Dentist in 97205 | Good Oral Hygiene with Braces is Key to Having the Best Outcome

Make the Most of Your Braces By Taking Great Care of Your Teeth While You Wear Them

bracesYou’ve taken the time and expense to get braces for your teeth, and this is an investment in your future, how you’ll look, how you’ll feel, and even how your teeth will wear over time.

But braces are a beginning, and, to get the most out of this investment, you must take care of your teeth while the braces do their magic.

For starters, having good oral hygiene is always important, but when you have braces, it becomes even more important and for a number of reasons, some obvious, some not so obvious.

For starters, braces, for all the good work they do, also provide even more nooks where bacteria can flourish. We’ve said this in other articles, but it’s always worth repeating: Bacteria are the beginning of tooth decay and gum disease, the enemies of a healthy mouth and smile.

You’ll receive a kit for cleaning your teeth while you wear braces as well as training on how to use it.

Using these tools and following the advice given during the training will help you keep your mouth clean and even help the braces do their work. Why? Because the cavities and sore gums that come with not having good oral hygiene, can complicate the process of straightening your smile with treatments that could have been avoided with good oral hygiene. This can even delay the day when the braces come off.

And it’s largely up to you how your teeth look on that very special day. Think about a bookshelf that never gets dusted. When you remove the books and knick knacks, you can easily see how much cleaning was NOT done. And consider that some staining that can occur with poor oral hygiene while you wear braces can be permanent.

So while we love to do our part to help you make the most of your smile, we hope you’ll do your part and practice good oral hygiene every day. Just like you, we can’t wait for the day when the braces come off, and you look in the mirror with a smile we never tire of seeing, the one that says you’re thrilled with how you look.

It’s our main focus at Downtown Dental Associates of Portland, so contact us if you have any questions about your braces, how you clean them or any other dental health issue.

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