When you have braces, it's very important to brush and floss after every meal in order to keep your teeth and gums healthy throughout your orthodontic treatment. If you need help choosing the right toothbrush, toothpaste, and dental floss, please ask us and we can help you choose the right products for your teeth and your appliance.

Brushing with Braces

Brush your teeth for two minutes after every meal with a soft-bristled, small-headed toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste. As an alternative, you can use a powered toothbrush to increase your brushing effectiveness. Brush the outside and inside surfaces of your teeth using small, gentle, circular motions while positioning the head of the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to the gum line. Brush your teeth’s chewing surfaces and the inside surface of your front teeth using short, gentle, back-and-forth motions. Pay close attention to the areas around your brackets or other appliances.

Flossing with Braces

Flossing after every meal will help keep your teeth and braces clean, which will also help keep your treatment time on track. To floss with braces, use a floss threader or special orthodontic floss to thread the floss behind each wire. Wrap the ends of the floss around your pointer fingers of both hands, leaving a few inches of taught floss between them. Gently slide the floss between each set of teeth using a back and forth motion. Floss the sides of each tooth beneath the gum line to remove plaque and food particles. Repeat this process until you’ve flossed all of your teeth. If you find that your floss is not removing all of the food particles between your teeth and around your braces, ask us about a water flosser!

We also have an advanced brushing & maintenance program...Embrace-it by Crest & Oral-B

• Oral-B Professional Care SmartSeries 5000 Electric Toothbrush with Oral-B special orthodontic heads for Braces and Oral-B oscillating brush heads for Invisalign.  The electric brush is lightweight and has a built-in timer to help users brush for the recommended two minutes. 
• Oral-B Superfloss—with a stiff end threader that lets you easily thread the floss under your braces and in tough places for Invisalign.
• Crest PRO-HEALTH Clinical Gum Protection Toothpaste — with stannous fluoride which protects against plaque, gingivitis, cavities, and sensitivity.
• Crest PRO-HEALTH Complete Rinse—with fluoride protection that can rebuild enamel to help prevent cavities also.
• For more information, please follow this link: EmBrace It