“How can I remove plaque from my teeth with braces?”
I wear braces and have plaque on my teeth. How can I remove plaque from my teeth with braces?
5 Answers
By visiting the Dental Office .
A waterpik or water flosser is great to use before brushing. Ideally, floss with a floss threader should be used to remove the plaque but if it’s too difficult, tiny interdental brushes like proxabrushes or Piksters are also very helpful. The hard mineral deposits that accumulate (calculus/tartar) can only be removed in the dental office by your dentist or hygienist.
You can use a water pik for plaque, but calculus, the hard stuff, needs to be removed manually in a dental office.
Angle your toothbrush at a 45 degree angle toward your braces and brush above and below the braces
You cannot beat physical debridement. That means actually flossing and then brushing with an electric toothbrush. There are new ortho plaquers for those who will not use floss threaders they likely gave you at your orthodontist. Water flossers are a nice ADJUNCT, meaning along with the physical debridement. They remove up to 98% of plaque, but that slight sheen is a focus for quick reestablishment of bacterial right back again.
