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From straightening teeth to aligning bites, braces correct many problems. However, they also require you to take extra care to keep your teeth, brackets, and wires clean. Waterford Dental Health provides expert dental and orthodontic services to residents of New London County, CT, and shares advice about oral health care for people who wear braces.

Orthodontic Experts Share 5 Care Tips for Braces

1. Avoid Damaging Foods

Chewy, sticky, and sugary foods can cause trouble for your teeth if you have braces. They can wedge between the brackets and your enamel, increasing your risk of tooth decay. You also should avoid hard foods — even healthy ones like apples and popcorn — because they can bend the wires of your braces.

2. Brush After Eating

Orthodontics Waterford CTIf you have braces, you should brush after every meal or snack to dislodge food particles stuck to your brackets. Brush at a 45-degree angle against your gums to remove food remnants and use an interdental brush to clear out tight spaces a toothbrush can’t reach.

3. Fine-Tune Flossing

You should continue to floss once a day when you have braces and take the extra step of threading the filament through every space around the brackets. A specialized flossing device featuring a threader tip can help you reach these areas better.  

4. Rinse With Mouthwash

Some spaces in your mouth are susceptible to bacterial growth no matter how well you brush and floss, so add mouthwash to your dental hygiene routine. It will cleanse hard-to-reach areas and promote fresh breath.

5. Wear a Mouthguard

You should wear a mouthguard to protect your teeth from impact if you participate in a contact sport, and this device is even more important when you have braces. Any impact could damage brackets and wires, so ask your orthodontics provider about a customized mouthguard that will accommodate them.

As a trusted orthodontics specialist in New London County, CT, Waterford Dental Health will help you get the best results from your braces. If caring for conventional braces isn’t right for you, their dental team also offers Invisalign®. Visit them online to learn more about their services and call (860) 447-2235 to schedule an appointment. Check their Google+ page for more dental care tips.

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