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Your braces have the function of realigning your teeth in a better position to help you have a healthier and more attractive smile. Braces require proper care and cleaning throughout treatment, and using the right tools for the job can go a long way.

Dr. Chris Trockel and Dr. Martin Trockel understand that the components of your braces, including the wires and other bits of hardware, can cause some complications when cleaning certain areas of your mouth. Our orthodontist is happy to recommend some dental hygiene tools that can make cleaning your braces much easier.

For example, you may find that a floss threader helps to eliminate the problems you can encounter when flossing between teeth or along your gum line while wearing braces. This tool is shaped like a loop and comes loaded with waxed floss to help you navigate the system of wires and brackets that cover your teeth. The use of waxed dental floss further enables the tool’s ability to clean the tight spaces in your smile.

You can also use interdental brushes to clean your teeth, which are small brush heads angled to help you clean among the brackets and wires and contours of the teeth and gums to remove any food particles from these areas. This type of brush can be especially useful if you have small bits of food trapped among the bands and spacers.

You can also use a dental water jet to rinse out your mouth. It produces a concentrated water stream to aid in loosening the food particles in your smile and rinsing them away. Keep in mind, though, that this practice is not a substitute for dental floss when it comes to cleaning your gum line and between your teeth.

If you would like to learn more about orthodontic tools to clean your braces in Tulsa and Bixby, Oklahoma, we invite you to call True Smile Orthodontics at 918-364-2222 today!