Warren Dental Office Demonstrates How to Clean Under Braces

Hi, my name is Heidi. I’m one of the hygienists here at Doctor Gregory Apsey’s office here in Warren, Michigan. Doctor Apsey wanted me to talk to you a little bit about cleaning under braces. Doctor does a lot of orthodontics here, adults and children. Once you have full brackets on your teeth, flossing becomes very difficult. We do have the traditional floss that you can use, by using a loop that’s called a bridge threader. Threading it through like this. I find it easier when I’m flossing patients’ teeth to come up through the wire this way. Although a lot of patients tell me that when they’re flossing their own teeth it’s a lot easier to come from the top, pulling the floss all the way through. And then, you can go ahead and floss normally, up and down on both sides.

We also have other things that can help get in between teeth with braces. These are called proxy brushes. They come in all shapes and sizes. You can get them at the store, or you can get them here when you come visit. These are nice. You can dip them into one of the medicaments. This is Listerine Zero, it doesn’t contain any alcohol in it. So it’s a good product to use, and its antibacterial. So dipping it in and then getting right in between your teeth underneath the brackets from the top. Brushing and flossing is very difficult with braces, but it’s a very important part of good oral hygiene and keeping your mouth healthy and clean. Thank you very much.