Dr. Chapman and the professionals at Chapman Orthodontics in Brownsburg, IN have the skill and experience to treat their younger patients with Invisalign clear aligners for their orthodontic treatment needs.
Chapman Orthodontics
How To Brush and Floss Teeth with Braces
Dr. Chapman and the team at Chapman Orthodontics in Brownsburg, IN are orthodontics experts and can help explain to you why you should always maintain good oral health by brushing and flossing your teeth while wearing braces.
We’ve all been taught about the importance of brushing and flossing our teeth, typically in the morning when you wake up and at night before you go to sleep. But the one thing that you should never forget to do is clean your teeth properly, especially if you wear braces. While wearing braces, whether you’re a teenager or an adult, maintaining good oral health care Chapman Orthodontics helps ensure a successful treatment outcome.
Brushing and Flossing When Wearing Braces
With braces, food often gets caught in the brackets and wires, and then lingers on your teeth, creating plaque and tartar. These conditions can also cause serious and unwanted complications during your orthodontic treatment, such as:
- Swollen gums
- Cavities
- Permanent stains on your teeth
- Yellowed teeth
- Bad breath
While wearing braces, not only is it important to brush your teeth multiple times a day but to brush them in the correct way. To get the best brushing results, make sure you brush your teeth and braces from every angle.
While brushing your braces on and around your top teeth, make sure to brush them with the toothbrush angled downward.
When brushing your braces on and around your bottom teeth, make sure you brush them with the toothbrush angled upward.
This helps to ensure that each tooth and every part of the tooth–the front surfaces, the chewing surfaces, and the back surfaces of your teeth–get completely clean. These techniques will also improve your brushing skills and give you a better cleaning treatment each time you brush.
Dr. Chapman stresses that cleaning your mouth, teeth, and braces effectively is an important part of your orthodontic treatment. If you don’t put the effort into your cleaning regimen while you are wearing braces, you may not get the outcome that you were hoping for: a clean, healthy, straight, white smile.
Flossing
Just brushing your teeth is not enough when you’re wearing braces. Flossing is a necessary (even if it’s a bit more awkward and difficult) and important step toward optimal oral health and the best orthodontic treatment outcome.
For people who wear braces, the Name Orthodontics team recommends using a waxed floss. Some tools designed just for flossing are made with a stiff tip to reach food stuck under the wire of your braces.
To be certain you are flossing effectively, remember these tips:
Thread the floss under the wire before passing the string between the teeth.
Rub the waxed floss up and down each surface of the tooth and don’t skip cleaning each and every gap.
Weave the floss through the individual gaps between the teeth (no blood should be seen. If you see blood, you may need to floss a little more gently).
Be sure to massage the gums with your toothbrush during brushing.
Finish things off with a good and thorough mouthwash rinse.
Both brushing and flossing your teeth properly are crucial steps in your orthodontic treatment with braces. You’ve already spent a lot of money on your braces to straighten your teeth and improve your smile. So why not maintain your oral health to ensure you get a healthy, beautiful smile?
If you’ve been searching for an orthodontist in Brownsburg, IN that can help you achieve a beautiful, glowing smile, then look no further than Dr. Chapman! To make an appointment for a consultation at our office, contact Chapman Orthodontics at: 317-852-5566
What Is the Perfect Age to Begin Taking My Child to the Orthodontist?
As a child develops, one of the first things parents begin to feel concern about is their child’s oral health. Dr. Chapman of Chapman Orthodontics in Brownsburg, IN is often asked if a child may eventually need orthodontic attention, what the signs are to look for, and at what age should a child begin treatment. No two cases are the same. Dr. Chapman has the answers to a few of the most important questions that you may have.
How to Make Wearing Braces More Fun
As a parent, getting your child to do anything they don’t want to do can be a daunting task. And let’s face it, properly caring for their braces is probably not something your child wants to do. However, it is extremely important that braces are properly cared for, or treatment will not go as planned. The trick to getting them to want to take proper care of their orthodontic systems is to make it fun! So, Chapman Orthodontics has come up with a list of fun ways to get your child to take care of his or her braces.
- Brushing dance party- Chapman Orthodontics recommends brushing at least twice a day all the time, but especially when children are undergoing treatment with braces. Proper brushing entails a full two minutes of thorough cleaning, something that many children fail to do. To get your child excited about brushing, make a playlist or CD with their favorite songs and set up a speaker by the sink. Play this song when they start brushing and dance around with them as they clean for the full two minutes. This will make brushing fun, and will help them keep their teeth spotless!
- Braces-friendly baking- Dr. Chapman says that unfortunately, braces can restrict kids from eating certain foods. Taking hard candies away from kids can cause quite a fight, but these foods can be extremely dangerous to braces, and it is very important to follow the rules. So, Chapman Orthodontics suggests having a braces friendly recipe bake-a-thon. Go online and find sweets that won’t damage braces, such as gooey brownies, fruity cupcakes, or creamy ice cream sundaes, and set aside time to make these sweets with your child. Then, let him or her eat them as a reward for flossing well, for example. This is a great way to help your child stay optimistic about braces and make sure they are caring for their appliances properly.
- Colored bands- Chapman Orthodontics offers the option of adding colored bands to traditional metal braces. These have been a huge hit among kids, as they allow them to customize their experience in a fun way! To make colored bands even more effective for kids, use them to incentivize your child. For example, for every 2 months they go without a break in their wires or brackets, or for every 25 times they properly brush or floss, promise them that you will set up an appointment with Dr. Chapman to have their colors changed. Then, when they have switched to new colors, have a photo shoot of their new, beautiful braces. At the end of orthodontic treatment, use these pictures to make a fun “Before, During, and After” scrapbook!
Starting treatment early is a great way to ensure a lifetime of beautiful smiles. But getting your child to properly care for his or her braces can be tough. By using some of these tips, you can get your child excited about caring for their orthodontic treatment in Brownsburg, IN. And, make sure to continue to schedule them for regular appointments at Chapman Orthodontics. Call us at (317) 852-5566 to set up your child’s next appointment with Dr. Chapman, or for some more fun ideas!