In America, around four million people wear braces. Although many more people should wear them, only 25 percent are adults. Today, a visit to the dentist or orthodontist is much more accessible than it was 20-30 years ago. Furthermore, the state of the art techniques implemented can resolve every issue you can suffer from, if it’s a dental problem. The whole mentality regarding to wearing braces has changed since 20 years ago. Back then, people were not used to seeing a person wearing braces each day, and they were reluctant when meeting one. Now it is almost impossible not to meet at least one person that is wearing braces. Braces straighten up your teeth, and it is vital to wear them if you want to have that glamorous attractive smile. But it is very important to know how to brush your teeth when wearing braces so that you maintain your dental health.
How to brush your teeth while wearing braces 
First you need to get a cleaning with the hygienist/orthodontist you work with. You can get an appointment after the one of tightening. You can opt for the hydro-cleaning because it is tricky for the hygienist to manipulate around the machinery. This method is helpful to prevent gingivitis. You can also ask your orthodontist if they can use the water jet instead.
Second and critical: You need to clean your teeth after every meal. It may seem like a burden, but it is crucial. Gingivitis can form within 48 hours from the lack of brushing, flossing, or improper technique. Not brushing after you eat can result in the appearance of stains on your teeth, which will be visible only after you get your braces off. You need to do this every day even after the gingivitis disappeared. Below you will see the correct way you should clean your teeth when wearing braces.
- Rinse your mouth. First thing you need to do when you get started is to swish some water around, spit and repeat. This will get some of the loose particles that were stuck out of your mouth.
- Rinse the toothbrush. You need to wash your toothbrush under hot water; you don’t want to feed your gingivitis. You need to run your finger up and down the bristle. When you finished, you will need to rinse it with cold water.
- Now the brushing will start. Put toothpaste on the toothbrush and with your tongue you should push the toothpaste into the bristles. You will begin to wash the bottom jaw, the outside back of your bottom haw. You should brush with a motion that will be slightly like moving your brush back and forth meanwhile you gradually move the brush up. This way you will get the food that is stuck in your braces. If necessary, you can spit from time to time. You can change the angle of the brush in order to eliminate the food
- Next you will start doing the same with the upper jaw. And don’t forget to change the angle of the brush. This way you can get the plaque that you might have missed previously.
- Afterwards, you need to open your mouth wide and wash the top of the teeth (where the food is crunched). Brush each set of jaws, each tooth at a time.
- You will also need to brush the inner teeth. Use a back and forth up and down movement and then a circular motion.
- After you have finished brushing your teeth and have rinsed with water, you should check that you did a good job, and no more particles are present.
- Now it is time to floss. You need to take a long piece of string floss and wrap it around your finger. You will have to wiggle into each tooth space. It is important to try to bend the string around the teeth on each side if possible.
- The last thing you should do is to use mouthwash for at least 30 second. This is one of the best fighters against Then, spit and do a quick rinse with a little bit of water.
Consult your orthodontist or dentist about which toothbrush, toothpaste, string floss, and mouthwash is better for you. You deserve to have the best toolkit out there in order to properly take care of your teeth.
