Princess5 Posted November 9, 2022 Share Posted November 9, 2022 (edited) Thank you for all your tips in the thread. DD go braces on today and she's doing okay with painkiller and soft food. The orthodontist asked her to brush 3 times a day everyday. I think it's going to be hard to enforce it as it is hard enough to have a best twice a day now. How do you encourage your kids to brush thrice a day. Also looking at the metal braces on her teeth got me thinking will the braces stain in her teeth. I mean by the time we are done fixing her teeth alignment in a year or whatever time it takes will there be stains on them? Edited November 9, 2022 by Princess5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frances Posted November 9, 2022 Share Posted November 9, 2022 My son had no staining. I think my son’s orthodontic team put a healthy fear into him because he went from lackluster dental hygiene before braces to almost perfect dental hygiene with braces and after. I think different kids are going to respond to different approaches. For my son, stressing negative outcomes of bad dental hygiene seemed to work best. And I think the positive feedback he got from the orthodontic staff at check-ups also helped. For others, incentives might be the right approach. It’s probably best to try and get into a routine as soon as possible. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted November 9, 2022 Share Posted November 9, 2022 FWIW, my kids brushed 2 times a day. They never heard that from their ortho. And they had traditional braces. My kids had braces on 2 and 2+ years and didn't have more staining than what would come off with a regular cleaning. One of my kids did have a single cavity for the first time when the braces came off but has been fine since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clemsondana Posted November 9, 2022 Share Posted November 9, 2022 Metal doesn't stain teeth, so that shouldn't be a problem. Staining can occur if kids don't brush and have stained or cavity-full teeth around the braces, but we found regular good hygiene to be sufficient. My kids (and me, back when I was a kid) didn't do anything special as far as brushing. They tell you to brush all the time, but we did the usual morning and night, and maybe sometimes in the afternoon if we had eaten something sticky or had something stuck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted November 9, 2022 Share Posted November 9, 2022 (edited) What you’re worried about is not actually staining, it’s enamel scarring, which can be prevented by having good oral hygiene. My two who completed braces didn’t have any and one of them even got a warning from the ortho about improving hygiene at one point (at which I said, I am spending $$$$ to get your teeth looking nice, take better care!!! And he did). Edited November 9, 2022 by Forget-Me-Not 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluemongoose Posted November 9, 2022 Share Posted November 9, 2022 On top of brushing, I find a waterpic, flossers designed for braces, and those small bristle things that you poke up between the brackets really help with reaching harder to get areas. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookbard Posted November 9, 2022 Share Posted November 9, 2022 If you don't have fluoride in your water, ask for high fluoride toothpaste - in Australia it's behind the counter at the pharmacist, you have to ask for it. My daughter ended up with major issues with cavities due to braces but she was 8-9 years old. At 13 hopefully your daughter will understand that it's super important to brush carefully, even if it hurts. The only advice we got was to 'put her in a headlock' and as we weren't willing to do that, oddly enough, and our nagging wasn't enough, she ended up losing teeth. Changing dentists and getting the specialised toothpaste has stopped all issues since then. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess5 Posted November 9, 2022 Author Share Posted November 9, 2022 Thank you. She generally uses an electric toothbrush can she continue using that? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted November 9, 2022 Share Posted November 9, 2022 3 minutes ago, Princess5 said: Thank you. She generally uses an electric toothbrush can she continue using that? Yes! If she uses a good quality electic that is really great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amiesmom Posted November 9, 2022 Share Posted November 9, 2022 (edited) Our orthodontist gives every new braces patient a sonicare toothbrush because he really feels it helps keep their teeth clean, obviously they roll the cost of the toothbrush into the cost of treatment. He also recommends that if they can't reasonably brush after lunch they at least rinse and chew sugar-free gum like trident. We take our kids to the dentist 3x a year when they have braces (our insurance covers this), and I think that really helps keep their teeth clean and healthy. Also, make sure she knows how to floss with braces. Yes, it's time consuming, but it really helps. If our orthodontist notices thay aren't brushing well, they are very straightforward with them telling them that they need to brush better/longer/more frequently. ETA- these floss threaders are super helpful - DenTek Floss Threaders | For Braces, Bridges, and Implants | 50 Count (Pack of 6) https://a.co/d/6pStQh3 Edited November 9, 2022 by amiesmom 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted November 9, 2022 Share Posted November 9, 2022 The electric toothbrushes (we have sonicares here too) make a HUGE difference. My oldest kid has always been super great with the hygeine. But my 2nd is kind of marginal, but she does use the electric and I think that kept things in good shape even though she wasn't trying very hard. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teachermom2834 Posted November 9, 2022 Share Posted November 9, 2022 (edited) My dd is meticulous with her brushing (to the point I have to get her to relax about it) and she did have staining with braces. They would ask if she was drinking dark sodas (which she doesn’t like) and if she had well water (which she does not) every time and then just shrug and say some people’s saliva reacts with braces and causes staining. We had to stop seeing one particular hygienist who would really guilt her and freak her out about it but everyone else we saw would just clean her up at her appointments. She had braces for a long time- two phases over four years from ages 9-14 and never got any cavities. She took really good care of her teeth. But she did stain between visits. They were able to clean her up and she hasn’t had any problems since she got them off five months ago. I also bought her some kind of floss sticks she liked. They weren’t the cheapest and it kind of annoyed me but I figured she was taking good care of her teeth without a hassle so I just paid for them. Edited November 9, 2022 by teachermom2834 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted November 10, 2022 Share Posted November 10, 2022 We have loved these for flossing: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Crest-Braces-Care-Threader-Floss-30-Single-Use-Packets-For-Ages-6/982316786 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
almondbutterandjelly Posted November 10, 2022 Share Posted November 10, 2022 Did they paint a sealant on her teeth beforehand? That plus normal sonicare morning and night was good. No gum, by the way. Somebody mentioned that upthread and that alarmed me. dd did always start flossing daily a week or so before her next visit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted November 10, 2022 Share Posted November 10, 2022 8 minutes ago, perky said: Did they paint a sealant on her teeth beforehand? That plus normal sonicare morning and night was good. No gum, by the way. Somebody mentioned that upthread and that alarmed me. dd did always start flossing daily a week or so before her next visit. Our orthodontist recommended gum, specifically the kind with xylitol, and has mentioned it as a way to deal with pain after tightenings. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grace Hopper Posted November 10, 2022 Share Posted November 10, 2022 (edited) Our orthodontist gave (lol I’m sure we paid for it!) all our kids a sonicare with the special head for braces. He also recommended water piks for flossing, but did provide floss threaders for helping weave conventional floss around the wire works. Something that was really good for us was having the orthodontist and the dentist conveniently located in the same building. They were totally separate practices, but had a working relationship where the schedulers from each office would work together so when it was time for a regular 6 month dental cleaning, we’d start at the orthodontist where a tech would remove the main wire (the one that was replaced every visit anyway), then the kid would go over to the dentist for a cleaning without that wire, and then come back to the orthodontist to have the actual regular adjustment work done. The dental hygienist loved not having to work around that big wire! And everyone felt the dental cleaning/exam was easier. Not sure if all orthodontists are like this, but ours made a big deal of dental hygiene, and would definitely let the kids know he could tell who was taking care of their teeth and who wasn’t. Edited November 10, 2022 by Grace Hopper 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theelfqueen Posted November 10, 2022 Share Posted November 10, 2022 Sonicare plus a water pic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawberries Posted November 10, 2022 Share Posted November 10, 2022 My DS did have staining. Switching to a whitening toothpaste after getting the braces off helped. I don't think he was great about hygiene with the braces. Still no cavities, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emba Posted November 10, 2022 Share Posted November 10, 2022 When I had braces, they showed me a picture of what could happen (not just staining, but deep pitting as well) if you didn’t brush well. It scared me into dental hygiene like I had never had. Not three times a day because brushing at school seemed terribly embarrassing, but twice a day, and for five solid minutes each time (that’s what they recommended). When they were off I didn’t have any staining or pitting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
City Mouse Posted November 10, 2022 Share Posted November 10, 2022 It is tough to convince kids to keep up, or improve, dental hygiene while having braces. When I had braces as an adult, I used an electric brush with the special head for braces. I used flossers like these. https://www.plackers.com/product/orthopick-flossers I did not use a water flosser, but I did brush and floss twice a day at home with the electric brush, and I carried a small pouch everywhere with toothbrush, toothpaste, and flossers. While I swear that the pain of braces was worse as an adult, the dental hygiene part seemed much easier, or maybe just more important to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelydon Posted November 10, 2022 Share Posted November 10, 2022 As long as they are really good about oral hygiene, they will not have staining. If you your kiddo, doesn't brush and floss two to three times a day, then yes, there's a good chance that there will be staining on the teeth. I've had three kids and braces. Far, all were good about brushing two to three times a day, and flossing or water picking twice a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof4sweetkids Posted November 10, 2022 Share Posted November 10, 2022 As a kid, I had braces for six years (bad idea, destroyed the roots of my teeth). I didn't get any staining or cavities the whole time though and I only brushed twice a day and rarely flossed. Now I have a bridge and use "ez floss", it's got a hard plastic tip at the beginning to help weave it through, way easier than the threaders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted November 10, 2022 Share Posted November 10, 2022 My children didn't get staining from braces. Once a day I helped them with their brushing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted November 10, 2022 Share Posted November 10, 2022 My youngest had two rounds of braces. She was better at the hygiene at the younger age and she slacked on the second round. She gets cavities easily and had a ton of little cavities after the second round--like 15 I think. I had just started working and we got double-covered for dental insurance which was a huge help for the financial hit. I would supervise nightly dental care if I were to go through this again. And yes, we had a waterpic and sonicare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted November 10, 2022 Share Posted November 10, 2022 Waterpik and a quality electric toothbrush. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted November 11, 2022 Share Posted November 11, 2022 On 11/9/2022 at 3:48 PM, bluemongoose said: On top of brushing, I find a waterpic, flossers designed for braces, and those small bristle things that you poke up between the brackets really help with reaching harder to get areas. My son went from a B grade on oral hygiene from the orthodontist to an A with the waterpic. His mouth is a serious train wreck, and the waterpic gets into places where it’s hard for the brush to go. The other items mentioned are also quite helpful. He was also prescribed high fluoride toothpaste to use at bedtime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted November 11, 2022 Share Posted November 11, 2022 In addition to the great suggestions above, I scheduled dental cleanings every 3 months while he had braces instead of every 6. My dental hygienist friend did that for her girls when they had braces and I think it was really helpful. Also, they make good flossers (I think it's the plackers brand) for braces which helped a bunch too! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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