Do you know that gum disease is a harmful condition that can attack your smile if you do not actively work to prevent it? Ridding your teeth and gums of plaque is your first defense in preventing gum disease, which means smiles with braces are more vulnerable because it’s harder to remove plaque around the brackets and wires. But it’s not impossible! To prevent gum disease while wearing braces in John’s Creek, Georgia, and the surrounding communities of Roswell, Sandy Springs, Lawrenceville, and Cumming, Georgia, our Quality Orthodontic Care team recommends the following:
Brush your teeth
Make sure you brush your teeth with a soft-bristled toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste twice a day for two minutes each time. If you can, brush after each meal so the food particles and plaque don’t remain on your teeth for a long period of time. As you brush, be gentle along the gumline but make sure to brush as thoroughly as possible.
Floss your smile
Flossing is a vital task that cannot be forgotten. Make sure you floss your smile at least once a day. Flossing will help remove the food particles and plaque that reside between your teeth and it will also help clean the particles the toothbrush left behind. Now, we understand that flossing with braces might be a little bit difficult, so if you need help learning how to floss, please talk to our orthodontic team.
Visit your dentist
There is one treatment that will completely remove the plaque from your smile and that treatment is a dental cleaning. It’s very important that you receive a dental cleaning every six months so your dental team can clean your smile and save your gums. They will also remove the plaque that has gathered near your orthodontic brackets.
Gum disease can develop and take over your smile quickly, so it is very important that you brush and floss your teeth every day and visit your dentist every six months. We recommend doing these things because we care for you and your smile and we want you to have the best oral health possible. For more information and tips, call Quality Orthodontic Care at 770-901-2433 and schedule an appointment with your orthodontist, Dr. John Fleming. We look forward to helping you!