Brushing Teeth with Traditional Braces

If you’ve made the decision to straighten your teeth with traditional braces, it’s time to step up your oral care game. It’s important to thoroughly clean between the brackets and wires to remove food particles that can cause bad breath, plaque build-up, and potentially, gum disease. To guarantee optimal oral care, our doctors at Vista Dental are here to teach you how to brush with traditional braces.

• Prepare to brush – take off elastics, and any other removable parts of your orthodontic appliance.


• Clean your braces – use your brush at a 45-degree angle to clean around the wires and pins of your braces. Brush from the top of each wire and then from the bottom. Take time to ensure that all plaque and debris are removed.


• Brush your teeth – clean each tooth individually. First, place your brush at a 45-degree angle to the junction between the tooth and the gum, and then apply gentle pressure as you move in a circular motion. Use the same brushing action on all outer and inner tooth surfaces, tilting the brush as needed to better reach the insides of smaller front teeth.

If you have questions regarding oral care for orthodontics, please give us a call. To learn about services we provide at the practice, visit www.vistadentalmh.ca for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at Vista Dental located at 7 Strachan Bay SE, Medicine Hat, AB, T1B 4Y2, Canada, call 403-548-7077.