While it is necessary to properly care for the teeth, teeth in braces need even more focused care. If your kid is wearing braces, it is up to you to ensure that a large amount of extra oral hygiene is provided to keep his mouth clean and healthy. Since children are well, children; and the task of caring of new braces is an overwhelming one, they need to be taught how to care for their teeth in braces.
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Importance of Oral Hygiene for Children with Braces
Oral hygiene is the best preventative measure for dealing with common dental problems such as gingivitis, plaque build-up and demineralization of the teeth. The constant practice of oral hygiene is even more important for children as they go through dental treatment for their teeth with the use of braces.
As a result of the increased difficulty of maintaining oral hygiene while in braces, children tend to develop some of the common dental problems when wearing braces. Left untreated, serious oral health problems could occur with the consequence of extending the length of time the child has to wear braces.
Helping Your Child Develop a Cleaning Regimen
Like any professional into dentistry for kids will tell you, taking careful care of teeth and gums while in braces is vital to the overall oral health of a child. Doing so will also increase the effects of the treatment after the braces come off.
Teach and encourage your children to practice the full teeth cleaning regimen as much as possible. However, flexibility is key during this process. Attempting to carry out the whole steps involved in an oral routine each morning can result in never really finishing the routine, or the child constantly going late to school.
It is best to create time for the full teeth cleaning regimen at night, when you and your child are more relaxed and have a lot more time. A cosmetic dentistry regimen, especially with braces can take several minutes to complete. Therefore, patience is required for children to learn how to carry out oral hygiene correctly, especially the necessary parts such as flossing and cleaning the tongue.
Good Brushing Techniques
Children wearing braces need to be taught the right way to brush their teeth for best results. Braces create hidden spots where food particles can lodge, leading to tooth decay and different gum problems. Good brushing techniques can be achieved by following these steps:
- Take out any elastics attached to the braces
- A toothbrush with soft bristles should be used, with the child brushing in back and forth motions at a 45 degree angle. The brush placement will help clean the areas where the gums meet the teeth.
- Braces should be gently brushed, with just enough pressure to allow the bristles clean the all the surfaces.
- After brushing, examine your child’s teeth to make sure there are no food particles present then replace the elastics for the braces.
More often than not, braces are uncomfortable and caring for them can be time consuming too. There is no better time to begin teaching your kids the patience and skills required to maintain an all-important oral hygiene than the very day they return home with their shiny new braces on.
