Metal Mouth Message Board

So I am going to be getting my teeth cleaned in 2 months. How do they do it with braces on? Do you go to the ortho to get the wire removed 1st for the cleaning? I would really like details...

I guess it depends on if your teeth "need" doing or not. I had mine done recently but he just cleaned the bits he could. If i were you i would ring and ask if your meant to get the arch wire removed first.

I just went through this yesterday. My first cleaning was simply done around the brackets and wires. Yesterday was my second cleaning with no wire. Its a pain, but I schedule 3 appts (2 with ortho and 1 with the dentist) My ortho and dentist are like 10 min apart in driving time. I went to the ortho at 10am, wire removal, had my cleaning scheduled at 1030, went back to the ortho to put the wire in at 1145. My ortho did say that sometimes I can have my dentist take the wire out, but I will always need to go to the ortho to have it put back in. I had a cleaning and a new wire put on my lowers yesterday...and Im pretty sore. I get cleanings every 3-5 months without fail...it is a big pain in the butt, however my teeth feel sooooo good after the cleaning. With braces it feels like they are never clean!

I just had my first cleaning with braces two days ago. The hygienist cleaned my teeth just as she normally would without braces. I didn't need my wires removed and my teeth look/feel great. I've never heard of wires being removed for a cleaning, but based on the other posts it sounds like that happens more often than I'd imagined.

My ortho took the wires out and put them back in after the cleaning. My hygienist thanked her! But, for me as a patient.. I'm sure it was great to do, but for scheduling .. it was a pain in the butt!! I had three appt. that day. Made it tuff .. and I had to take some time off at the end of the day to just get it all finished.

But, my teeth were in good shape, so I guess that's what counts.

My ortho and dentist are about a 5 minute drive from each other... so when I have my teeth cleaned, I get my wires out first, get the cleaning, then go for new wires. The hygeinsts have told me they prefer to have the wires out but they can work with them in.

I like having my wires out because I get a better cleaning and also because with the wires out, you can really see how your teeth are coming along. It is a huge difference and it reminds me that it will all be worth it in the end. The bad part is that the teeth are definitely sore the next day.

I would recommend having the wires out, if you can schedule it that way.

Another vote for wire out. I recently had my teeth cleaned and did the ortho-dentist-ortho trip. My hygenist was very grateful. She said that it is so much easier to clean teeth with the wire out.

I had a cleaning with the wire still in. My hygienist just used different tools that allowed her to reach under the wire. They look and feel great!

My ortho and dentist are in the same building, one is on one side and one is on the other. So they had to schedule my cleaning together...I'll see my ortho first and he will remove the ligs and archwire and send me to the dentist and they'll clean my teeth. Then they send me back on the other side of the building back to my ortho to have my archwire and ligs put back on. That's it. they said it's a pretty simple process and goes very smoothly, just takes a little longer than normal because of all the hardware.

Your wire does not have to be removed, but it makes it so much easier for the hygenist. Just think about the difference when you floss your teeth with wire in and wire out. My hygenist said that she can do a much more thorough job without the wire. If I'm getting my teeth cleaned, I want them as clean as they can get them.

Hi klobird-I see we have the same ticker. Well I alternate between having my teeth cleaned at the periodontist office and my dentist office. I do not have the wire removed and no one has ever suggested it. Both hygienists say my teeth look good and have very little tartar on them. Both seem to get the job done well.

im gald i read all the postings im having my teeth cleaned on the 22nd june my ortho and dentist are in the same office.
so i am hoping they will chat before i get there about removing the wire for cleaning as im getting a new wire anyway. that i do know.

are the teeth sore the next day from the cleaning or just the new wire????

I've had my braces for 7 years now and I too, had never heard of an orthodontist removing a wire for cleaning, and my dentist is an orthodontist as well (but not my orthodontist, apparently I had problems too big for him to fix). My hygienist just has special tools to clean around the brackets and wires (she mainly uses a tool almost like a Waterpik, but it seems to have a lot more water pressure and feels kind of hot). Either way, I imagine it's relatively simple and my teeth still feel great after being cleaned with the wire in (but I bet my dentist and hygienist will be very happy that for my next cleaning, my braces will be off).

Huggy: I didnt have any *extra* soreness from getting my teeth cleaned (Wires removed). They actually feel so strong after the cleaning that I kid myself for the first day thinking I wont have any soreness....but you still get the normal aches from the adjustment...not the cleaning though. I am on 3 month cleanings so I have had 1 cleaning without the wires removed and 2 cleanings with the wires removed!

I did my previous 2 cleaning with my wires on. Last time when I was done with the cleaning, my hygienist suggested that I can schedule my adjustment and cleaning on the same day so I can have my wires removed for cleaning...

I didn't know the wires mattered so I never scheduled adjustment and cleaning on the same day. I will do so next time.