How To Prevent Your Clear Braces From Staining

Most people who care about their appearances prefer clear braces over other types of braces. Unfortunately, clear braces also stain easily, and when they do, they become rather unsightly. However, there are practical tips you can use to prevent your braces from staining; here are some of those tips.

Keep Your Teeth Clean

Impeccable oral hygiene is necessary for everyone that wants to avoid staining whether they have braces or not. It's even more important if you have clear braces on because braces trap bits of food in your mouth, and they are also difficult to clean. Therefore, if you have braces, you should even be more careful and regular with your brushing and flossing than normal. In short, never forget to brush after every meal if you have braces.

Avoid Staining Foods

Some foods and drinks cause more staining than others; it's best to stay away from these offending foods if you have clear braces. The more you eat them, the more likely your braces are to stain. For these foods and drinks, even brushing and flossing may not help perfectly because some of the stains shall have seeped into the enamel by the time you are done eating or drinking. Most of these foods and drinks have bright or deep colors, which mean they include things like red wine, tomato sauce, coffee, berries, and mustard, among others.

Don't Smoke

Smoking is arguably one of the most dangerous habits of your oral or dental health. It increases your risk of developing oral cancer, makes you susceptible to gum disease, gives you bad breath and also stains your teeth. Smoking with braces, therefore, will lead to their staining due to the color of the smoke (dark) and nicotine (yellowish).

Keep Your Dental Appointments

Lastly, it's good to keep all your dental appointments if you don't want your braces to stain. During the appointments, the orthodontist will evaluate your braces, advise you on what to do to avoid staining, and replace your ligatures. The dentist may also give you a professional dental cleaning during some of these sessions. Replacing the ligatures is particularly important because they stain easily.

As you can see, staining is an avoidable complication associated with clear braces. In fact, most of the problems people associate with braces, such as mouth irritation, are avoidable or manageable, so you shouldn't use them as an excuse not to get your teeth straightened. Click here for info about how to benefit from braces.