Traditional Braces

Everybody wants the perfect smile, but most of us need assistance getting there. Correcting crooked or misaligned teeth isn’t just about creating a picture-perfect smile. It can also help protect the long-term health of your teeth. One of the biggest challenges of having traditional braces is removing all of the food that gets trapped in brackets and wires but they are an orthodontic method that has evolved over the years. Allow our doctors at Vista Dental to share the benefits of traditional braces with you.

Traditional dental braces consist of brackets and archwires that are placed across the teeth, which use elastic ties to secure them. Though they are the least aesthetically pleasing option, patients can select from a variety of color choices to express their personalities through their smile. Traditional braces treat a wide range of malocclusion issues such as crowding, alignment issues, and irregular spacing. Though there may be mild discomfort once the brackets are placed, they are permanent until removed, so you don’t have to worry about misplacing aligners.

If you have questions regarding orthodontics, please give us a call. To learn about the 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. 

Flossing with Traditional Braces

If our doctors at Vista Dental are going to teach you how to brush with traditional braces, it’s only natural that we teach you how to floss as well. You may think that you get a pass from flossing because the brackets make it hard to do so. Fortunately, there’s a way to alter your flossing method during this time and we are here to tell you how to do it.

• Use waxed floss, because unwaxed floss is more likely to get caught and shred in your braces.


• Use about 18 inches of floss and thread it carefully.


• Take the floss and gently thread it under the main wire of the braces before passing it between two teeth. Then remove the floss and re-thread it under the main wire to pass between the next pair of teeth.


• Be sure not to snap the floss. Simply move the floss up and down carefully against the side of each tooth.

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. 

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.