TL;DR

Can I get my teeth cleaned with braces? Yes, you can. And you absolutely should! Keeping your teeth clean should be one of your top priorities during your braces journey. Those wires and brackets create an environment where food particles, plaque, and bacteria can easily build up, potentially harming your teeth and interfering with the effectiveness of your braces.

If you just got your braces, you’re probably worried that it’s harder to keep teeth clean with braces.

While it might be more challenging, using tools like an oscillating toothbrush and a water flosser can make a big difference. These tools help clean hard-to-reach areas around your braces, breaking up plaque that regular toothbrushes often miss.

In addition, you have to maintain:

  • Regular dental checkups every 3 months to make sure issues are detected early on and properly treated.
  • Professional cleaning sessions for more proper hygiene practices that can’t be achieved at home.

So, how often do you need to get a professional teeth cleaning when you have braces?

You don’t necessarily need extra cleaning visits than someone without braces. On average, that is 2-3 times per year.

But it’s more critical that you stick to that schedule in your braces journey because braces create a welcoming environment for plaque buildup, which may cause complications to your teeth and gums like:

  • Demineralization
  • Gingivitis
  • Periodontitis

In the article below, we’ll discuss in detail:

  • Why you need to clean your teeth when you have braces on
  • How neglecting oral hygiene can affect your teeth and braces treatment
  • The treatments you may need in case you’ve developed any of these issues
  • The forms of professional and at-home teeth cleaning to avoid any of these issues

Braces do a great job of aligning your teeth, improving your bite, and enhancing your overall oral health. However, they can also make your teeth more vulnerable to dental issues if you don’t maintain proper hygiene.

The wires and brackets on your teeth create the perfect environment for food particles and bacteria to get trapped, making plaque buildup more likely. These spots are harder to reach with regular brushing or flossing, leaving areas uncleaned and increasing the risk of complications like cavities and gum disease over time.

That said, maintaining good oral hygiene with braces is absolutely possible. With the right tools and a combination of at-home care and professional help, you can keep your teeth and gums healthy throughout your treatment.

What Happens When You Neglect Your Oral Hygiene

Before we get into how to keep your teeth clean while wearing braces, let’s first look at what can happen if you neglect your oral hygiene. It’s important to understand the risks so you can see why this deserves your full attention.

Think about why you got braces in the first place: to straighten your teeth, improve your bite, and set yourself up for long-term oral health. Neglecting your oral hygiene doesn’t just risk inflammation, cavities, or even severe issues like tooth extraction or bone loss. It can also significantly delay your braces journey, sometimes by several months, due to the complications that arise.

Let’s break down the issues that can arise:

Plaque Buildup

Naturally, there’s bacteria in your mouth, and when you eat foods containing sugars, this bacteria digests the sugars and releases a sticky biofilm called plaque. Think of plaque as a magnet for more bacteria—it’s a layer that keeps growing thicker as it traps food particles and bacteria, creating a cycle that feeds itself.

If you take a close look at your teeth before brushing at night, you’ll often see plaque gathering along the gumline.

But what happens when you let this plaque build up?

Over time, the bacteria in plaque produce acids that strip away essential minerals like calcium and phosphate from your teeth. As the plaque hardens, it continues to draw out these minerals, leaving your teeth weaker and more vulnerable to decay.

This process is called demineralization. Over a long period of time, demineralization leads to a cavity.

How to Detect Demineralization

A regular dental checkup is the best way to detect demineralization before it progresses into a cavity. 

However, you can also look for signs yourself. For instance, after removing your braces, you might notice extra-white areas shaped like your brackets. This is a clear indication of demineralization caused by improper hygiene around your braces.

If left untreated, demineralization can worsen. It may lead to permanent white stains on your teeth, and over time, these areas can develop into deep cavities as the process continues to erode the tooth. Fortunately, proper dental hygiene routines can completely prevent this issue.

Treatments for Demineralization 

If you’ve already noticed signs of demineralization, it’s not too late. There are effective treatments available, including:

  • Remineralization Treatments: These help restore minerals to weakened enamel.
  • Enamel Microabrasion: This process removes surface stains caused by demineralization.
  • Fluoride Products: Special fluoride formulations can inhibit further damage and even reverse early-stage demineralization.

By addressing the issue early, you can protect your teeth and avoid more advanced procedures like fillings, crowns, or extractions.

In case the demineralization has developed far enough into a deep cavity, you may need more advanced treatment like:

  • Fillings
  • Crowns or root canals (in more advanced levels)
  • Extraction and implants (in severe cases)

Consulting your personal dentist is the first step to determine the right treatment for your specific needs. 

Gum Disease

When bacteria from plaque irritates your gums, your body tries to protect itself by sending more blood to the area. This results in redness, swelling, and puffiness—symptoms of a condition known as gingivitis.

Gingivitis occurs because your body is fighting off the infection caused by the bacteria. But if this inflammation isn’t treated, it progresses to a more severe condition: periodontitis.

At this stage, the bone structure supporting your teeth begins to recede, which unfortunately, is irreversible.

What Happens If Gingivitis Progresses?

  • Gums become tender, red, and swollen.
  • Persistent bad breath develops due to the bacterial infection.
  • The bone starts to deteriorate, which can lead to loose teeth or even tooth loss in extreme cases.

Even if you avoid severe gum disease, poor oral hygiene with braces can slow down your treatment progress significantly. 

Now that you know about plaque buildup, you can understand why.

When plaque builds up around the braces and between the braces and the teeth, it leads to:

  • More brackets breaking off
  • You don’t progress in your treatment
  • You end up needing more time in treatment to get any results
  • The results aren’t as ideal as you wanted in the first place

To understand how much poor oral hygiene can impact your progress with braces, consider this: a study revealed that patients marked as having “poor oral hygiene” during three consecutive dental visits needed over two additional months in braces.

Simply put, the less attention you give to your oral care, the longer your treatment will take.

Effective At-Home Cleaning Tips for Braces Wearers

To maintain good oral hygiene at home, here are some tools that can make a big difference:

  • Use a Soft Toothbrush: To clean your enamel effectively, brush gently against your gumline. A soft-bristled toothbrush helps avoid irritating or damaging your gums while ensuring a thorough clean.
  • Brush for Two Minutes: Spend two minutes brushing your teeth, dividing the time evenly between all sides of your upper and lower jaws. This ensures every area gets proper attention.
  • Brush After Every Meal: Keep a travel toothbrush handy for cleaning your teeth on the go. Food debris easily gets trapped between the wires and brackets of your braces, and brushing after meals prevents plaque buildup. However, if you’ve eaten something acidic—like oranges, lemon, or energy drinks—wait at least 30 minutes before brushing to protect your enamel.
  • Oscillating Toothbrush: This type of brush has a circular head that rotates to reach areas regular toothbrushes might miss. It’s particularly effective at breaking up bacteria and plaque around your braces.
  • Water Flosser: This device uses a strong, targeted stream of water to clean between teeth and around brackets, making it easier to remove food particles and plaque where flossing might be difficult.

Regular Check-Ups Are Essential for Braces Patients

At-home cleaning is essential for maintaining your oral hygiene on a daily basis, but it’s just one part of the equation. You also need to stick to a regular check-up schedule with your general dentist during braces treatment, alongside your orthodontist appointments.

Make sure to visit your general dentist at least every 3–6 months. They’ll assess your oral health and let you know if more frequent visits are necessary.

These appointments are different from your orthodontist visits, which focus on the progress of your braces—ensuring the teeth are aligned, the treatment is going as planned, and everything is on track.

However, most orthodontists don’t perform full dental cleanings, which is why you need regular visits with your general dentist.

Does It Hurt to Get Your Teeth Cleaned With Braces?

One of the most common questions is, “Will it hurt?”

The answer depends on how much plaque has built up on your teeth.

For patients who maintain good oral hygiene, professional cleanings are typically painless. However, if there’s significant plaque buildup, you may experience some discomfort after the cleaning for two main reasons:

  • Gum Irritation: Hardened plaque and tartar can irritate the gums during cleaning, especially if they’ve been left untreated for a long time.
  • Sensitivity to Temperature: When plaque is removed after being on your teeth for an extended period, the newly exposed enamel may feel sensitive to hot or cold food and drinks. Some patients report mild discomfort that usually subsides over time.

Maintaining regular cleanings and proper at-home care can help minimize these issues and keep your cleaning sessions as comfortable as possible.

Keep Your Teeth and Braces Spotless with Oval Dental Clinic

At Oval Dental Clinic, we’ve brought together some of the top orthodontists and dentists in Dubai to give you complete care for your teeth throughout the braces treatment and beyond, all in one place.

Here’s what you can expect at Oval:

  • Regular dental checkups to catch and address any issues early.
  • Close monitoring of your braces treatment to ensure it’s progressing as planned.
  • Personalized advice to help you maintain proper oral hygiene at home between visits.
  • Specialized treatments to resolve any issues and minimize potential damage

If you’d like to learn more, schedule an appointment at Oval Dental Clinic through this link.