How to Clean Teeth with Braces
When your child has braces, you’ll be taking the role of an oral care expert at home. To ensure that you protect your child’s oral health, you’ll need a few guidelines on taking care of kids with braces. Check out some of our tips below.
Make sure you have all the appropriate oral hygiene materials to teach your child how to clean teeth with braces. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste. Allow your child to pick the colour of the toothbrush and the flavour of toothpaste he/she wants. You will also need a floss and a floss threader to clean in between teeth.
Teach your child how to brush properly. You can do this by demonstrating the right brushing technique. Once you’ve shown them how to brush their teeth, let your child do a return demonstration. Remove any elastics from your child’s braces before brushing teeth.
At a 45-degree angle, use a back and forth motion of brushing. Then, brush the braces with enough pressure to push the bristles onto the brackets and clean the braces wire. After brushing, reinsert the elastics.
Remind your child to avoid hard, sticky and crunchy food. These type of foods can break or damage your children’s braces. Also, encourage your kids to eat more well-balanced food and braces-friendly food that are chewable and soft.
Apart from brushing, flossing is an important part of taking care of kids braces. When flossing with braces, your child can use an additional tool called a floss threader. This tool will help clean the spaces between the teeth. However, if flossing is quite difficult for your child, you can let them use a thin interdental toothbrush. Normally, your children’s orthodontist will teach them how to use this special type of toothbrush.
Lastly, your presence can help your child focus on what they should and shouldn’t do while on braces. You can motivate them in keeping a healthy dental habit.
If you want to learn more about brushing and cleaning teeth for children with braces, don’t hesitate to contact us at The Dental Room in Calgary, Alberta.
