Timock Family Orthodontics is proud to offer a variety of orthodontic treatments, including Invisalign, clear, metal, and lingual braces, and TMJ therapy, for patients to take charge of their dental health. No matter which care path you take, maintaining your oral health is essential to successful results. With some extra steps to keep track of when wearing an appliance, our team is here to make dental care feel more accessible as you take this next step in supporting your health!
Cleaning Your Teeth
A foundational step in keeping your teeth polished is daily brushing to protect them from common oral diseases and ensure your gums stay healthy. Especially when wearing an appliance, cleaning your teeth after each meal is essential to rid your mouth of excess food particles.
In addition to brushing your teeth, cleaning your appliance, whether removable or fixed, is a simple yet essential step to add to your care routine. Bacteria can quickly accumulate over time and cause complications during your treatment.
Practice Effective Brushing With The Best Instruments
Using orthodontic-recommended tools to clean your teeth can elevate your oral health. Dr. Timock suggests using a rounded, soft-bristled toothbrush the size of one of your teeth to cover the entire surface. As for toothpaste, selecting one containing fluoride can protect your teeth from cavities.
Effective brushing technique is quite simple. All you need is a pea-sized amount of toothpaste on your brush, placing it at the gum line at a 45-degree angle. Move the brush in a circular motion around each tooth, and repeat on both the appliance and each surface of your teeth. Continue brushing for at least five minutes to clean all areas properly.
Drink Lots of Water
There are plenty of benefits to staying hydrated, but did you know drinking water is one of the best ways to protect your teeth naturally? It contains a mineral called fluoride, the same ingredient included in toothpaste, that rids them of bacteria, stains, and plaque.
Drinking water throughout the day dilutes the acids that form in your mouth from eating sugary foods, even preventing cavities. Keeping a bottle or cup with you will strengthen your teeth and allow them to continue functioning as needed.
The Benefits of Mouthwash
On top of brushing and flossing, another constructive way of staying on top of your oral health is using mouthwash. Mouthwash can freshen your breath, remove plaque, combat tooth decay, and prevent cavities from developing in their early stages. As helpful as this additional step is, it does not replace brushing and flossing your teeth. Each step cleans your teeth with different abrasiveness.
Options For All Your Needs
There are a variety of mouthwashes available, including cosmetic, natural, fluoride, antiseptic, and whitening, each facilitating your health differently. Selecting the one that best serves your dental needs can boost your tooth health. Dr. Timock can provide you with a recommendation based on your needs and what he believes you would benefit the most from.
Flossing Your Smile
Our team stresses the importance of flossing as often as possible. You don’t need to do so after every brushing, but finding the time to do so at least once a day makes a real difference in your long-term oral health. Many patients floss at night as a final once-over to eliminate remaining food particles and plaque at the end of the day.
Threaders
Of course, wearing an orthodontic appliance with wires prevents floss from reaching the bottom of your teeth. Timock Family Orthodontics has the solution! We provide each patient with thin, flexible threaders designed to fit between your teeth so you can weave the string between each tooth and be able to get rid of lingering plaque.
Your Daily Dental Care Regimen
Each step of your daily oral routine can keep your teeth in peak shape, but their effectiveness partially relies on the order in which you clean them. Changing the sequence in which you do so will not harm your teeth, but it will affect how well it protects them. Regardless, the most essential thing in your routine is consistency and thoroughness.
Have a Cup of Water
The simplest step in caring for your teeth is drinking a small glass of water before brushing. It can eliminate any loose food particles that don’t need the abrasiveness of bristles. A quick, natural cleaning of your teeth allows brushing afterward to be even more effective.
Brush Your Teeth
The next step is the most well-known: using a toothbrush and paste. Following the proper technique explained earlier will ensure each surface of your teeth gets cleaned and your orthodontic appliance stays in pristine condition.
Practicing the additional steps of scraping your tongue and the roof of your mouth decreases the harmful bacteria in your mouth. Brushing your teeth completes the job halfway, but directly polishing these other areas takes care of the rest.
Floss Your Teeth
As effective as your toothbrush is, there may be some particularly stuck pieces of food still left in your teeth; that is where the power of flossing comes to the rescue. Using this string to get between each tooth where your brush cannot reach also removes plaque buildup.
If the orthodontic treatment you are undergoing requires wires across your teeth, don’t forget to use the threaders Timock Family Orthodontics supplies you with to reach the bottom of each tooth.
Swish With Mouthwash
The final step of your daily routine, mouthwash adds an extra layer of protection to freshen your teeth and gums. This addition to your routine is not required but is just another way of ensuring you stay on top of your oral health and keep everything in excellent condition!
Follow The Path To A Vibrant Smile
We take the oral health of each of our patients very seriously and strive to provide everyone with the tools they need to protect their teeth effectively, no matter where they are. If you live in Fort Collins, Windsor, or a surrounding community, you can count on Timock Family Orthodontics to provide for your orthodontic needs. Call us today to schedule your free consultation!