Dental hygiene and braces go hand in hand at Dukinfield dentists

Orthodontic braces are a wonderful invention and have helped millions of people to get the smile they have always dreamed of. Unfortunately having all that metal and plastic in your mouth does make it much harder to keep your teeth and gums clean and your general oral health can suffer if you don’t monitor the situation closely. There are specialist brushes and tools that you can use to clean the gaps between teeth and braces, and regular check-ups with your dentist can help with the early detection of any potential problems.

The best thing you can do, if you know you are going to have braces fitted in the near future, is to make an appointment with a dental hygienist. At Mossley Dental Care, Dukinfield we recommend that all our orthodontic patients attend a session with our hygienist prior to being fitted with braces, as well as making regular appointments throughout the course of their treatment.

Making sure that your teeth and gums are as healthy and clean as possible before you have your braces fitted can help you in the long run to maintain the health of your smile during your orthodontic treatment. The hygienist will give all your teeth a thorough clean and polish, especially the teeth at the back which are difficult to reach at the best of times and will only become trickier once you are wearing braces. Dental hygienists will be able to give you a few tips on how to keep your teeth clean depending on what braces you are going to get and may even be able to recommend some helpful products.

Some modern braces are removable, which means that you can take them out while eating to stop pieces of food getting trapped. Obviously it also makes keeping your teeth and gums clean much easier if you don’t have to work around metal or plastic braces. However, even if you have removable braces a session with the hygienist before you start to wear them will do no harm at all, and you should still attend regular check-ups with your dentist to ensure that your orthodontic treatment is progressing well and that your oral health is still good.