You must get professional teeth cleanings while wearing braces. Orthodontic treatment makes regular preventive dental care more important, not less. The presence of brackets and wires requires modifying the cleaning process to ensure thorough plaque removal without damaging the appliance. Dental hygienists use specialized tools and techniques to navigate the metal hardware, keeping teeth and gums healthy throughout the orthodontic journey.
The Necessity of Regular Cleanings During Orthodontic Treatment
The hardware of braces—brackets, bands, and wires—introduces numerous small surfaces and crevices where food particles and bacterial plaque easily accumulate. These appliances are significantly more challenging to clean thoroughly with standard brushing and flossing alone, increasing the risk of dental issues. Without professional intervention, elevated plaque retention can quickly progress to gingivitis, causing gums to become swollen, tender, and prone to bleeding.
A major concern during orthodontic treatment is enamel decalcification, which presents as white spot lesions (WSLs) on the tooth surface. Decalcification occurs when acids produced by plaque bacteria strip essential minerals from the tooth enamel. These chalky white spots often form around the base of the brackets and can become permanent blemishes visible after the braces are removed.
Enamel decalcification is a common side effect, occurring in a significant percentage of orthodontic patients. The combination of the brackets, the adhesive resin, and poor oral hygiene accelerates this demineralization process. Regular cleanings help control the bacterial populations that cause these lesions, protecting the enamel and ensuring a healthy, aesthetically pleasing smile after treatment.
Adjustments to the Professional Cleaning Process
Cleaning teeth with fixed orthodontic appliances requires modified techniques and specialized instruments to work around the brackets and wires. Traditional ultrasonic scalers are used at a lower power setting, allowing the water-based vibration to flush away plaque and calculus without dislodging the hardware. This approach effectively removes hardened deposits that a toothbrush cannot reach.
Hand scaling is performed meticulously around each individual bracket and along the gumline to ensure all surfaces are clean. For polishing, the hygienist uses specialized angled brushes and prophylaxis paste, which can be maneuvered around the orthodontic wires more effectively than a standard polishing cup. This paste removes surface stains and remaining soft plaque.
Air-powder polishing is particularly useful, using a fine powder mixed with water and air pressure. This gentle spray reaches hard-to-access areas directly beneath the archwire and between the brackets, thoroughly cleaning the enamel surface without damaging the appliance.
Daily Oral Hygiene Practices for Braces Wearers
Maintaining a rigorous home care routine is paramount for individuals with braces, serving as the first line of defense between professional cleanings. Brushing should occur after every meal or snack to remove food debris and plaque trapped by the wires and brackets. Brush for at least two minutes, using a soft-bristled toothbrush or an electric toothbrush with an orthodontic head.
A correct brushing technique involves cleaning each tooth from two different angles: one angled down toward the gums and another angled up toward the top of the brackets. This dual-angle approach ensures the surfaces above and below the archwire are addressed. Small interdental brushes, or “proxabrushes,” are highly effective for removing trapped food particles and plaque between the brackets.
Flossing requires specialized tools to pass the floss under the archwire before moving it between the teeth. Floss threaders simplify this process by guiding the floss into the correct position. Alternatively, a water flosser uses a pulsating stream of water to blast away debris and plaque from around the brackets and under the wires.