Braces or not, nothing should stop you from having white pearly teeth is easier said than done right? Without braces, there are a tonne of things you can try to give yourself those white teeth you deserve but if you have braces on, it adds a little twist to the equation. Braces shouldn’t stop me from having white teeth, but what can I do to have white teeth with braces? Do you have braces on? Do you want white teeth regardless? Then you have made it to the right blog article. In today’s guide, I’ll be teaching you how to whiten your teeth even with braces on. 

There are different routes to follow to achieve white pearly teeth with your braces on but the method you’ll be choosing depends on the type of brace you are wearing. If you are wearing lingual or removable aligners, you wouldn’t have trouble whitening your teeth because those types of braces do not obstruct or cover the surface of the teeth which makes it easy for you to conduct a whitening process but if you have the traditional brace on, the one that comes with brackets that cover the teeth, it becomes difficult for the whitening agent to reach all the areas of your teeth as it won’t be able to effectively work on the areas that are covered by the brackets or areas where the teeth are overlapping or shifting resulting in uneven shades. Thereby limiting your whitening options.

How to whiten teeth with braces

Tip 1: Use whitening strips

The use of whitening strips to whiten teeth with braces is a simple DIY method you can try at home. The method is not only cheap but also safe and effective. These strips contain peroxides (like hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide) or bleaching agents and are designed to remove stains from the surface of your teeth.

To whiten your teeth with braces using whitening strips, you’ll have to apply the strips over your teeth for 45 minutes. You’ll have to do it once or twice daily to achieve maximum results. 

This method works best with lingual or clear removable aligners. They do not work with traditional braces because the brackets are placed at the front side of your teeth and as such the strips will only be able to whiten the exposed tooth or teeth and will not be able to reach the tooth enamel beneath the bonded brackets. Using this method with traditional metal braces could cause you to have an uneven colour tone when the braces eventually get removed.

Tip 2: Use an electric toothbrush 

I’m sure you didn’t know or think that electric brushes could whiten your teeth. Electric brushes can whiten your teeth and it does that by lifting the surface stains off your teeth. Some electric toothbrushes even come with orthodontic brush heads made specifically for teeth with braces.

Even though they do not contain any chemical agent can aid the whitening process, you can be assured that you’ll have an even whiter teeth compared to when you use a regular brush. 

For the usage, use the electric brush, in the same manner, you’d have used your regular toothbrush. The great part is, it doesn’t matter if you have cheap braces, traditional braces or lingual braces on, an electric brush can help you in whitening your teeth. Visit your local orthodontist for advice today.

Tip 3: Use whitening trays

Whitening tray is another whitening option for people with braces looking forward to whitening their teeth. The whitening tray uses a bleaching gel together with a custom whitening tray that’s moulded for your teeth.

To use whitening trays to whiten your teeth, place a small amount of the gel on the tray and then place the tray in your mouth and let it stay there for 30 minutes or an hour before removing them. You’ll have to do it daily until you have achieved your desired results.

This whitening approach isn’t great for people with traditional braces. On the contrary, if you have removable aligners or lingual braces on then you can use whitening trays to whiten your teeth. 

Tip 4: Use whitening toothpaste and mouthwash

Whitening toothpaste contains abrasives such as silica which helps in scrubbing stains off your teeth. Some kinds of toothpaste even contain chemicals that help in dissolving stains on the teeth. Whitening mouthwash on the other hand refreshes your breath and also protects your teeth from new stains.

To achieve the best results, use the whitening mouthwash once a day and the whitening toothpaste twice or thrice daily.

Just like electric toothbrushes, you can use whitening toothpaste and mouthwash for all types of braces. 

However, you need to make sure that you are first consulting with your dentist with regard to using products on your braces.

Tip 5: Use orthodontic floss threaders or flossers 

If you have braces on, then to effectively clean and whiten your teeth, you should use orthodontic flossers or threaders rather than regular dental floss. These flosses are designed specifically to work on teeth with braces.

To clean and whiten your teeth using a flosser, this is what you should do. Using the flosser, go up and down the side of a single tooth before moving to the adjacent tooth. Continue in that manner until you have cleaned all the teeth in your mouth. Do well to also floss your molar tooth while you are at it and pay attention to the back of the tooth where it’s usually difficult to brush.