Not every store carries the supplies we recommend or they may be sold out.  Besides,  who really has time to go on a shopping crusade to find braces friendly flossers? (I have only seen them at Walmart).

Here  is a list of the best products (with links to Amazon.com) to help keep your teeth sparkling while in braces!

 

The Best

Tooth Brush heads 

Oral-B Vitality sensitive toothbrush heads – Replacement heads for the Oral-B Vitality toothbrush. I recommend the sensitive heads because they are gentle on the gums but very effective at removing plaque.

If you find that your braces are causing your toothbrush heads to wear out quickly, this to be helpful (Large volume at low cost).  These generics are not quite as soft as the brand name sensitive heads.  Stick with the sensitive heads if you have gum recession.

Mouthwash

ACT braces care fluoride mouthwash – Contains fluoride to help protect and strengthen tooth enamel .

Flossing

Floss threaders – Attach your floss to a threader so you can feed it under the wire and floss.

Threaded floss –  Floss that has a stiff end that can be threaded under the wire.  Faster than the traditional floss threaders.

Plackers Orthopick flossers  – An additional way to floss that doesn’t require threading something under the wire.  These are designed to specifically to work with braces.  They may not work everywhere in your mouth, but they may save you time in the areas where they will fit under the wire.

Cleaning Under the Wire

Proxi-brushes – To clean underneath the wire where the toothbrush can’t reach you need proxi-brushes. (Get the 1-pack for 3.99). These are also effective for cleaning the area between the braces and the gums.

Grade yourself

Plaque disclosing tablets – Probably one of the best tools in the arsenal.  How do you know your brushing is effective? These tablets will highlight the areas you missed with your brushing in bright pink and purple.

Toothpaste

We can provide you with a prescription for PreviDent 5000 Booster Plus.  This prescription strength toothpaste, in conjunction with good brushing, will reduce the risk of white spot formation.

Mouthguard with Braces

Shock Doctor Ultra Braces Mouthguard – This mouthguard can be heated and custom fit to your braces covered teeth.  As the teeth move the fitting process can be repeated numerous times.  These are a one size fits all product. The adult size should fit most adolescents.

Download instructions for custom fitting here.

Honorable Mentions

Sonicare Toothbrush –  Excellent tooth brush.  Comparable in performance to the Oral B.  If you have a sonicare,  use it.  They are great.

Waterpik –  The waterpick can be helpful to  flush chunks of food from your braces or appliances.  Flossing and using a Waterpik may be better than flossing alone, but the Waterpik is not able to replace good ol’ fashioned flossing.   Use the Waterpik as many times as you like through out the day, but we still recommend following it up with floss at least once per  day.

Colgate Phosfluor Mouthwash – Excellent, very similar to the ACT but a little pricey.