How to Keep My Teeth Clean with Braces and Clear Aligners

Reviewed by Dr. Neelab Anwar, board-certified orthodontist at Happier Smiles Orthodontics in Escondido, CA.

To keep your teeth clean with braces, brush after every meal with a soft brush angled at 45 degrees around the brackets and gumline, floss nightly with orthodontic tools like Superfloss or a Platypus flosser, and add a water flosser. With clear aligners, brush before putting trays back in and floss normally. Good hygiene prevents cavities and permanent white spots.

One of the most important parts of orthodontic treatment is keeping your teeth clean and healthy. Poor brushing and flossing during treatment can lead to cavities and gum disease, and with braces it can leave permanent marks on your teeth. The good news: with the right routine and tools, it is easy to protect your smile. Here is exactly how.

Watch Out for White Spot Lesions

The biggest hygiene risk with braces is white spot lesions. These are cavities beginning to form around the brackets, and they leave permanent scars on the teeth that cannot be removed with simple whitening. They happen when food and bacteria sit on the teeth around the braces for hours. The best way to prevent them is simple: brush after every meal and floss every night before bed.

Braces vs. Aligners: A Cleaning Difference

One of the biggest advantages clear aligners have over braces is how easy they are to keep clean. Because you remove the trays to eat and to brush and floss, you can care for your teeth normally, with no special tools needed, and you are far less likely to develop white spots. With braces, which are bonded to your teeth, you have to be diligent about brushing after every meal, or food and bacteria build up around the brackets. We tend to see healthier gums and teeth in aligner patients simply because the cleaning is easier. Either way, good brushing and flossing are essential. If you are still deciding, compare your options in our guide on aligners vs. braces.

How to Clean Your Teeth With Braces

• Brush after every meal. Use a soft-bristled brush angled at 45 degrees to clean around each bracket and along the gumline. Keep a travel toothbrush handy for on-the-go.
• Use orthodontic flossers. Tools like Superfloss (with a stiff threading end and spongy middle) and Platypus flossers slide easily under the wire, making it far quicker to floss around brackets.
• Add a water flosser. A Waterpik-style flosser after brushing and flossing flushes out anything left between teeth and under the gumline, especially around braces.
• Avoid sticky, sugary foods. These cling to braces and feed the bacteria that cause decay.
• Stay hydrated. Drinking water helps wash away food particles and neutralize acids.
• Keep your regular cleanings. See your dentist every six months during treatment for a professional cleaning and to keep everything on track.

How to Clean Your Teeth With Clear Aligners

• Brush before you put your aligners back in. After eating, always brush first. If you have no toothbrush handy, rinse really well with water, because you do not want to trap food and bacteria against your teeth under the trays.
• Floss every night and brush at least twice a day. With aligners out, you can floss normally, which keeps both your teeth and your trays healthy.