Caring For Your Dental Braces
Braces from a Sherwood Park dentist provide a fantastic way to straighten your smile and to improve your dental health at the same time. Braces can take some getting used to, but you’ll quickly become more comfortable with wearing them and taking care of them. At Park Mall Dental Centre we provide braces in Sherwood Park, as well as tips on how to best care for your braces and keep your teeth healthy while wearing them.
1) Brush after each meal
The most important habit you’ll need to develop when wearing braces is to brush after every meal. It may be hard to remember at first, but you’ll be thanking yourself for doing so. Food can easily become stuck between the brackets and wires, encouraging the growth of plaque bacteria. Before you brush, rinsing your mouth out with water can help dislodge much of the excess food, making it even easier to brush thoroughly.
2) Use only a soft-bristled brush
The second most important tip that your Sherwood Park dentist will give you is to use a soft-bristled brush. Soft-bristled brushes are also recommended for those who don’t wear braces, but are perhaps even more important for those who do, as stiffer bristles can easily cause damage to your braces. Brush gently but thoroughly, making sure to get each tooth and to clean around every bracket.
3) Clean your braces with a proxy brush
A proxy brush is a great little tool that all braces-wearers should have. It is a small brush with very small wire bristles which you’ll be able to find in any toothbrush isle. A proxy brush can help you clean all of the hard-to-reach places around your braces that your toothbrush can’t quite get.
4) Stay away from hard and sticky foods
After getting used to your braces you should be able to enjoy a lot of the foods that you used to eat. However, you should take special care to stay away from foods that are too hard or too sticky, as they can easily damage your braces. These foods are also more likely to become lodged in your braces and to contribute to a buildup of bacteria. Try to avoid eating foods such as hard nuts, whole carrots, popcorn, corn on the cob, hard or sticky candies, and beef jerky.
5) Visit your Sherwood Park dentist for adjustments or repairs
If your braces ever begin to fit uncomfortably or if the brackets, bands, or wires break, then you may be tempted to try fixing or adjusting your braces yourself. However, the adjustment and repair of braces in Sherwood Park is best left up to your dentist. You can certainly use a spoon to bend back a broken wire that may be hurting or bothering you, but make sure you visit a dental clinic as soon as you can.
At Park Mall Dental Centre our Sherwood Park dentists will ensure that your braces are fixed up and fitting properly. If you are experiencing any issues or simply have questions about braces in Sherwood Park, just contact Park Mall Dental Centre today.
