Good dental hygiene while you’re wearing metal or clear braces isn’t only about being a dedicated tooth-brusher. Manual and powered toothbrushes are excellent cleaning tools, but they can’t quite reach every surface of each tooth. That’s why it’s imperative that people, especially those who wear braces, thoroughly clean between their teeth.
The office of Gallup, NM is experienced in providing superb orthodontic care for patients of all ages. We deliver the expert service you want, need and expect.
Cleaning between your teeth helps fend off plaque, the sticky bacteria that feed on food and sugar in your mouth, and it promotes decay, gum disease and tooth loss. Plaque releases an acid that erodes enamel and becomes tartar (or calculus). Tartar, which only a dental professional can remove, gathers along your gum lines and activates gum disease, which can interrupt or even sabotage your route to straight teeth and a healthy bite.
String dental floss, dental tape, interdental brushes, super floss and floss picks are excellent tools. Ask your orthodontist which is best for you. Complete your mission by using a water flosser to wash away all of the loosened debris and plaque.
Keeping surfaces between your teeth free of food particles is an essential part of taking care of your teeth and gumswithout braces, and it’s even morenecessary with braces. You would be surprised by all the foods that can get lodged in your brackets, wires and other orthodontic apparatuses. Even sugar from beverages can stick to surfaces and become destructive.
Staying consistent and meticulous is the essential component of scouring between your choppers. Next, you may think that as long as you do a thorough job, it doesn’t matter when during the day you do it. But as with many tasks in life, timing is everything. It’s best to carry out your deep clean in the early evening, so you can devote the extra couple of minutes and not have to hurry through it. And don’t wait until you’re dog-tired, when your zeal is waning and you’re tempted to skip it. If you wait until the morning after, all the stuff that accumulated during your waking hours will have had time to fester overnight.
Gallup, NM has a solid reputation for providing excellent care and compassionate service. We welcome new patients to our state-of-the-art facility, which is your resource for the best in modern practices. Please don’t hesitate to call us to schedule an appointment.
