Brushing & Flossing With Braces

Summerhill Orthodontist

  1. If you have been instructed to wear elastics (rubber bands), please remove them prior to brushing.
  2. Use a soft to medium bristle toothbrush and toothpaste to carefully clean around wires, brackets, bands and hooks.
    • Move top to bottom, and all the way around upper and lower teeth.
    • Brush your teeth for two minutes, twice daily. That means each quadrant of your mouth gets 30 seconds.
  3. Rinse with mouthwash and check for any remaining food particles, plaque or debris.
  4. Use waxed floss (about 18 inches of floss) and a floss threader or superfloss to floss. Unwaxed floss is more likely to get caught and shred in your braces.
    • Thread the floss and threader or superfloss carefully under the main wire before passing between two teeth. Don’t snap it – simply move up and down gently, remove, and move on to the next pair of teeth.

*Parents: Do the flossing for younger children who lack the coordination to thread the floss under the main wire of their braces.

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