4 Tips For A Whiter Smile With Braces

Posted on: 23 November 2016

If you have braces or plan on having braces in the near future, it's important that you know what you need to change in your daily oral hygiene care to ensure that you keep your teeth healthy and white. Too often, people get braces and end up with white squares underneath the braces because the surrounding areas of their teeth have become yellowed from not taking care of them properly. These white squares can last for years and take a huge toll in your self-confidence in your smile. Here are four tips to help you avoid this problem:

  1. Invest in the Right Toothbrush: When you have braces, cleaning around them when you brush your teeth can be tricky. You want to be sure that you can remove all food particles from in between the brackets. To do this, you will want a toothbrush that is designed to help you accomplish this. Typically a proxy brush is best because it helps you get underneath the wire because it's thin and the bristles go all the way around the stick of the brush.
  2. Brush More Often: When you have braces, you really should be brushing more often because food particles are going to get stuck more easily instead of being washed down when you swallow. For this reason, you should brush after every meal to ensure that these food particles do not allow bacteria and acid to damage the enamel of your teeth and cause staining. 
  3. Don't Attempt to Whiten Your Teeth: Don't be too paranoid about your teeth not being white when the braces come off. If you brush often and with the right type of toothbrush, you can be sure that this problem is avoided. Too often, people become too paranoid that they will attempt to whiten their teeth with whitening products. The problem with this is that when you have braces, it can whiten the teeth unevenly making the white spots underneath the brackets actually become darker than the rest of your smile. 
  4. Drink With a Straw: When you drink any type of sugary drink, be sure that you use a straw. Of course, you should avoid drinking these types of drinks as best you can, but if you use a straw, it ensures that the sugar is more likely to get washed down instead of stuck to your teeth. 

When you follow these four tips, you can be sure that you maintain a white, healthy smile when you have braces, which ensures that they will look even and sparkling when the braces come off. 

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Providing Children With Dental Knowledge

When my three children were young, they were all excited to go to the dentist. The dentist's office was great fun with a large fish tank and a variety of puzzle toys in the waiting room. I liked the pediatric dental office so much that I jumped at the chance when I was offered a receptionist job. Many of the children who came to see the dentist were not nearly as happy as my children. Most kids were scared and anxious, and I learned fairly quickly that the children were worried because they had no idea what to expect. The dentist at the office provided me with a set of dental tools that I could show to the children. I explained how each of the devices worked. This eased the fears, and I started this blog so parents could share dental information with their children before dental visits.

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