An estimated 3 million teenagers and many adults wear braces. Whether you have brackets, lingual brackets or traditional bands, having braces can be a real challenge when it comes to maintaining proper oral hygiene. While braces are vital in aligning our teeth and jaws, they're not the easiest items to clean, even if you visit the dentist and orthodontist regularly.

Establishing a daily cleaning routine is crucial when wearing braces. For those with younger children or teenagers, constant reminders and extra encouragement might be needed to ensure this is accomplished. Without proper and consistent oral care, problems such as gingivitis (inflammation of the gums) and cavities (decay of the teeth) can occur. It is imperative to remove food and plaque (sticky film of bacteria that forms on teeth) from around the brackets and wires to avoid these issues. The brackets can also leave unpleasant white spots on your teeth when they're finally removed.

Having oral health issues can actually increase the time a person has to wear braces, so it’s very important to use products such as LIVFRESH Dental Gel to help maintain good a clean mouth, and reduce the severity of any white spots that form.

If you're one of the many people struggling to keep braces clean, follow these tips to keep your teeth and gums healthy:

1. EFFECTIVE FLOSSING

Simple brushing and flossing might not be enough to combat the plaque that settles in between your braces and teeth. When you're struggling to remove those hard-to-reach spaces, relying on floss is a necessity. Use a floss threader or an orthodontic floss with a built-in tongue threader to help thread the floss under the main wire of the braces.

If your child is having trouble flossing on their own, have them try using a water pick.

2. USE AN INTERDENTAL BRUSH

Interdental brushes, also known as proxa brushes, are cone-shaped and designed to squeeze through the spaces between teeth and around the braces, making it easy to remove anything stuck in your arch wires. Be sure to brush for two to three minutes.

Don’t forget to brush your tongue. The tongue is an open surface full of food particles, and bacteria can reproduce on it. Brush the tongue using your toothbrush or a tongue scraper whenever you brush your teeth.

3. DAILY USE OF A MOUTHWASH

After brushing your teeth, use your Dentist prescribe antiseptic mouthwash. For orthodontic patients it is necessary to use a liquid dental cleaner when you have braces. Liquid can pass through the very small spaces in your teeth, over and under your braces.

4. AVOID THESE FOOD ITEMS

For those who wear braces we recommend you limit between-meal snacks by avoiding nuts, popcorn, taffy, chewing gum, hard candy, caramel, potato chips, jellybeans and “sticky foods”. Drinks that contain a lot of sugars can cause tooth decay, so we recommend avoiding them as well. If you do drink these, be sure to immediately rinse with water or brush your teeth after consumption.

5. INVEST IN LIVFRESH DENTAL GEL

Tartar and plaque buildup can occur quickly, usually within 24 to 72 hours without proper brushing. Once the buildup starts, removing it, especially while wearing braces is very difficult. To ensure this buildup does not occur on your teeth and to help prevent oral health issues, we recommend a daily use of LIVFRESH dental gel.

Our tartar removal dental gel works by gently removing layers of plaque and tartar that accumulates around your braces, and consistent use prevents plaque buildup from coming back.

While other 'tartar and plaque removing toothpastes' claim to offer similar results, LIVFRESH is proven to remove plaque 250% better than traditional toothpaste. This revolutionary product breaks up plaque, even in hard to reach places like between the teeth and along the gum line. Please contact us for more information about LIVFRESH dental gel.