Life with Braces

When you begin treatment at McReynolds Orthodontics, we become a team. Every team needs great communication and cooperation to be successful, and the same is true with your orthodontics! Dr. McReynolds, Dr. Gopffarth, and their team will provide you with excellent treatment in our office, and if you do your part at home by keeping your teeth healthy and your appliances intact, we will ensure you have a beautiful, confident smile and give you plenty of reasons to use it! And as always, you will become a part of the McReynolds Orthodontics family.

Eating with Braces

There are still plenty of yummy healthy foods and snacks that you can have with braces! Here are some foods you can think about:

Brushing and Flossing with Braces

Brushing and flossing after every meal is incredibly important when you have braces. We can make the teeth straight, but brushing and flossing keeps the teeth healthy! It’s also important to stay away from the hard, sticky, and chewy foods to keep your braces and appliances functioning properly.

Brushing and flossing is always important, but even more so when you’re in orthodontic treatment. Braces create small ledges, nooks, and crannies for food deposits, which can lead to cavities and gum problems. Removing the food deposits around your braces means that tooth germs don’t have any food to eat either. Less tooth germs means healthier teeth and gums.

It is important to brush and floss at least three times a day – once at breakfast, after lunch, and before you go to bed. If you cannot brush right after you eat, be sure to rinse thoroughly with water, and NEVER skip brushing at night before you go to bed.

Tips for Effective Brushing and Flossing

If you have questions about the best ways to take care of your oral health while you have braces, don’t hesitate to contact Dr. McReynolds and Dr. Gopffarth at our Keller orthodontic office.

• Use a soft bristled toothbrush with a small amount of toothpaste. Place bristles where the gums and teeth meet.
• Brush each tooth slowly and individually on the top surface and the back surface.
• Use circular motions around the gum line to remove food deposits between the gum line and the brackets.
• Brush the lower teeth from the gum line up and the upper teeth from the gum line down.
• Be sure to brush the backside and the biting surfaces of your teeth, not just what you see in the mirror when you smile.
• Finish up with flossing! Using a floss threader, carefully pull the floss between the wire and braces.
• Floss carefully around each of the brackets, then around the gum area of each tooth. Floss will need to be threaded between each tooth individually and flossed above and below the wires.
• A powered toothbrush can increase your brushing effectiveness, but the toothbrush can only clean what it touches, so proper brushing technique is the most important factor.