Metal Mouth Message Board

Is there any difference if I visit the dentist before getting my braces on or after in terms of cleaning my teeth? I'm quite paranoid that my teeth aren't cleaned properly and get permanently stained and even at the dentist there isn't a lot of the surface to be cleaned? Or do the adopt a different technique that is just as good as when your braces are off?

No I go all the time with my braces on. You should be fine. I am.

I've just kept to my normal dental visit routine. No problems. I've asked my ortho about it and he said I do a good job caring for my teeth and I shouldn't worry.

But does the dentist clean differently? I mean the brackets and wires cover a big part of the teeth!

You can easily go to your orthodontist to get your wires taken out. I do that all the time and the only difference is the dentist uses a smaller brush head to polish/clean your teeth.

Oh so I have to go to the ortho, dentist then ortho on the same day?
And is it recommended to just follow the regular 6 month check ups or better to get a clean before braces despite when you have your last clean ?

Just to add, I'm a bit obsessed with brushing right now and started brushing a lot longer and harder. Is this a problem? Would the glue be much more 'weakened' by my excessive brushing?

Just keep to your regular cleaning schedule. The part of your teeth that your brackets/bands cover doesn't need to be cleaned, as those parts are covered with impermeable cement. The hygienist has surely worked on patients with braces before and will be able to clean around all the hardware. Some hygienists prefer to have the wire off to make things a little easier, but that takes a lot of extra time on your, and your ortho's, part.

Also, ease off on the brushing! Brushing every time you eat food: That's okay, and it's what you should do while in braces. Brushing for a while: Also okay. (With braces on, I believe four minutes is about standard for a thorough job, without braces, two minutes.) Brushing harder: not okay! Plaque is simply not that difficult to dislodge; brushing harder does absolutely nothing to get your teeth cleaner, and it poses a real danger to your gums, and to a lesser extent, your enamel. You need enough pressure so that the bristles get to the entire tooth (except, of course, what your floss cleans); beyond that, additional pressure does nothing but harm. Use a lot of small, gentle, strokes at various angles. If your gums are in good shape (your hygienist can tell you this), brushing should never hurt your gums. At all. As in, if you feel gum pain while brushing healthy gums, you are doing it wrong.

Make sure you angle the brush so that the bristles gently clean under the gum margin. (As in, perpendicular to the teeth or a 30-45 degree angle towards the gumline, along with gentle strokes, is enough. NEVER jab the bristles right into the gum pocket and scrub away at it.)

Use the softest toothbrush available in the product line; this will be "soft" or "extra soft." Medium toothbrushes don't get your teeth any cleaner, and it's nearly criminal that firm toothbrushes are even sold; the only thing they are good for is scrubbing tile grout.

Thanks a lot sirwired!

Even though your brackets may cover most of the front surface of your teeth, you still have the OTHER side of your teeth AND the chewing surfaces that the hygentist can clean without any problem!

My ortho made it very clear that I should still keep my 6 month appointments with the dentist, and when I had my last appointment pre braces with the dentist (and booked my first post-brace appointment) the scheduler mentioned that they sometimes want people to come more frequently than 6 months, but only if there's issues.

And I agree, you shouldn't be brushing harder.

I kept my regular cleaning cycle. I have a Water Pik which has been AWESOME for keeping braces clean. I have been complimented by both hygienist and orthodontist for keeping my braces/teeth/gums in such good condition. It's the Water Pik, honestly.
At my last cleaning the hygienist did say that they were able to clean some parts of my teeth that they have never been able to see before just because the braces have shifted them so much, so the cleaning took a little longer than usual, but that was a good thing!

How powerful is this waterpik? Do you think they can blast off the cement and weaken bonds? I'm quite interested in getting a similar one

No, the waterpik is not going to blast off cement or brackets. That stuff isn't much weaker than your enamel itself.

The thing has a dial that goes up to "10", but "6" and gently brushing off the brackets with the ortho tip is more than enough to blast gunk off your brackets and archwire.

The waterpik's primary use in non-braced people is cleaning out your gum margin and shallow perio pockets by pointing it perpendicular to your tooth and letting the ricochet clean out the margin; but if you had perio issues, you probably wouldn't be in braces anyway, so the higher pressure really isn't needed. Think of the Waterpik as a really high pressure "swish" with water, which just about everybody with braces does already.

The most important thing NOT to do with a waterpik is point it right at your gums at any pressure higher than "1"; that's a one-way ticket to gum recession.

sirwired wrote:No, the waterpik is not going to blast off cement or brackets. That stuff isn't much weaker than your enamel itself.

The thing has a dial that goes up to "10", but "6" and gently brushing off the brackets with the ortho tip is more than enough to blast gunk off your brackets and archwire.

The waterpik's primary use in non-braced people is cleaning out your gum margin and shallow perio pockets by pointing it perpendicular to your tooth and letting the ricochet clean out the margin; but if you had perio issues, you probably wouldn't be in braces anyway, so the higher pressure really isn't needed. Think of the Waterpik as a really high pressure "swish" with water, which just about everybody with braces does already.

The most important thing NOT to do with a waterpik is point it right at your gums at any pressure higher than "1"; that's a one-way ticket to gum recession.

It seems soooooo much more easier than flossing and brushing the wire in braces. I think I will get one because of my braces but continue using it even after braces. I think the trick is to slide it across the gumline and stop in between the teeth to flush out debris.

Despite the name of "Water Flosser" it is not, in fact, a substitute for flossing, especially if you have crowding (and most ortho patients do.) And it won't do a great job actually removing plaque from the wire either. Think of it more like rinsing your car off with the garden hose; it'll get the major stuff off, but if you really want clean, you still need to break out the brush, soap, and bucket. (Or in the case of your teeth, the toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss.)

It's a useful supplement to your oral care routine, and one I do after every single meal, but it's not a substitute for anything.

For cleaning under the wire, I find a "Power Tip" on my Oral-B toothbrush works great; it turns your toothbrush into a powered proxabrush. I get mine as part of the "Ortho Essentials Kit" at smilox.com; $20 gets you two power tips and two ortho heads; it's a good deal.