Keeping your teeth clean is more important than ever when you have braces. Food bits have more spots than usual to hide in your mouth, so you must be diligent in order to avoid bad breath, swollen gums, discolored teeth and cavities. If you remove plaque regularly during treatment, you'll experience better results and shorter treatment time.
Keep plaque at bay with these top ten tips: 1.
One tooth at a time. When you brush, take time with each individual tooth – at least 10 seconds each – and pay careful attention to the spots where your teeth touch your braces.
2.
It’s all about the angles. Brush the tops of your teeth and braces with your brush angled down toward where they meet. Brush the bottoms of your teeth and braces with your brush angled up.
3.
The tooth, the whole tooth, nothing but the tooth. While the front surface of your teeth may seem like the most logical to clean, it’s equally important to clean the inner surface of your teeth (tongue side) as well as the chewing surface. And be sure to clean along your gum line – a key spot for plaque buildup.
4.
Step 1: eat, step 2: clean. While you’re in treatment, it’s important to brush after every meal. Bits of food can easily get caught between braces and teeth, and these food bits interact with bacteria in your mouth to cause decay. The longer food is in contact with your teeth, the greater opportunity for plaque to form. If you are eating somewhere that you can’t brush, thoroughly rinse your mouth with water.
5.
Like a Boy Scout, always be prepared. The easiest way to be sure you can brush after every meal is to get in the habit of taking a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss with you wherever you go. Designate a special container just for your teeth-cleaning tools and keep it in your purse, backpack, or laptop case.
6.
Remove the moving parts. If you have elastic bands or headgear, remove these parts before you brush or floss.
7. Fluoride is your friend. Fluoride helps prevent cavities. Be sure to brush with fluoride toothpaste, and rinse with fluoride mouthwash.
8.
Pointy brushes reach tiny places. Interproximal brushes (sometimes called proxa brushes or interdental brushes) are cone-shaped and come in very handy for reaching spots around your braces that standard brushes can’t.
9.
Find the floss for you. Regular floss works for some patients, but others find it easier to work with a floss threader, which helps you get the floss into tight places. Other patients like an all-in-one product called Superfloss, which comes with a stiff end for easy threading, a spongy section for cleaning wide spaces, and regular floss for narrow spaces.
10.
Make time for the pros. It’s your job to take care of the everyday cleaning. But make sure to visit your dentist regularly while in treatment, to get the deep, thorough cleaning that only a professional can provide. If you need help finding the right Dentist for you, feel free to contact our office - we’d love to help!
Hope this helps!
Dr. Covino and Team
Dr. Covino and team would like to wish you a safe and happy Thanksgiving. It's a big food holiday, so be careful what you eat with those braces! If you have any stories or pictures to share with us, we'd encourage you to send them along or call our office and ask how.
Did you know that back in 2002, Tom Cruise had braces? During this time, he was 40 years old and filmed Minority Report, Austin Powers in Goldmember and the Last Samurai. Check out his smile in Jerry Maguire, Rain Man or The Firm and compare to the post-braces Tom Cruise in Valkyrie or Tropic Thunder. The fact is, movie stars need to look their best for the silver screen, and it wouldn't be possible without orthodontists like Dr. Covino. 
Did you know that October is National Orthodontic Health Month? Dr. Covino and our team know how tempting this time of the year can be for your sweet tooth. With all of the hard, sticky, crunchy, and chewy candy that is often passed around to trick-or-treaters, we know that it can sometimes be hard to find orthodontic-friendly options.
Some people wonder why Doylestown and New Hope orthodontist Dr. Covino and our team work tirelessly to give our patients straight teeth. Of course it’s nice to have a smile full of evenly aligned teeth, but did you know that straightening your teeth at Covino Orthodontics can keep them healthier? Straight teeth lead to better oral hygiene, increasing your chances of keeping your own natural teeth for a lifetime!
Trick-or-treat! In the spirit of October’s sweet and spooky holiday, Halloween, Dr. Covino would like to remind all of our patients to be safe while celebrating with friends and family. The American Association of Orthodontists, or AAO, has provided trick-or-treaters with some tips for a ghoulishly good time. 
Did you know that October is National Orthodontic Health Month? Dr. Covino and our team know how tempting this time of the year can be for your sweet tooth. With all of the caramel, candy corn, and lollipops that are often passed around to trick-or-treaters, we know that it can sometimes be hard to find hard candy alternatives.
Keeping your teeth clean is more important than ever when you have braces. Food bits have more spots than usual to hide in your mouth, so you must be diligent in order to avoid bad breath, swollen gums, discolored teeth and cavities. If you remove plaque regularly during treatment, you'll experience better results and shorter treatment time. Keep plaque at bay with these top ten tips: 
We’ve all heard that biting your nails is an awful habit, but you many wonder- really- what’s so bad about it? Recently, our team at Covino Orthodontics found an interesting article that discusses how biting your nails affect your teeth and oral health.
Now that fall sports are beginning, our team at Covino Orthodontics would like to remind all of our patients how to be safe while having fun outside. This week, we would like to discuss mouth guards, what they are, when to use them, the works. If you have any additional questions, don't hesitate to give us a call! 
Many people know that Invisalign is a great solution to braces if you don't want to experience the look and feel of traditional metal braces. What few people know, though, is that just like traditional braces, Invisalign requires proper care to work effectively. Good oral hygiene is highly important, even when you are wearing something in your mouth that you can take out to eat with. It's still likely that your aligners can build up plaque if not treated properly. When wearing your Invisalign aligners, Dr. Covino wants you to ask yourself the following questions:
Have you just begun orthodontic treatment with Covino Orthodontics in Doylestown and New Hope, PA? Well, the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO is in search of past, present, and future orthodontic patients and their parents to join the Braces Brigade! Share your smile with the world, through joining this community of online journalists, and receive a $100 American Express gift card for your hard work!
Braces aren’t just for pre-adolescents and teenagers anymore! Dr. Steven Covino will tell you that anyone, at any age, can benefit from orthodontic treatment, whether it’s correcting a problem not treated in your younger years, or catching a problem early. 
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