Three Ways To Prevent Teeth Staining While You Have Braces

Posted on: 2 June 2019

If you're interested in braces, chances are you want to have a set of shining, perfectly-straight teeth shining in the mirror when they come off. This is entirely possible, but taking care of your teeth when you're wearing braces can require a little extra work. Here's three easy ways to tend to your teeth while wearing braces to ensure that you don't have stains or white marks on your teeth when they come off.

Interdental Brushes

Interdental brushes are like miniature toothbrushes that are mounted on a cylinder. They're small and designed to fit in the spaces between teeth, but they can also be used when you're wearing braces to keep food and plaque from accumulating under the wires and around the brackets.

When using an interdental brush with braces, all you need to do is wet it, put a little toothpaste on it, and then slide it under the wires of your braces. Firmly brush your teeth under the wires and make sure to get all the edges going around the brackets. This will help to clear away more plaque than just using a toothbrush alone, which will reduce the risk of cavities and tooth staining.

Flossing

Flossing is a must with braces, and it doesn't have to be a big deal. You can use an interdental brush to push floss under the wires of your braces so that you can floss all the way up to the gums, or you can look to other tools if that's too time-consuming for you.

One example of such a tool is a water flosser. Water flossers are like the high-powered water spray that your dentist uses. They can blast away bacteria and plaque and since it's just water, you can reach all the areas of your teeth and gums without having to maneuver around the wires.

Gum

Gum is typically a no-no for people with braces, but there are some types that are safe to chew with braces. The reason that gum can be helpful is two-fold: the sweeteners used and saliva production.

Chewing gum increases the amount of saliva that your mouth produces, because saliva is the first stage of digesting food. However, saliva is also useful in flushing out bacteria before it can form plaque and tartar. Chewing gum through the day can help to keep plaque development to a minimum.

Certain sweeteners used in gum, like xylitol, have also been shown to reduce the development of plaque. So chewing any kind of braces-safe gum with xylitol in it will give you double the tooth-protection benefits.

If you're not going to family dentistry services for cleaning already while you have braces, you should start. Getting regular dental cleanings can make a big difference in whether or not braces leave stains behind on your teeth, so make an appointment to have a cleaning and talk to your dentist about how often you should come in for repeated cleanings to prevent these problems from happening to you.

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