Teeth Care Guide in Virginia

Brushing your teeth with braces isn’t too different from brushing normally. Hold the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle and gently brush along the line of your gums. Then shift the brush to carefully brush the tops of your brackets. Reposition again to angle upwards and brush the undersides of the brackets and wire.

Flossing your teeth with braces or other orthodontics is easier with the use of a floss threader. These make it easier to thread floss behind and between your wires so you can effectively floss between all of your teeth. It’s essentially to floss gently when you have braces.

If you are an Invisalign patient, you will not need to change your diet for treatment, as the aligners can be removed when eating.

If you have traditional wire-and-bracket braces, it is recommended that you avoid the following during the course of your treatment:

• Very chewy foods like hard rolls, bagels, licorice and others.
• Hard and crunchy foods such as popcorn, nuts, hard pretzels and ice. It is also recommended in your daily life without braces that you avoid chewing ice, as it is likely to chip or crack teeth.
• Sticky foods and treats like caramel, gum, taffy and others.
• Overly sugary foods. Though this is typically recommended by oral health professionals in normal times, when braces are involved, it can have the added effect of causing uneven staining and decay, leading to unsightly white spots and other dental problems.
• Foods that require you to bite pieces off, like corn on the cob, apples and others. (If you can prepare these foods in such a way that they do not require you to bite

True orthodontic emergencies are, thankfully, rare. If something occurs, we’re here for you. Some emergency situations may include infection, swelling, and/or bleeding of the gums or mouth. Severe, unmanageable mouth pain may also be an emergency. If an appliance breaks, give us a call as soon as possible so we can fix it and prevent any lasting damage.