Dr. Libby: What is Oral Hygiene why is it important?
By Dr. Warren Libby, DDS
We’re all getting back into school routines after a summer full of fun. Sometimes caring for your teeth can get neglected with all the summer activity. Now that we're back into a more structured schedule, let’s spend a few minutes talking about taking care of your teeth. Consider this blog post a public service announcement for your teeth! I know, I know, this is one of those subjects you’d rather not hear about. But, hear me out. Your mouth is part of your body (despite the fact that dentistry and medicine seem separate, it’s all health care) and a healthy mouth is important to your overall health for many reasons, most of which I won’t bore you with. So, if you want to be healthy, then read on.
Big picture: A healthy mouth and a healthy body go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other. In other words, oral health and systemic health are linked. You can’t have a healthy mouth, no matter how much you brush, if your diet is poor, if you’re chronically stressed, if you aren’t getting good quality sleep, etc. Your mouth will reveal what’s going on with the rest of your body. I’m going to focus on oral health, but understand that it's part of the bigger picture.
Dr. Libby works as an orthodontist in Anchorage, Alaska.
When you have braces on, or if you are wearing Invisalign, it is even more important to focus on good oral hygiene. Dentists have identified many risk factors for getting cavities and gum infections. Braces and Invisalign are on that list. It doesn’t matter if you’re a brushing rock star, once you have braces on your teeth or you start wearing Invisalign, your risk for cavities increases. The cool thing is you can control how much that risk increases, maybe a lot, maybe very little. If you want a bright smile and healthy teeth when you finish orthodontic treatment, then it is essential to have good brushing, flossing, and eating habits before and during orthodontic treatment. So, what does that look like?
If you are wearing braces, then you should be brushing your teeth after every meal to remove food particles and plaque. This is good for your teeth, and your friends will thank you too! If you’re wearing Invisalign, the same rule applies–and is maybe even more important. It is very bad for your teeth to have food trapped between your Invisalign aligners and your teeth. With plastic covering your teeth, you lose the natural rinsing action of saliva on your teeth. So, eating with your aligners in or putting them back on with dirty teeth is a big no-no.
I know that brushing after every single meal is just not going to happen for everyone, so, while that is the best habit, let’s talk about real life. Brushing twice per day should be a minimum, morning and night. Please, please, please, if you ignore everything else I say, please brush your teeth well at night before you go to bed. Your salivary flow essentially stops when you're sleeping, which means your mouth is not getting rinsed. This turbocharges the bacteria in your mouth that cause cavities and bad breath and gum infections. Go to sleep with clean teeth!
After meals, if brushing is not happening, then at least rinse your mouth thoroughly with water so that you don’t have food stuck in your braces or under your aligners. Rinsing with water also helps neutralize any acidic foods or drinks that you may have eaten.
Let’s flip the script just a bit. Here’s a recipe for destroying your teeth: poor dietary choices which include lots of sugary, starchy, sticky, sweet foods, all rinsed down with highly acidic drinks (think soda, energy drinks, sports drinks, etc.) which are eaten or sipped frequently enough throughout the day that your mouth is constantly an acidic environment without a chance to recover. Couple that with braces on your teeth or plastic aligners holding that Rock Star against the enamel of your teeth all day long. Don’t brush, so that the bacteria that thrive on simple carbohydrates and that dissolve the enamel on your teeth can grow and multiply. You are on the fast track to white and brown spots on your teeth, cavities, and gum infections which you will be dealing with for a lifetime.
Speaking of white spots, these are the first signs of getting cavities. It is a weakening or erosion of the enamel, which eventually develops into cavities. Seeing these initial signs means something needs to change!
An ideal regimen for good oral health in general, and especially during orthodontic treatment is as follows. Eat a healthy diet, low in processed, refined foods, especially refined carbohydrates and starches. Drink water, lots of it, instead of fruit juices, soda, energy drinks, gatorade, etc. If you’re going to enjoy a soda, drink it with your meal and follow it with water. Brush your teeth after every meal, ensuring that there is no food stuck around your braces or underneath your aligners. At night, after supper, and before bedtime, floss your teeth, use a Waterpik or water flosser, brush well (an electric toothbrush, like a Sonicare, is helpful) for 4 minutes, 2 minutes on the top teeth and 2 minutes on the bottom teeth. Clean your aligners and go to sleep with clean aligners, clean braces, and clean teeth.
Take the time to take care of your mouth. Your teeth, your mouth, and your health are worth it! Your future self thanks you!
Orthodontic Treatment: Clear Braces and Invisalign
Clear braces are aligners (trays) and are virtually invisible. They are removable for easy cleaning of the aligners and your teeth. This design allows teeth to move independently and with much less required pressure.