For kids, oral hygiene is not likely one of their favorite pastimes. It’s understandable that activities like playing video games, jumping on the trampoline, and eating ice cream are more enticing. But thorough at-home oral care should be a daily priority, especially when your kid has braces.
So what can you do to encourage good oral care habits at home during orthodontic treatment? If you’re stumped, try introducing some fun oral hygiene products that can make at-home oral care more exciting. Here, Dr. Talley, Dr. Clark, and the Bird Smiles Orthodontics team share six options to boost the fun.
1. Oral-B iO Series AI Electric Toothbrush
It seems AI (artificial intelligence) is sliding into daily life more and more these days and oral care hasn’t been left behind. As lovers of cutting edge dental technology, we love this! If your kids love technology, too, they might become a little obsessed with brushing their teeth and braces with an AI toothbrush. Check out Oral-B’s iO Series electric toothbrushes, innovative toothbrushes that are contenders for the best toothbrushes for braces-wearers.
2. Quip Kids’ Electric Toothbrush
Need the effectiveness of an electric toothbrush minus the AI? Consider the Quip kids’ electric toothbrush. As one of our suggestions for the best electric toothbrush for braces wearers, the Quip has sonic vibrations for better brushing, is streamlined with a look that appeals to older kids (no cartoons here!), and a built-in brush timer.
3. Clinpro 5000
Ask your Tenleytown orthodontic team and we might suggest 3M™ Clinpro™ 5000, a toothpaste we carry at our office and one of our picks for the best toothpaste to try. Clinpro 5000 has both 1.1% sodium fluoride and calcium phosphate for gentle cleaning and strengthening. It also has a whitening factor that’s effective but gentle enough for brushing with braces. Clinpro 5000 comes in kid-friendly flavors like Vanilla Mint, Spearmint and Bubble Gum.
4. Platypus Orthodontic Flossers
Has your braces-wearer been asking how to floss with their new braces? If they’re having trouble with traditional floss (even with the help of a floss threader), we suggest Platypus orthodontic flossers — we like them so much we carry them at our office for our patients to try! Platypus flossers have a slim design that allow them to easily slip in between your child’s braces wire and teeth, plus they have a handy pointy end for dislodging stubborn food debris.
5. WaterPik Portable Water Flosser
A Waterpik for braces wearers is great for keeping teeth and braces clean. Water flossers spray a blast of water that effectively removes sugars, food debris, and plaque from between the teeth, along the gumline, and around brackets and wires. One study even found that those who used a water flosser experienced an almost 75% reduction in overall plaque versus those who used dental floss.
With so many water flossers out there, we suggest a sleek, portable, and easy-to-handle water flosser for your braces-wearer, like the Waterpik Revive. It’s accepted by the American Dental Association (ADA) for safety and effectiveness and comes in four color options.
6. Listerine® Ultraclean Enamel Protection Zero Mouthwash
Mouthwash helps rinse out lingering food debris, plaque, or bacteria on your braces and teeth. When looking for the best mouthwash for your braces wearer, remember to choose one that’s alcohol-free, contains fluoride, but doesn’t contain whitening ingredients. Listerine Total Care fits the bill. Though fresh tasting, it has a less intense mint flavor than other Listerine options which might appeal to younger braces patients.
More Advice On How To Brush With Braces From Your Tenleytown Orthodontist
Need more ideas for making at-home oral hygiene with braces more exciting? Contact your Tenleytown, DC orthodontist. We’re more than happy to chat about ways to help you make oral care during orthodontic treatment more fun. Going above and beyond is our thing, including educating our patients about excellent oral care from start to finish. And of course, when the braces come off, we want your straight smile to be a healthy one, too!
