Orthodontic Treatment
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Oral Hygiene Overview
For a brief overview of oral hygiene tips, please click on the image below. It will launch our flash educational module in a separate window that may answer some of your questions about oral hygiene.
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Orthodontic Brushing and Flossing
Brush After Every Meal
- Use a toothbrush with a small amount of toothpaste
- Use circular, vibrating motions around the gumline for about 10 seconds on each tooth
- Brush every tooth slowly
- Brush the lower teeth up and the upper teeth down
- Brush your tongue and the roof of your mouth
Flossing
- Floss nightly after brushing to remove the plaque missed by brushing
- Carefully pull waxed floss between wire and braces
- Floss carefully around the braces
- Floss carefully around the gum area
- Floss around each tooth
Eating Habits
Please do not eat hard foods: nuts, ice, crisp taco shells, whole apples and carrots (cut them into pieces first), hard French bread crust and rolls, spareribs, corn on the cob (cut the corn off the cob before eating), and popcorn! These foods risk breaking brackets and wires. Also beware of nail biting and pen or pencil chewing habits, since these can damage your braces. Do not eat sticky foods: taffy, caramels, bubble gum, or sticky candy of any sort. Use common sense about most foods.