Brushing and flossing around brackets and wires can be challenging if you aren’t sure how to get started. When you get your braces on, Dr. Pawar will show you how to properly brush and floss your teeth!  Maintaining your oral hygiene is especially important during you or your child’s orthodontic treatment. If you don’t brush and floss regularly, bacteria can grow between your teeth and around your brackets and archwires, causing permanent stains, cavities, or gum disease.  Here’s how to properly brush your teeth with braces:  1. Brush the outside and inside of your teeth, as well as the chewing surface and gumline.  2. Brush in small circles to reach between your archwires and around the corners of your brackets.  3. Make sure you’re brushing thoroughly, but gently enough to avoid damaging your braces.  When flossing between your teeth, we recommend using a specialized flossing threader that allows you to insert the floss thread between your teeth and braces. Specialized flossing threaders have a solid end that makes it easier to push the floss through the archwires.