Oral Hygiene

It's important to maintain excellent oral hygiene while having orthodontic treatment.

Maintaining good oral hygiene is one of the most important things you can do for your teeth and gums. Healthy teeth not only enable you to look and feel good, they make it possible to eat and speak properly. Good oral health is important to your overall wellbeing.

Failure to keep teeth clean may result in:

• Discoloration and staining of the enamel surface - these stains may be very hard to remove later
• Dental decay causing cavities to form in the teeth
• Inflammation of the gums causing pain, swelling and bleeding, and gum disease
• Bad breath
  

These same problems occur without orthodontic treatment, but the risk is even greater when orthodontic appliances are worn because plaque and food debris can build up more readily around areas of contact with the braces.

Here are a few general pointers about brushing:

• Brush at least twice a day — Many oral-health-care professionals recommend brushing just before going to bed. Teeth should also be brushed in the morning, ideally after breakfast. It is important to get rid of the plaque that has built up overnight.
• Brush no more than three times a day — Brushing too often can cause gums to recede over time.
• Electric tooth brushes are now regarded as superior to manual brushes. Research supports this view, showing that electric brushes are more efficient in removing plaque.
• Brush lightly — Brushing too hard can cause gums to recede. Try holding your toothbrush the same way you hold a pen. This encourages a lighter stroke.
• Brush for at least two minutes — Longer is fine, but two minutes is the minimum time needed to adequately clean all your teeth.
• Always use a toothbrush with "soft" or "extra soft" bristles — The harder the brush, the greater the risk of harming gum tissue.
• Change your toothbrush regularly — As soon as the bristles begin to splay, the toothbrush loses its ability to clean properly. Throw away your old toothbrush after three months or when the bristles flare, whichever comes first. If you find your bristles flaring much sooner than three months, you may be brushing too hard. Try easing up.

Many brands of toothpaste are on display in pharmacies and supermarkets making choosing toothpaste difficult.

In truth, any toothpaste containing fluoride is good for you, whether it be stannous fluoride, sodium fluoride or monofluoride phosphate.

A wide range of mouthwashes is available in pharmacies and supermarkets and they are very useful in killing the bacteria that form in plaque. 

Tooth Mousse is a new product that replenishes the minerals and nutrients in the tooth enamel, especially after tooth whitening treatments. It contains recaldent, a protein that is extracted from milk that supplies calcium and phosphate ions for the tooth surface.