Dental Cleaning in Surrey: Can I Have my Teeth Whitened with Braces?

You know why you did it. Orthodontic braces can transform your smile, but sometimes they’re a nuisance. Treatments last anywhere from about six months to over a year. Keeping your teeth clean and white during this time can be hard. Maneuvering a toothbrush around tricky edges and angles can feel like mission impossible, which is why it’s normal to see some discolouration around orthodontics. For patients wondering if teeth whitening is an option, our advice is to focus on keeping teeth clean. Schedule a dental cleaning in Surrey instead. Here’s why:

Our teeth whitening process brightens the surface colour of your teeth between 2-20 shades—but the treatment doesn’t reach under the braces. That means spotty, uneven colouring can be a problem after removal of the braces.

Schedule Regular Dental Cleaning for Braces

For patients with braces, oral hygiene is vital. That’s why we recommend our patients schedule dental cleaning in Surrey 3-4 times a year. Why so much? Orthodontics make it very easy for food to become lodged in your teeth, so tarter and plaque accumulate faster. Put simply, people with braces are more susceptible to tooth decay and gum disease. It’s harder to brush and floss, even with appliances like water flossers.

Dental Cleaning in Surrey for People with Braces

As a team of dental hygienists, we care for all kinds of teeth and take extra care with braces to prevent damage and discomfort. Out ultrasonic scaler from Dentsply Sirona is a powerful, effective tool for almost touchlessly removing the bulk of plaque and tartar. Then we swing in to tackle finer areas by hand. By working carefully, we clean your teeth, your gum line, and around each bracket where there is often the most buildup. 

Once scaling and planing are done, your hygienist will apply a complimentary strengthening fluoride treatment. This helps strengthen and remineralize tooth enamel while preventing bacterial growth on the surface of your teeth. It’s a complimentary service we’re pleased to offer at Simply Smile.

Teeth Whitening After Braces

Eventually, you’ll say goodbye to your braces and have the opportunity to try teeth whitening. As dental hygienists, we recommend waiting for about six months. This reduces tooth sensitivity and allows your natural saliva to strengthen your teeth and minimize any spotting and colour differences. Waiting for a little bit after braces means better, brighter, more even results.

If you have braces and require dental cleaning in Surrey, we invite you to experience Simply Smile Dental Cleaning. Book dental cleaning online or call us at 604-353-6645. We look forward to making you smile.