Bright Smiles Program
Our top priority is to help you achieve and maintain a beautiful, healthy smile that will last a lifetime. Part of that commitment includes ensuring you keep your teeth and gums healthy throughout your orthodontic treatment. Studies have shown that orthodontic appliances can increase a patient’s chance for developing cavities or decalcification on their teeth.
If you maintain good oral hygiene throughout your treatment and avoid high sugary foods and carbonated beverages, there is a less likely chance of developing decalcification or cavities. To help our patients protect their smiles, we have developed a unique and highly effective oral hygiene program called the “Bright Smiles Program”. This program includes:
- A Brace Care Kit complete with instructions on how to care for their braces/appliances.
- A mandatory oral hygiene class that will review the patient’s oral hygiene habits and ways to improve their techniques.
- A strong and efficient fluoride treatment that is re-applied every four to six months.
We will also ask that patients use a prescription strength fluoride gel (Omni Gel) or rinse (Perio Med) that not only protects the teeth from decay, but will also kill the bacteria that causes inflammation and puffy gums. We have these medications available in our office for your convenience, or you can purchase them at your local pharmacy.
Proper oral hygiene habits like daily brushing and flossing combined with our Bright Smiles Program will help ensure our patients will obtain that beautiful, healthy smile that will look amazing for years to come.
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Eating with Braces
For most situations, common sense will tell you what to avoid. Hard foods, sticky foods and foods high in sugar must be avoided. Hard foods can break or damage wires and brackets. Sticky foods can get caught between brackets and wires. Minimize sugary foods; they cause tooth decay and related problems. Nail biting, pencil and pen chewing and chewing on foreign objects should be avoided.
Examples of Sticky Foods to Avoid:
- Gum (sugar-free or regular
- Licorice
- Sugar Daddies
- Toffee
- Tootsie Rolls
- Caramels
- Starburst
Examples of Hard Foods to Avoid:
- Uncooked carrots (unless cut)
- Ice
- Nuts
- Hard taco shells
- French bread crust/rolls
- Corn on the cob
- Apples and carrots (unless cut into small pieces)
- Bagels
- Chips
- Jolly Ranchers
- Pizza crust
- Uncooked carrots (unless cut)
Minimize Sugary Foods like:
- Cake
- Ice Cream
- Cookies
- Pie
- Candy
Only Once a Day:
- Soda
- Sweetened tea
- Gatorade
- Kool-Aid
- Drinks with sugar
It’s important to regularly check your braces for bent or loose wires and brackets. In the event of a loose/broken wire or bracket, call our office immediately to arrange an appointment for repair.
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Cleaning Your Braces
The best way to ensure a clean and healthy smile is brushing and flossing. Food particles can accumulate on teeth and in braces, and over time, turn into plaque. The bacteria that results from this accumulation can lead to gum disease, tooth decay and even loss of teeth. To avoid these problems while you are in orthodontic treatment, take special care of your braces, teeth and gums to ensure you will have the best possible result.
Brushing
Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and a small strip of fluoride toothpaste. Hold the toothbrush at an angle and brush slowly and carefully, covering all areas between teeth, between braces and the surface of each tooth. It will take you several minutes to thoroughly brush your teeth. Brush up on the lower teeth, down on the upper teeth and the outside, inside and chewing surface of your front and back teeth. Brush your tongue and the roof of your mouth before you rinse.
Especially during orthodontic treatment, brush your teeth four times daily to avoid the accumulation of food particles in your teeth and braces.
As soon as the bristles start to wear down or fray, replace your toothbrush with a new one. It may be difficult for your toothbrush to reach some areas under your archwire. Do not swallow any toothpaste; rinse your mouth thoroughly with water after you finish brushing.
Flossing
For areas between the teeth that a toothbrush can’t reach, use dental floss to remove food particles and plaque. Flossing takes more time and patience when you are wearing braces, but it is important to floss your teeth every day.
Use the reusable floss threader provided by our office to floss under your archwire daily. You will be able to feel when the tooth is clean and hear the squeak of the floss against your clean teeth. Use care around your archwire and do not floss too forcefully around it or put too much pressure on it. After you floss between your archwire and braces, floss between your other teeth and gums.
Floss at night to make sure your teeth are clean before you go to bed. When you first begin flossing around your braces, your gums may bleed a little. If the bleeding does not go away after the first few times, inform a staff member at your next appointment.
View our Care Video below for detailed images on how to properly brush and floss your teeth while you have braces.
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Care Video
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