Oral and Dental Care in Orthodontic Treatment

Orthodontic patients should pay great attention to their oral and dental care. In people who do not have good dental care habits, there are many measures to prevent stains that may occur on the teeth after treatments, but to prevent the appearance of smooth but stained and ugly teeth.

Your dentist will see you every 6 months while continuing orthodontic treatment and apply these precautions when necessary.

Floss Use

Dental floss is a nylon thread that cleans the food residue and bacterial plaque accumulated between the teeth. Break the enough length of floss and pass it between the braces and brackets in a ‘C’ shape.

Wrap one end of the floss on your two middle fingers several times, leave the floss between 3-5 cm in the middle, using your thumbs, gently press it from the chewing surface with gentle movements between the teeth and until it reaches the gum.

Move the floss up and down between the teeth to remove plaque and food residues in the interdental and gum pockets.

Do not move the floss back and forth. This can damage the gums.

Start using floss from one side of your mouth and continue to systematically clean towards the opposite side.

Using the Interface Brush

After floss cleaning, place the appropriate size interface brush under the braces recommended by your orthodontist. Move the interface brush up and down with gentle movements to remove any food residue that may have remained between the brackets and wires.

Brush between the teeth and under the braces where the brush can enter easily. Do not force the brush head excessively in small gaps and especially between crooked teeth that have not yet recovered at the beginning of the treatment.

Use of mouthwash

In orthodontic treatment, rinsing with mouthwash completes the cleaning process. However, remember that using mouthwash alone does not remove bacterial plaque. Mouthwashes are not a substitute for brushing teeth using a dental floss interface brush. It is just an additional protection maintenance method Read the instructions for use on the mouthwash box. Do not swallow mouthwash. Mouthwash is not suitable for children under six years old.