BURIEN
WEST SEATTLE
January 31, 2019
Floss Like a Boss: Tips for Beating Plaque with Braces
As your Burien and West Seattle orthodontist, Peralta Orthodontics wants you to be prepared for the adjustments to your diet and oral hygiene that come with braces. Due to their construction, traditional braces can make flossing and brushing with standard tools difficult. The key to navigating oral hygiene with orthodontics is knowing which alternative tools are going to work best with your braces.
The first thing to remember is that the type of braces or aligners you have will affect the choices you have for oral hygiene. If you’re using a system like Invisalign, you will have removable trays and you can simply take them out, clean them separately, and then brush and floss like usual. It’s traditional bracket braces with the metal wire that require the most special care.
Try out these alternatives to traditional floss and reach between your teeth like you did prior to getting braces.
Each of these alternatives has one thing in common with the others: they avoid the loop that makes it impossible for traditional flossing methods to be effective when you have braces.
There are two options for toothbrushes that will allow you to enjoy the same thorough clean after orthodontics are installed that you enjoyed before. One is the interproximal brush, which has a triangular head and is better designed to reach difficult spots. The other option that works very well for many patients is an electric toothbrush with an ortho head that makes it easier to reach around and through the braces. Luckily, both options are widely available.
If you’re looking for an orthodontist in West Seattle, schedule a consultation today to learn more about your options. All you need to do is contact us.
