Oral Care Guidelines for the Kids with Braces

If your child’s teeth are crooked, overlapping or overcrowded, there is every possibility that your dentist suggests to fit them with braces. And when your child wears braces, his/her oral hygiene becomes even all the more important. You should make your child clean his/her teeth and braces properly to avoid and prevent any gum disease and cavities. Plaque and food practices easily get trapped between the tiny places in your braces and can cause tooth decay and enamel stains around brackets and bands. Children may find it difficult to brush around the braces, but with little practice and thorough guidance, eventually, it will become easier for them. The following oral care tips will help your child to develop a healthy oral care routine:

• Help your child to develop a routine of brushing thrice in a day when he has his braces on.
• Ask your dentist for a specialized gum guard, if your child plays contact sports.
• Make your child learn proper cleaning techniques and try to supervise him in earlier days.
• Child can make use of rubber picks to clean around the brace brackets.
• Child should clean or brush the teeth one by one and most importantly, should clean the backs of their teeth.
• Find appropriate brush heads for your child and replace them every three months.
• Make your child floss once in a day using specific floss which is specially developed for cleaning around braces.
• Make him/her rinse the teeth thoroughly with water or mouthwash after brushing and flossing.
• Avoid the foods that are sticky or hard like; candy, gum, taffy, caramels, hard pretzels, pop-corn and carrots.
• Avoid hard-to-bite foods like; apples or bagels.
• Encourage your child to limit the intake of soda and sweetened beverages as they cause tooth decay.
• Make your child remove his plastic aligners before the meals.
• Most of the orthodontists recommend to brush with a fluoride tooth paste after every snack. A fluoridated mouth wash can also be used, as it can reach places where tooth-brush cannot.
• Child may use a waterpik or airflosser to flush out the stuck food.
• Schedule regular appointment with dentist for professional cleaning and check-ups’.

To keep your child’s teeth in good health and shape, it very important that they should follow a healthy and hygienic oral regime. There are lots of ways to make wearing braces an easy experience for your child. Feel free to contact Dr. Bikram Singh DMD if you need to ask any questions related with oral health care of your child. Our dedicated dental health expert will provide you with the best possible solutions to treat any of the oral health related problems and makes it sure that you get the best possible care.