routine hygienist visit

[kellyb]

i have booked my first dental cleaning since getting braces for 02nd April. can someone guide me on what to expect? when i called my dentist yesterday he seems to be of the impression my braces are removable. i really don't want him to touch anything so can i trust him to clean it properly the way it is?

[anngie27]

I had my first cleaning about 3 weeks after my metal braces went on. My dentist came in, took a look and said i was cleaning really well while being braced, but i still needed to concentrate on my crowding. He then sent the hygienist in and she did the cleaning will braces on. she didn't disrupt the brackets or archwire and did the cleaning as pre braces. she showed me how to floss with the threader and just went through at home cleaning again. I can tell you, my mouth was tender from the braces being somewhat new and some areas were sensitive than pre braces.
hope this helps.

[kellyb]

thanks anngie really helpful. as i only had an adjustment of my lowers and uppers fitted last weekend, i am abit worried that though i will be tenderness free from the adjustment by the 2nd april when the cleaning is schedule, it might disrupt things abit and make me tender again. i was trying to get an appointment closer to my next adjustment date but the dentist suggested i come in sooner rather than later. will see how it goes

[Breel]

Kelly - I also have a regular cleaning coming up in April. The way they do it here is... I will stop by my orthodontist before my dental appointment and he will remove my archwires.... then I will go get my teeth cleaned and then return to ortho to have my wires put back on. My dentist and orthodontist are located fairly close to each other so this makes it really convenient.
I am looking forward to this cleaning now that I have a bit of space between my teeth. My teeth were so crowded pre-braces that they had a terrible time even getting floss between my teeth.

[nifer237]

Same for me. Although to be honest, I've only had 2 cleanings since being braced. It is a huge hassle, as my ortho and dentist are about 10 minutes apart and trying to line up both appointments is like cracking the DaVinci code. I have to make an appointment to get the wires removed, go to my cleaning, get the wires put back on, and go back to work. This rarely happens in an hour, usually 2-3 so I am waiting. But the cleaning itself was not any different than when I wasn't braced.

Good luck!

[kellyb]

wow, that sounds tedious Breel and nifer. my ortho and dentist are about an hour's journey apart plus at the time when i have my dental visit on 02nd april, the ortho office would have already been closed. unless i have an emergency and have to take time off work, i can only see my ortho on a saturday and he is only opened one saturday a month. i will see what my dentist can do with the wires in.

[midnight]

I went to see the hygienist and she just worked around the braces. They didn't take them off and there was no way I was making a 6 hour round trip to my ortho even if that was an option! It's not something that was ever mentioned. I asked if braces were a problem when I booked the appointment and they said no, they just work around them and that it's even more important to go for regular check ups with braces. They can do quite a good job even with the wires in

[sirwired]

While the hygienist (and dentist) may prefer to have the wires out for cleaning, I would hope you aren't the first orthodontic patient they've ever had... Unless you need something more than a cleaning, having the wires out shouldn't be a requirement for anything.

[TMJJill]

I went in and they cleaned and treated me the same way as before I got my braces. In fact, I've been cleaning so thoroughly since I got my braces that the cleaning was extremely quick and easy.

Neither my dentist or orthodontist saw a need for me to have my wire removed. I'm in the camp of having both over an hour apart so I'm thankful not to have to worry about coordination.

[kennyandrew85]

I also wondered about this, I'm going to book an appointment the day before I get a new wire so my hygeinist doesn't pull all the white coating off my wires.

[kellyb]

thanks for your comments guys. glad to know the dentist will be able to work around the wire.

[luchababe]

I go for a cleaning every 3 months since my braces went on. So 4 times a year. 2 of those times is a checkup with the dentist. They don't remove anything, they just work around everything. You'll be AMAZED at the results. The hygienist said that no matter how well you think you clean with braces, you just can't do as good a job as you do when you don't have braces. So the extra cleanings are needed.

[kellyb]

thanks luchababe, good idea the quarterly cleaning. i will definitely do the same. i think i am doing a good job at cleaning but sometimes i do get abit worried they dont feel clean enough

[DrJasonKTam]

Absolutely no need to remove anything for a cleaning. While most may be concerned about surface stains on the crowns of the teeth, when you go for a cleaning at the dentist, the most important part of the cleaning is actually at the gum level and below it. None of this is blocked at all by the braces or wires .

[Sita]

I've never actually had a 'cleaning' done at the dentist before. It's always been to expensive and I've never really felt I needed it enough to shell out the money for it. Now that I have braces I might have to rethink that though.