Protecting Teeth When Your Wear Braces

When you add braces to your mouth, cleaning becomes a lot more complicated, but it is still manageable if you pay special attention.

The main challenge when you wear braces is that food particles can easily get trapped and end up sticking to the teeth. When sugars and starches are turned into corrosive acid, and trapped behind the braces in places hard to reach by brushing and flossing alone, they can easily lead to the sort of tooth decay that strips tooth-strengthening minerals, such as calcium and phosphate, from the enamel.

The best line of defense against cavity-causing tooth decay when you wear braces is to use an anticavity fluoride mouthwash like LISTERINE^® rinse. Because LISTERINE^® anticavity fluoride mouthwash can reach hard-to-reach spots that brushing and flossing may miss, it is an important part of your overall oral care routine. Don’t avoid teeth-cleaning because it is harder; it’s not impossible so stick to your twice-daily brushing with fluoride toothpaste, flossing and rinsing with LISTERINE^® mouthwash.