brushing & braces

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#1 Post by **bobby9** » Mon May 14, 2007 4:58 pm

Hi,

I just started wearing braces last week.
Been OK so far, no pain. But found myself eating like a baby (need to cut food up to tiny pieces & chew slowly)

I also realized that my teeth are now living in 'dangerous times', since food is so easily trapped anywhere in the mouth.

Can anyone recommend anything in particular to make oral hygiene effort easier & better? I often find that after brushing, there's still debris stuck somewhere.

Thanks

Bob

#2 Post by **kirjax** » Mon May 14, 2007 5:18 pm

I bought myself a dental kit at the store that has the pick, the mirror, and the plaque remover (which I don't really use) that way I can use the mirror to see what I'm not getting and the pick helps to remove it better then floss.

I am having trouble flossing. It seems as though the floss doesn't want to go in between certain teeth

I always keep water by when I'm eating to swish throughout the meal to avoid any food to get stuck in various places. I brushed a total of 4x so far but at night before bed is when I take the most time to clean my mouth. Brush really really good, rinse, floss, rinse, use some flouride, then place wax on various locations. That's my nightly routine thus far!

#3 Post by **iBorg** » Mon May 14, 2007 7:49 pm

I have had no luck finding an ortho cut tooth brush. Here's what I've found to help;
Sonicare toothbrush (I only use it at night prior to be)
Crest Glide Threader Floss
Colgate Phos Flur Rinse (my ortho insists on it) just before bed.

So far I've had great reports on my cleanliness.

Congrats on starting the journey!

Mike

#4 Post by **ABraces2007** » Tue May 15, 2007 3:18 am

These are the steps i use for my cleaning routine:
1) higene sticks to clean the food which is still under my wire
2) rinse with water
3) an ortho hard toothbrush to eliminate plaque
4) a soft post-surgery toothbrush after a hard toothbrush makes your teeth shine
5) water rinse
6) flossing
7) my special rinse with fluor, triclosan and much more stuff in it

By the way, mirror is a good idea..

#5 Post by **ABraces2007** » Tue May 15, 2007 4:32 am

oh, and i forgot those small interdental brushes... that stuff kills plaque...

#6 Post by **kypsis** » Tue May 15, 2007 6:30 am

Meryaten, is it really necessary to floss after every time you eat? The brushing, yes, and maybe using those little christmastree brushes to make sure there's nothing between the wires... My ortho told me to floss just once a day, or "two or three times a week is also acceptable." Flossing takes me about 20 minutes or more each night, so it's a considerable time to take at work after lunch and snacks! If I don't floss every time after a meal, am I setting my teeth up for trouble (that is, cavities and plaque) once the braces come off?

#7 Post by **bobby9** » Tue May 15, 2007 4:30 pm

Thanks everyone for their reply.

KK, the waterpik idea sure looks great.
But is it a good idea to squirt jets of water around the gums? I think I read somewhere that the pressured water might push debris into the gum?
What's the others' opinions on waterpik?

Thanks,
Bob

#8 Post by **Miss Smiley** » Tue May 15, 2007 4:33 pm

Mer - I'm with you on the toothpick dilemma.

I bought a box of 12 travel ortho-cut Oral-B toothbrushes for $15 USD. I ordered it through a dental office since they order all their supplies direct or from wholesalers. I figured 1 new brush for every 2 months should suffice most of my tx. Esp since I have an ortho cut travel one from the goody bag and I am quite fond of my Sonicare at home. You can never go wrong with proxy brushes too. I always carry one in my purse along with my toothbrush, paste, and wax. I floss at home in the morning and night.

#9 Post by **kirjax** » Wed May 16, 2007 10:58 am

At my ortho I was given an Oral B triumph electric toothbrush. It comes with a polisher, tongue scraper, and two kinds of brushes. It's very powerful but really neat. It times your brushing, tells you what sort of brush your using and if you press to hard it automatically shuts off until you release the pressure.

I usually drink only water now. So after each bite I swish some water around my mouth to loosen the food.

But mainly my routine is a mouthwash (w/ flouride) rinse (it's new by listerine and it's purple I suggest it)....I do that in the morning. Wait about 1/2 hour then I eat breakfast. After breakfast I brush my teeth really well. At first I used to brush 3-4 times throughout the day but it's becoming a hassle so now I do it 1-2x throughout the day depending on what I eat. Then at night before bed is my major cleaning. I use my toothbrush, rinse, floss, rinse, use a flouride treatment and also I use a dental mirror that I bought at the store to look around for any missed spots. It takes me about 15 min to floss (but mind you I only have top braces so far). I'm getting the hang of it. It's really annoying but I want to make sure I keep my teeth healthy.

#10 Post by **wirerose** » Thu May 17, 2007 7:27 pm

I just want to say I am grateful to everyone for all of the good advice here. I have been scouring this whole site and I can't believe how much info there is here!

Thanks for taking the time to share your wisdom with the newly braced. = )

#11 Post by **Betty Bat** » Thu May 17, 2007 7:59 pm

Just wanted to add that I never got an ortho-cut brush from my ortho, but I got a few from my regular dentist when I went in for cleanings. So, that might be a source for some folks, just like Miss Smiley ordered hers from a dental office!

#12 Post by **Thathrill** » Thu May 17, 2007 9:48 pm

Pre brace, I received complements on how I treated my teeth. I even went a year without going to the dentist and came back and the dentist was shocked at how good I kept my teeth. Of course it wasn't done on purpose. I brush after meals, drink water, and always have floss on hand. Now that I am braced its a similar yet different story.

My routine is fairly simple. In the morning, I check my mouth to make sure nothing happened while sleeping. I brush with either my regular toothbrush or my crest spinbrush then I gargle with Listerine. I drink water with my meals and swish regularly. I also brush after lunch if I have my brush/toothpaste on me. If not, I continue to swish with water and my tongue is great at searching to food caught in braces LOL. If there's any food caught in teeth, I would floss it out. At night, I inspect my mouth again, floss thoroughly, brush using either one of the brushes mentioned above and then gargle with Listerine.

I honestly feel that drinking water throughout the day really truly helps with food getting caught. And like kirjax said, I swish while eating (after a bite of food) works wonders and saves time