Prepping your Teeth for Braces

Prepping your teeth for braces is a thoughtful thing for you to do, not only for yourself but also for the Orthodontist. Your teeth might be misaligned, but they don’t need to look any less cared for. Moreover, you want to get rid of any problem that can potentially delay your braces treatment. Whether at the beginning or in the long run.

So how do you start prepping your teeth for braces?

1-

Start by getting all your cavities filled

The last thing you need is untreated cavities existing in your mouth when trying to get braces. Often, the orthodontist might suggest you get them filled before your braces treatment can begin. With braces, food tends to get stuck more easily and is hard to remove due to the wires and brackets that are on the teeth. This can cause the cavities to worsen over time.

The worst-case scenario is you have to get the teeth removed while wearing braces. This would completely interrupt your treatment plan. 

2-

Schedule a cleaning to be done

Braces make regular cleaning harder than usual for obvious reasons. While regular cleanings are still required during treatment, it is always a great idea to lessen the amount of cleaning you’ll need during your time of treatment.

Additionally, a huge part of the teeth surface will be covered by brackets. The only thing that comes off during cleaning is your wires. Therefore, the surface area under the bracket wouldn’t get cleaned.

Thankfully, with a cleaning done before the braces treatment, that bit of surfacing area wouldn’t really mind missing out on the next cleaning sessions anyway.

3-

Get into the habit of brushing and flossing frequently throughout the day

With braces, there will be a lot of discomfort with food being stuck between the brackets. Even when you get used to the brackets and learn how to get the food out effortlessly, you still need to brush and floss more frequently than you would without braces.

Because your chances of getting a cavity increases due to food being stuck in hard to reach places, practicing to brush and floss frequently would be prepping more than just your teeth for braces. You are also prepping yourself for what’s to come.

4-

Do some at-home teeth-whitening

A whitening down at a Dentist’s office may be a bit extreme when prepping your teeth for braces. Personally, I’d save that treatment for when my smile is corrected, and I can show off my pearly whites.

However, at-home teeth whitening is the better way to go. Try incorporating a whitening toothpaste a few weeks before you start attending any braces consultation. Some people might even prefer whitening strips if your smile is already slightly straight.

Once your braces are on, you can rest assure that the surface area covered under the brackets is clean and ready for when your braces are off.

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