventually wear out. If your retainer has deteriorated, or it feels different than it did when new, contact your Prairie Grove orthodontist.
Clean your retainer regularly
Carefully scrub the retainer with a toothbrush and water at least once a day. Avoid brushing with toothpaste as it can be abrasive and scratch your retainer.
Apply and remove your retainer carefully
When you put your retainer in, make sure it’s securely in place. When removing it, loosen your retainer in several places, and then gently dislodge it.
Keep your retainer safe
Protect your retainer from heat and pets. Avoid placing your retainer in a napkin while eating to avoid accidentally throwing it away!
Replace your retainer when necessary
Even a well-made retainer will eventually wear out. If your retainer has deteriorated, or it feels different than it did when new, contact your Prairie Grove orthodontist.
Invisalign®, the Invisalign logo, and iTero®, among others, are trademarks and/or service marks of Align Technology, Inc. or one of its subsidiaries or affiliated companies and may be registered in the U.S. and/or other countries.