How are you celebrating dental hygiene month this year? Dental hygiene month occurs every year in October, and it’s a great month to reevaluate your dental hygiene routine. This is because we tend to eat more sugary foods, snacks, and candy than at any other time of year. Here at Valderrama Orthodontics, our orthodontist, Dr. Natalia Valderrama wants to help you take your dental hygiene to the next level.

Ensuring Good At-Home Oral Hygiene

A healthy mouth, teeth, and gums starts with good at-home oral hygiene. This means choosing the right oral hygiene products for your teeth. Our orthodontist Dr. Natalia Valderrama always recommends choosing toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss, and mouthwash that has the American Dental Association’s (ADA) seal of approval for quality and safety. You may also want to consider using an electric toothbrush instead of a manual toothbrush. This is because electric toothbrushes with rotating and vibrating heads remove more plaque and food particles from the teeth when used correctly. But be very careful to be very gentle since sometimes the vibration and force from electric toothbrushes can brake brackets while you are in orthodontic treatment.

Next, always brush your teeth in the morning and at night before you go to bed for at least three minutes, and concentrate on reaching every surface of your teeth, including the front, back and biting surfaces. If you wear braces or Invisalign, you will also want to brush your teeth after every meal and when drinking anything that isn’t water.

Taking Your Oral Hygiene to the Next Level 

Along with good at-home oral hygiene and regular teeth cleanings by a dentist, you may need to consider straightening your teeth. When most people think about straightening their teeth, they think about improving the quality of their smiles so that they are not embarrassed every time they open their mouths or uncomfortable about the appearance of their teeth in social situations. However, straightening your teeth is about more than simply improving the way your teeth look. It can also improve your oral hygiene and reduce your risk of developing cavities and gum disease, as well as oral infections.

The Oral Hygiene Impact of Crooked and Crowded Teeth

When you have severely crooked, misaligned or crowded teeth, you may find it difficult to reach every surface of your teeth, regardless of how much detail you put into brushing and flossing your teeth. Unfortunately, when you miss areas of your teeth, the plaque on your teeth can turn into tartar and collect along your gum line as well as on your teeth. When tartar collection on your teeth, it results in a yellow hue. When tartar collects along your gum line, it can result in gum inflammation, gingivitis, and periodontal disease. You may even have more cavities than expected when you visit your dentist for regular cleanings.

Improving Oral Hygiene with Braces or Invisalign

Teenagers, as well as adults, can straighten their teeth and improve the effectiveness of their oral hygiene routine with a variety of teeth straightening methods, including Invisalign or Clear Correct, traditional braces, clear ceramic braces, and lingual braces. Here is how they differ: 

• Traditional Braces – silver-colored metal braces affixed to the front of the teeth and attached with a wire.
• Clear Ceramic Braces – Clear braces made out of ceramic affixed to the front of the teeth and attached to each other with a metal or white wire.
• Invisalign and Suresmile – Clear, removable aligning trays that are nearly invisible when worn.
• Invisalign Teen – Special aligning trays developed for teens that contain a blue wear indicator to ensure they are worn for the proper amount of time each day.
• Lingual Braces – Metal braces that are attached to the back of the teeth, which are less noticeable than traditional braces.
• Champagne Braces- New braces available only at Valderrama Orthodontics, gold plated and super nice, less noticeable than silver braces and in totally fashion now!! 

Choosing the Right Way to Straighten Your Teeth

Our Rockledge orthodontist can evaluate the alignment of your jaw and teeth and recommend the right teeth straightening method for your needs. In general, those with mild to moderate teeth alignment problems can use Invisalign, Invisalign Teen or Suresmile. If your problems are more severe and include a severe over, under or crossbite, you may need traditional, clear, champagne or lingual braces.

To learn more about how we can help you straighten your teeth and improve your oral hygiene routine during dental hygiene month this October, contact us online or at 321-425-5050.