Not everyone is blessed with a perfect set of teeth. Thankfully, oral appliances are there to serve as tools in helping you achieve that healthy and aesthetically pleasing smile.
Just like your teeth, these appliances need taking care of. You have to ensure that these are properly cleaned to maintain its long-term effectiveness. Listed below are the most common types of dental appliances and how to clean and properly take care of it when you wear them.
Caring for Retainers. Retainers need to be free from bacteria and clean at all cost so that your teeth are safe and far from infections. You can clean retainers with warm water and gentle unscented soap. Some people also use non-abrasive type of toothpaste to gently scrub the retainer and clean it with great care. Teeth whitening toothpastes aren’t advisable as it contain more abrasive contents that are specifically used to scrub and polish tooth enamel. It is best to stay away from teeth whitening toothpastes when cleaning your retainer. Same thing goes for products with bleach or bleaching agents. Bleach in soaps or other products can damage your retainer. Always remember to rinse your retainer with cool water after scrubbing and cleaning it. You also have to make sure that you use a clean and separate toothbrush that you don’t use on your teeth in cleaning your retainer. This is a sure way that bacteria are not transferred from your teeth to your dental appliance. A common mistake is boiling retainers in an effort to clean them. Never boil your retainer as it can alter its shape and become useless. It would take time and money to replace them. Store your retainers in a case or clean glass of water overnight after cleaning them.
Caring for Braces. Braces can be tricky to clean. It is meant to be free from food particles or debris to avoid tooth decay and cavities. The best way to keep oral bacteria from feeding off of food particles that could get stuck on your braces is to brush after every major meal for two minutes each time every day while you are wearing braces. This would help keep the brackets and wires of the braces working properly in aligning your teeth. Try to use brace-specific cleaning tools like floss-threads to help with flossing along the brackets or areas that are difficult to reach. It may be a cool way to express yourself by having oral piercings but it is mostly made out of metal and can do real damage on your oral appliances. Oral piercing can dislodge braces wires and break brackets. It can get caught any time and cause bleeding and serious injuries. If you want to have your own oral piercing, it would be best that you wait until your braces are taken off or removed before getting any type of oral piercing.
Be sure to clean your orthodontic appliances thoroughly. Alongside with your religious visits to your emergency dental clinic in Brooklyn NY .