What Happens If You Don’t Brush Your Teeth With Braces?

Many people have naturally crooked or out of line teeth, which creates the need for braces. In the U.S. there are over 4 million people who have braces, with one-fourth of those people being adults. The desire to have a perfect, healthy smile is not something that’s only determined by age.

However, even if someone wants to use braces to straighten their teeth, it’s possible that they might not be taking proper care of their dental health.

If someone isn’t properly caring for their teeth, they may ask themselves what happens if you don’t brush your teeth with braces? Below, we’ll answer just that question.

What Happens If You Skip Brushing?

With or without braces, it’s a bad idea to skip out on brushing your teeth. Brushing helps your teeth stay clean, healthy, and cavity-free.

It’s recommended that you brush your teeth twice a day to help avoid build-up on your teeth, which leads to discoloration, cavities, and other dental issues.

Is It Worse With Braces?

To answer the question of what happens if you don’t brush your teeth with braces in short, yes. It is worse to skip brushing with braces due to the fact that food particles and bacteria can easily become trapped in your braces throughout the day.

Without braces, these things may not have a spot on your teeth to grip onto, but once you have braces, there are more small spaces where these things can get trapped.

What Happens When Your Braces Come Off If You Don’t Brush?

When you haven’t consistently brushed your teeth while your braces where on, there can be a visual impact when they come off.

You may be left with permanent staining, cavities, and decalcification once your braces have been removed if you don’t take proper care of your teeth while you’re wearing them.

When your braces come off, poor dental hygiene can mean that you have permanently visible stains that show where your braces once were.

What Happens If You Don’t Floss With Braces?

Flossing is key to a good dental hygiene routine. Flossing helps to get hard to reach food particles and plaque from building up in your tooth.

When you have braces, it can be difficult to get in your usual floss routine, so make sure you ask your dentist or orthodontist for tips on how to floss with braces.

Is It Okay to Brush Your Teeth Once a Day With Braces?

You should aim to brush your teeth after every meal that you eat with braces on, so brushing once a day is likely not going to be enough. The average goal is two times a day, but as stated above, you are extra susceptible to tooth damage when you have braces.

Brushing your teeth after every meal can ensure that no food particles wind up stuck in your teeth or braces, which is why it’s so highly recommended.

What is the Best Dental Hygiene Routine With Braces?

Having braces means that you’re already taking a step in the right direction when it comes to caring for your teeth.

However, you do need to keep up a consistent dental hygiene routine to ensure that your teeth aren’t stained by the time you have your braces removed.

This means that you should brush your teeth at least twice a day and floss once a day. If you’ve just eaten a meal with a food that can easily get stuck in your braces, it’s a good idea to brush your teeth an extra time and floss if there are pieces of food stuck in your teeth.

Getting the Most Out of Your Braces

Getting braces is a great way to make your smile more beautiful and ready for the world, but that doesn’t mean you can stop thinking about your dental health as soon as you get braces.

There are certain foods you can’t eat with braces, such as sticky candies, that are also bad for your teeth when you don’t have braces in your mouth.

Work on keeping those foods out of your diet while you have braces and once you take your braces off, keep it up to help keep your teeth healthy in the future.

Once your braces have been removed, make sure to follow any and all treatment plans that your orthodontist gives you.

This may mean wearing retainers every night or following a certain hygiene routine or using a specific toothpaste. Your orthodontist is an expert on keeping your teeth healthy and aligned, so make sure to follow their advice.

Although you may wonder what happens if you don’t brush your teeth with braces, the answers are not anything particularly good. Make sure that you avoid bad brushing with braces habits and instead give yourself the opportunity to have beautiful teeth once your braces are removed.