This is how you maintain braces and mouthguards
Invisible braces: they are beautiful but get dirty very quickly. This also applies to hockey mouthguards, night braces and night guards for teeth grinding. It is a lot of work to keep them clean and fresh for a long time because they spend a lot of time in the mouth. Yet there are tips and tricks to keep your bit fresh for as long as possible. We will share them with you in this article.
Avoid discoloration: clean your mouthguard well
The daily maintenance of your braces is something that should not be forgotten. If you forget this, there is a good chance that your beautiful transparent bracket will turn yellow or brown in no time. You can prevent discoloration by brushing carefully every day. Every time you take the bit out of your mouth, you will have to clean and rinse it under the tap. Use a solid toothbrush or special prosthetic brush to clean all difficult corners and edges.
Don’t use toothpaste
When brushing your teeth, a good toothpaste is essential. That’s why many people think that brushing with toothpaste will clean your transparent braces the most. But nothing could be further from the truth. Toothpaste is too abrasive for your braces and can cause discoloration of the material. If you do want to feel fresh, use a mild detergent to clean your braces. blue®m oral foam can easily be applied to your bit and can even be used in your mouth. It has a double effect: it cleans the bit and the foam also has a nourishing effect. This helps against irritation of the soft tissues and gum inflammation.
FACT: People who apply oral foam daily before placing their invisible braces in their mouths are less likely to suffer from deposits and tartar on their aligner. The small package of foam is perfect to take with you in your bag! On the way to the office or in the sports bag.
Don’t eat or drink with your braces in!
To keep your bit clean and fresh, eating and drinking while you have the bit in your mouth is not recommended. It is often recommended that you only drink water and remove the mouthguard while consuming all the other types of food. The dyes from your food can adhere to the material of the braces, causing discoloration. In addition, an unpleasant odour will quickly arise if you eat or drink with your braces in. Something else you should take into account is smoking. If you smoke, never do this while wearing your braces. Besides the fact that your bit, brace or aligner will discolour as a result of this, it will also smell quite a bit. Of course you want to avoid that!
Removing dental plaque and tartar
Do you see yellow or brown edges that you can’t get away with your toothbrush? Then you have hard dental plaque or maybe even tartar on your braces. Under the influence of the saliva in your mouth, the plaque on your braces can also become calcified into tartar. Just like the tartar on your teeth, you can’t get it away with a brush. That’s why the most important tip is to prevent dental plaque from forming by daily thorough cleaning with a brush and, if necessary, a cleaning agent. Once you have tartar on your braces, you can put your braces in water-diluted vinegar for an hour. The hardened dental plaque will become softer and you can now polish it away.
TIP: avoid dental plaque and tartar by filling your invisible braces with oral foam at least once a week. Then put the braces away for an hour so that the cleaning agent can work in optimally. After that you brush it thoroughly and you are good to go!