Brushing and Flossing

Brushing and flossing after every meal is essential when you have braces—it keeps your teeth, gums, and appliance clean and healthy throughout treatment.

If you’re unsure which toothbrush, toothpaste, or floss works best with braces, just ask! Our team is happy to recommend the perfect products tailored to your smile and appliance.

Brushing with Braces

Brush your teeth for two minutes after every meal with a soft-bristled, small-headed toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste. As an alternative, you can use a powered toothbrush to increase your brushing effectiveness. Brush the outside and inside surfaces of your teeth using small, gentle, circular motions while positioning the head of the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to the gum line. Brush your teeth’s chewing surfaces and the inside surface of your front teeth using short, gentle, back-and-forth motions. Pay close attention to the areas around your brackets or other appliances.

Flossing with Braces

Flossing after every meal keeps your teeth, gums, and braces clean while helping your treatment stay on track for the best possible results.

Here’s an easy way to floss with braces:

• Thread floss under the wire using a floss threader or special orthodontic floss.
• Wrap the ends around your pointer fingers, keeping a few inches of taut floss between them.
• Gently slide the floss up and down between each pair of teeth with a back-and-forth sawing motion.
• Curve it around the side of each tooth and slide it gently beneath the gumline to remove plaque and food.
• Repeat for every tooth.

If food still gets trapped around your braces or between teeth, ask us about a water flosser—it often makes cleaning faster, easier, and more thorough!