Plaque attack! Help!

[DoctoraBella]

Hi everyone,

1.5 weeks in with Damon clears on top and metal on bottom.

I thought I was doing a pretty good job with my dental hygiene, brushing after most meals... But sometimes not (while at work, out to eat, etc). Using water pik about once per day, flossing once per day. Using sonicare at home. Well last night I happened to look at my teeth closely because it seemed above the brackets things were staring to look yellow. Well, on my premolars, the wire above the bracket in the top and below the bracket in the bottom is very close to my gum, and between the wire and my tooth there was what appeared to be a yellow/green layer of 3D slimy plaque!! Sooo disgusting! I used a dental pik that my ortho gave me and did get some sludge off, and again this morning.

Now that I think about it, I've always made lots of plaque. Makes me wonder (yet again) if this would've been a reason to choose Invisalign since my teeth would be easier to clean... But I was just thinking how nice it is to be ble to eat spontaneously with braces, and isn't this easy... Well turns out I need to step it up!

I went ahead and ordered some gum interdental piks which I think will help me especially with those crevices the toothbrush and floss can't reach. I also ordered plax and Biotene plaque loosening rinse and some act mouthwash. I will add these into my arsenal and I guess be more diligent about brushing every. Single. Time. I. Eat. and just when I was getting used to eating again...

Any other thoughts or suggestions? Thanks!

[mmkay]

Some people are more susceptible no matter what they do e.g. for whatever reason I can get pretty bad staining without even frequently consuming the usual suspects. The interdental brushes seemed to have helped a little. As I understand it, it's overnight that you get plenty of plaque buildup, so cleaning before bedtime is most important.

You may need to get your teeth cleaned more often while you are in braces e.g. every 4 months.

[YellowDogTooth]

I've always had terrible oral hygiene and also happen to be one of those people that gets a lot of plaque. I never got many cavities though.

After seeing both my parents having tooth/gum/bone issues and finding that I had some gum recession I really stepped it up over the last year and my dentist and hygienist tell me constantly how great my oral hygiene is. I had my teeth cleaned yesterday because I'm getting braces put on next week, and my hygienist and dentist were saying how I have great hygiene/nothing to worry in terms of my gum recession getting worse (was 100% caused from leaving excessive plaque for way too long in previous years).

But I'm worried that it being so hard to clean braces IS going to make it worse, because I hate taking forever to do things and its definitely going to take longer.

I'm planning to make a little dental kit to keep in the car, at work, and a smaller one for my purse. I'm also planning to invest in an electric tooth brush. You can brush without water as well, dry brushing has actually proven to be very beneficial, so even a quick touch up with a dry tooth brush during the day may help to reduce the plaque build up. Plaque builds up and hardens within about 24 hours, so you want to disrupt that build up as often as possible I would think.

Also some insurance companies allow you to visit your dentist as often as you like, if thats an option for you, then you can get cleanings way more often. I will be having my cleanings every 3 months and I was told I can come in for "touch ups" whenever I like. Not all insurance covers unlimited office visits (I do have a $ limit but have never come close to it) but definitely worth it to check.

[cs2thecox]

Used right, a WaterPik should be able to blast most of that off. I've had great success with mine while I've been in (lingual) braces, which are notoriously plaquey.
I also tend to build up really fast, no matter what I do or what I eat.

And also a word of caution about brushing *too* often, particularly close after food. If your mouth is still quite acidic i.e. you ate less than an hour ago, brushing can push the acids into your enamel and wear it away faster. I quizzed a number of dental professionals about all this rather extensively, and ALL the advice I got is to floss and brush BEFORE breakfast because, let's face it, no-one sits around at home for an hour after breakfast before brushing their teeth, and then to floss and brush before bed in the evening, as long as dinner was more than an hour ago. If I need to freshen up during the day for any reason, I was told to wait as long as possible after lunch, if I can't wait the hour then rinse my mouth out really well with water before brushing, or just chew sugar free gum (obviously less so with braces!). Toothpicks etc for removing food are fine, but excessive brushing really can damage your enamel.

It's a bit like scrubbing your face - fine in moderation (morning and evening) but if you're washing and scrubbing your face 5 or 6 times a day, of COURSE it's going to get red and flaky.

Professional advice is ALWAYS the way to do. And you might even be surprised at what they tell you...

[sirwired]

Just a quick tip... Plax doesn't work. Consumer Reports tested this stuff years ago, and them and the FDA pushed them to change their labeling to not make any actual useful claims on their packaging, and they've never been granted an ADA seal, despite much trying. Water works just as well.