How to Care for Your Smile After Braces

Having braces takes some intentional care for you to reach the end of your treatment with the smile you’ve been dreaming of. But the work doesn’t quite stop there. Once your braces are removed, you will need to make sure you properly care for your teeth. Here are a few simple things to do so your smile stays straight and beautiful once you are done with orthodontic treatment.

Get a Teeth Cleaning

The first thing you should do after getting your braces removed is make an appointment with your dentist for a teeth cleaning. Orthodontic treatment, especially conventional braces, can make your teeth more vulnerable to plaque buildup, so getting a thorough cleaning right away will freshen up your new smile.

Wear Your Retainer

This is the most important thing to do when it comes to maintaining your new smile. With your Invisalign aligners or braces off of your teeth, you are vulnerable to regression, which is the process of your teeth moving back to their original positions. Obviously, you don’t want to have gone through treatment only for your smile to become crooked again.

The key to keeping your smile straight is to wear your retainer. There are a few different kinds of retainers you may get. Many patients these days get a clear, removable retainer, which is very similar to Invisalign aligners. You may also get a Hawley retainer, which includes a mold to fit into the roof of your mouth and wires that go around your front teeth. Most likely, you will only have to wear these types of retainers all day for a certain period of time, then only when you sleep. Try not to break or lose your retainer, but if you do, notify your orthodontist right away so you can get a replacement.

You also may get a fixed retainer on the back of your front teeth. While the downside is that this retainer is always there, the positive is you won’t have to worry about losing it.

Teeth Whitening

Some patients are a bit underwhelmed when they see their teeth with their braces off because their teeth may be a little discolored. However, you can brighten up your smile by getting a teeth-whitening treatment. There are whitening kits patients can use at home to get rid of stains and reveal a noticeably brighter smile, or many orthodontists and dentists offer professional whitening that brightens teeth within a few visits.

Getting a professional treatment generally provides more noticeable results, but it’s recommended that patients wait six months before doing this. Teeth can become sensitive for a little while after braces are removed, making it tricky to get through teeth-whitening appointments. Plus, many people see improvement by brushing and the natural process of their saliva removing stains after a few months as well.

Keep up Your Teeth-Cleaning Routine

There’s no reason to stop your good oral hygiene habits once you’re done with orthodontic treatment. Brushing after every meal and flossing once per day will be the best way to ensure your smile continues to look amazing. Plus, you’ll avoid needing fillings in the future by preventing plaque build-up and cavities.

Contact us at The Smile Store today to learn more about orthodontic treatment and to schedule a free consultation.