What Happens When Food Gets Stuck in Your Braces

Orthodontic care is a must for every patient, regardless of their age. If you are among those who are wearing braces, learning how to take care of your dental health properly will help you keep your teeth straight and nice-looking. It is crucial to keep your oral cavity free of plaque, especially when you have braces. Neglecting to clean your teeth can cause harmful bacteria to buildup on your teeth, causing you to have cavities.

All the things that can get stuck in your braces

Every part of your gold-plated braces, including the bands, wires, and brackets, can pose unique challenges when it comes to sanitation. Each of them can catch food debris at some point, causing acid and dental plaque to build up.

These germs can crawl into any part of your orthodontic hardware and grow until they create colonies of biofilms. They will then use the food residue to produce more bacteria until they grow bigger in number. What is worse is that once these harmful organisms have digested the food particles, they will soon secrete acid as its by-product. This acid can etch around the bands and brackets, which can cause the appearance of white chalky orthodontic markings.

Primary dental hygiene for people with braces

Fortunately, there are ways to keep your teeth from getting run down by harmful germs and bacteria in your mouth. All you need is a small toothbrush, toothpaste with fluoride, as well as dental floss and floss threaders.

It is your responsibility to keep your teeth and gums healthy, especially while you are wearing braces. It is best to thoroughly clean your teeth at least five times a day, five minutes each time. You can do this after waking up and after every meal. It is also crucial to do it before going to bed to prevent plaque from building up while you are sleeping.

To prevent your braces from coming loose or breaking, you should not eat caramel, corn on the cob, and ice. Also, stay away from bagels unless you will cut them in half. Skip from chewing whole hard apples and gum of any kind, too.

Meanwhile, floss your teeth like you would without braces. The only difference is that you should thread underneath the archwire, aside from those spaces between your teeth. You need to floss each side of the tooth and repeat the process until you have cleaned the rest of your teeth.

If you want to be extra cautious about your oral health, then buying an oral irrigation system can do the work, too. You can get these specialized dental tools at any drug stores as well as major retail chains.

Managing your teeth while wearing braces can ensure that no germs and harmful bacteria can threaten your smile. To make sure that your teeth are in perfect condition all the time, see your doctor regularly. Doing so will help check the progress of your teeth alignment. They will assess your situation and see if it is already time to remove your braces.