You probably know to brush your teeth after every meal, or to use a proxy brush to reach some of those hard-to-reach places due to your braces. But there are other things that you can do to take care of your braces and keep that smile shining.  

Braces and Unfriendly Foods

You should try to stay away from foods that might bend your braces or get trapped in your braces. So try to stay away from the following:

• Hard foods, like whole nuts or hard candy
• Gummy or sticky foods, like caramel or dried fruits

Remember that you can always talk to your dentist should you have a question regarding a certain food.

The Natural Mouthwash

Making sure your teeth are completely clean and ready to fend off bacterial attacks is imperative. This is important because studies show that braces can increase your chance of tooth decay. You, however, have the power to reverse that statistic with the following oral mouthwash:

• You will need natural, unfiltered, and unaltered organic coconut oil. This recipe calls for 1 teaspoon.
• Half a cup of filtered water.
• 2 drops of organic clove oil that you can purchase online or in your local health food store.
• 1/8 of a teaspoon of sea salt.
• 1/8 of a teaspoon of baking soda.

Just mix all these ingredients together, and use the blend as you would a regular mouthwash. This will be helpful because of the following: 

• Coconut oil contains a fat that converts to fatty acids once mixed with saliva. This acid kills cavity-causing bacteria.
• Cinnamon oil is a powerful bacteria-killer due to its cinnamic aldehyde content, which is highly poisonous to oral pathogens.
• Baking soda is a natural acid neutralizer. This is important because bacteria need an acidic environment to flourish. Sea salt does the same thing, making your mouth uninhabitable for cavity-causing bacteria.

Remember to talk to your dentist about this addition to your oral care regimen, as he or she will have other helpful suggestions.

Bacteria-Killing Foods

There are a few foods that you should consider to help prevent dental decay, like the following:

• Cheese, especially aged cheese, can help prevent decay because of its high pH value that will help decrease the acidity in your mouth.
• Honey contains enzymes and hydrogen peroxide, which help kill oral pathogens. Be sure to eat the honey in its raw and dark form for best results.

Talk to a local dentist (such as one from Braces Inc.) about other things you can do to take care of your teeth and braces.