How to brush your teeth properly with braces
Getting braces means accepting a real change in your routine. Brackets and metal wires create nooks and crannies where food and plaque accumulate easily—and standard brushing is no longer enough to clean everything. Here is the complete method for keeping your mouth healthy throughout your treatment.
Why brushing changes with braces
With braces, every meal leaves residue trapped around the brackets and under the archwire. If this residue is not removed quickly, it promotes the appearance of plaque, tartar, and, in the most common cases, small permanent white spots on the enamel (the well-known demineralization). Brushing must therefore become longer, more precise, and more regular.
The right technique, step by step
- Rinse your mouth with clean water before starting, to dislodge the largest pieces of debris.
- Position the brush at a 45° angle against the gum line, and work in small circular or back-and-forth motions.
- Clean above and below each bracket: this is the area where plaque accumulates the most and which is most often forgotten.
- Brush all surfaces of the teeth: outer, inner, and the chewing surface.
- Finish with a fluoride mouthwash to reach areas the brush cannot clean and to strengthen the enamel.
Plan for about 2 to 3 minutes of brushing, if possible after every meal—a little more frequently than with teeth without braces.
Essential complementary tools
- An interdental brush, to be used under the archwire and between teeth, where the toothbrush alone cannot reach.
- A plaque disclosing agent, useful occasionally to identify areas that haven't been cleaned well and to adjust your technique.
- Orthodontic floss or a water flosser, for the gaps between teeth.