Is baking soda really bad for braces?

[rania]

Hey everyone im a newbie here. Not a newbie to braces though. This is my 2nd time wearing these horrid things due to my teenage self not caring about wearing my retainer now im 24 and locked in for a year of braces.

Anyway this time around I got ceramic braces. And im so paranoid about them getting stained. So I used some baking soda on my teeth today. Then I read you shouldnt use it because it dissolve the glue. Is it true? And should I call my ortho to check my brackets ?

[katsface]

I don't know about the baking soda, sorry. But from what I understand, it's not the ceramic brackets themselves that get stained, it's the ligatures (if you have them) that stain. I could be wrong about that (I ended up not opting for ceramic braces and got lingual uppers and self ligating metal lowers instead).

[Tobilei]

Yep, it's the ligatures that stain. Clear one's stain the worst I believe, closely followed by white. I usually ask for smoke, which looks quite dark gray on the roll but once on looks clear and have not had a problem with staining.

I also don't know about the baking soda though, but if nothing has loosened yet I'd say you're fine.

[rania]

[quote="Tobilei"]Yep, it's the ligatures that stain. Clear one's stain the worst I believe, closely followed by white. I usually ask for smoke, which looks quite dark gray on the roll but once on looks clear and have not had a problem with staining.

I also don't know about the baking soda though, but if nothing has loosened yet I'd say you're fine.[/quote]

thanks for the tip. will try smoke

[Snowglobe32]

Do you have self-litigating brackets? If so, don't worry about staining.

I have used baking soda and a peroxide/water mix many times without any issues.

You should be okay.

[CarrieG]

I think you're ok if you don't overdo it. I'm using baking soda with my braces just once every week or 2. I was talking to my friend, who is a dental hygienist, and she said that should be fine. The only reason you have to be careful is that baking soda is abrasive and can damage your enamel if you use it too much.