When your braces come off, it’s exciting, regardless of when they were put on. But having to go through the patience of straightening your teeth sometimes can leave you with discolored stains. Here is what you can do to prevent this from being even worse for you down the line.
Oftentimes, it isn’t the braces
Usually, your teeth are stained when you’re getting orthodontic treatment for a lot of reasons. That’s because normal braces have brackets and wires that make it easy for the food to get trapped, and oftentimes plaque forms.
There is also the problem of the biofilm that does get into places that are hard to fully reach. It’s hard to remove this, since it can cause the acids to fully strip the minerals from your enamel, and then demineralization happens, which creates those white spots in some places that are hard to reach. Plaque also does increase the risk for tooth decay and the gum disease that’s there, especially when the braces are on. You need to make sure that you’ve got proper oral care for braces, and through gently brushing your teeth with an orthodontic flosser, you’ll be able to keep this nice and healthy.
The bonding that’s also used to attach the brackets does ten to become discovered over a period of time when they get exposed to staining beverages and foods, but it can be removed when the brackets are removed. So is there a way to prevent it? Yes, there is, and here, we’ll go over what you can do.
How to prevent these Stains
There are certain ways to prevent stains when you’re wearing braces. First and foremost, limit the foods and drinks that are sugary or starchy, or high-acid in most cases, and this includes sodas too. If you’re away and can’t get your teeth brushed immediately, use water to help with this.
The second thing is to brush AND floss after every meal, with water flossers making it easier to clean around your braces. You should make sure to eat teeth-friendly snacks that are good as well, and that can really help you get the most that you can from this.
You should also try to get whitening formulas of your toothpaste that also contain what’s called stannous fluoride. This is good because it also keeps the teeth clean to reduce the buildup of plaque that’s there too. You should definitely do this after every meal too.
However, just because you should brush your teeth after every meal doesn’t mean that you should brush right after. Make sure to wait about 30 minutes so that your enamel is given a chance to settle, and your saliva is able to wash away the acids that are left from your food.
Finally, make sure that you’re going to the dentist regularly. It might be a bit more often since you are indeed trying to get the most that you can out of your dental experience, but make sure that you go a lot, since they can help to remove the plaque and tartar that’s there that you can’t get with brushing or with flossing.
If you notice that you’re still getting plaque a lot, even before you get the braces on, consider asking your doctor if there’s a chance that you can get sealants on your teeth before getting braces, since it may end up being more practical. There are tons of benefits to this, and for many, it could be the best option especially for preventing stains on your teeth when you have braces as well.
Mouth Health 