Love your electric toothbrush? Hate that yucky mouthwash? Can't live without that terrific threader floss? Got a fave canker sore remedy? Here's where you can post your opinions and reviews of specific products relating to dental hygiene and your braces. Tell others what works....and what doesn't!
Hi everyone,
I'm new to being a brace-face. I just got mine on about two weeks ago. I just had a quick question. Can you brush too much? I mean can it actually hurt your teeth if you do? I push after everytime I eat which adds up to be about 5-6 times a day. I just don't want to get those white spotes after the braces come off.
In my opinion, 3-4 times a day should be good. Morning, after lunch, after dinner, and before bed.
You wouldn't want to take the enamel off by extra brushing. And believe me, dental supplies cost a fortune over time. I have had my braces for 10 months and I go through so much floss, toothpaste and mouthwash... I wish I'd kept every receipt!
When I got my braces on in January 2009 my otho told me to brush 6 times a day. I've never brushed that many times a day. In the beginning I brushed maybe 4 but now, a year and a half later, I'm brushing just twice a day. My ortho and dentist both say my teeth are clean, so I'm not worrying. I do brush my teeth for about two minutes each time I brush to make sure I get all of the surfaces.
Brushing six times a day might be a tad excessive. I brushed multiple times a day when I was younger, and the dentist told me I was "thinning" my teeth and taking the enamel off. Now I brush for three minutes (morning and evening) and just rinse my mouth out well, and maybe floss, after other meals and snacks.
I was told once again that I'm brushing too hard. Apparently some enamel is starting to wear away and a few spots on my gums are receding. I use an electric toothbrush and never put pressure on when I brush. I'm starting to think it's the brush and not me. I switched to the manual brush I got with my kit. I seem to get up under wires more easily with it so far. I find I HAVE to brush after each meal because of all the food that gets caught, but I'm scared I'll brush too much and make things worse. I know it takes time to move teeth just like it takes time for gums to heal back but I'm going to be paranoid for a while! I don't brush right before bed because I've already brushed after my dinner and if I haven't eaten anything, why bother.
I think soft toothbrushes are recommended more for people with braces. Personally, they feel much better on sore/sensitive teeth than ones with harder bristles.
Thought I was the only one that thought brushing 5-6 times a day was excessive. Rinsing in between has been helping me a lot too when I can't get to a toothbrush. I also bought some of those disposable Wisp brushes that have toothpaste already inside of them. They were a buck at the dollar store for a pack of 4.
i bought a sensodyne toothbrush its quite soft and has a small head for a good in between brush and i just use a small amount of toothpaste. I use my oral b power brush in the morning and night. then floss, rince ect.
The softer brush i find is nice on my gums as its not abrasive and my ortho said gentle massaging of gums is good for blood flow, obviously not excessive and not with stiff bristles.
Apparently yes. My dentist tells me that more than twice a day is just like brushing your enamel down the drain. Now, I know this doesn't square away favorably with wanting to brush in braces after meals, but I don't want to overdue it. Also, don't brush for at least 30 mins after anything carbonated or acidic, like soda.
I brush about 3 times a day: once after breakfast, once after dinner, and once before I go to bed along with flossing. I'll just rinse my mouth out other times
It's already been said, but conventional brushing too soon after eating is the WORST thing you can do, as it just pushes sugary/acidic food into your enamel and wears it down more. My dentist has me brush BEFORE breakfast for this reason!
However, rinsing or using interdental brushes to get food out of your braces is pretty darn necessary. I have linguals and EVERYTHING gets stuck in them, although at least you can't see it...
So maybe check with your dentist or hygenist for ways of keeping your braces clean without brushing more than 3 times a day?
They are great for when you can't brush or don't want to at the moment. Plus, it would cut out some of the excessive brushing and hopefully save enamel.
Glad I read this thread because I tend to brush after every snack/meal. Those pictures of the white spots from decalcification scared me into doing it though!
Snowglobe32 wrote:You guys should look into getting a waterpik.
They are great for when you can't brush or don't want to at the moment. Plus, it would cut out some of the excessive brushing and hopefully save enamel.
I bought one (the fairly small one that claims it can be used for travel but it's still huge for that) at the end of last week and it's AMAZING. It's so easy and leaves everything feeling really clean.
It claims to be better than normal floss, but I guess I'll find out if that's really true when I see my hygenist again in a few weeks!
