When our orthodontist attaches braces to your mouth, she designs them to gradually realign your teeth to prevent you from having to live with damaged tooth enamel and an unappealing smile. While wearing braces, you will need to maintain excellent oral hygiene to increase the efficacy of your orthodontic treatment.

If you develop tooth decay during your orthodontic treatment, you could experience complications, and the resulting treatment may extend the duration of your braces period. If you are struggling to clean around your orthodontic appliances, Dr. Rehana Khan can suggest some special oral hygiene tools you might want to try using.

An interdental brush may make it easier to remove food particles and plaque from around your brackets and wires. Typically, this brush has a small, angled head that accesses tight places inaccessible to a regular toothbrush. Some examples are bands and spacers, where small food particles like to gather.

If you find it difficult to floss around your gum line and around the wires, as individuals with braces often do, you may have more success with a floss threader, which is a tool loaded with waxed dental floss that helps you to insert floss around the wires and between teeth.

If you received braces from Santa Monica Orthodontics and have any concerns about proper oral hygiene for braces, you are welcome to call 310-393-3344 and schedule a time to meet with our orthodontist and team in Santa Monica, California.