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Your Top-Rated Orthodontist in
Charleston, SC, For Braces & Invisalign

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Same-Day Starts, Braces, and Consultations Available!

Your Top-Rated Orthodontist in
Charleston, SC, For Braces & Invisalign

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Braces are an investment in time and money with the goal of achieving a healthier smile. Keeping braces (and the teeth beneath them) clean and healthy is an essential aspect of ensuring they do their job, as well as maximizing the patient’s comfort throughout the treatment. This means oral health issues like cavities can cause more problems for patients with braces than they would in a normal person.

Though your braces make it more difficult to brush and floss your teeth, you should still do everything you can to prevent cavities from forming during your treatment. Continue reading to learn about how you can prevent cavities with braces.

Want to find out if you or your child needs braces? Visit Reese Orthodontics in Charleston, SC for leading orthodontic care.

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Before You Get Braces

Before you even start your treatment, your orthodontist will make sure you don’t have any pre-existing cavities. If you do, they will want to fill them before your treatment to ensure the normal difficulties of wearing braces do not make these cavities worse.

An untreated cavity can cause all kinds of issues, including discomfort and tooth decay. A small cavity that goes unnoticed during your treatment can become serious, which is why the first way to prevent cavities with braces is to treat cavities before you get braces.

How Braces Get Dirty

Braces have many complicated parts, including brackets, wires, springs, elastic bands, screws, and more, depending on the appliance you need. Every surface of your braces is susceptible to collecting food, bacteria, and acids, all of which cause plaque to build up.

A buildup of plaque can eventually harden into what dentists call “tartar.” This porous super-plaque wears away your tooth enamel and can cause your teeth to become sensitive and eventually lose integrity. In this bacteria breeding ground, cavities can easily form.

How to Prevent Cavities During Treatment

Thankfully, plaque, tartar, cavities, and tooth decay are not inevitable parts of having braces. With the right treatment and care, they are all easily preventable. Here are 5 steps to keep in mind to prevent cavities from forming when you have braces:

Floss the right way

Flossing is tough with braces, but the plaque you need to worry about is hiding away in the cracks that you can’t get to unless you put in the extra effort. Tools like floss threaders, water picks, and more can help you reach these areas, which we recommend doing after every meal.

Brush more than usual

Brushing at least twice a day is even more imperative when you have braces. Oral hygiene and brushing go hand in hand, and you may have to put in a little more work to get the results your teeth need. This could include buying a soft electric toothbrush, using fluoride toothpaste, and brushing after every meal, things we recommend doing anyway, even without braces.

… and brush correctly

Brushing incorrectly, most orthodontists agree, is barely better than not brushing at all. Angle your toothbrush to address every face of your teeth. With braces, this means carefully brushing around every structure to find the hidden food debris that can cause plaque. Devote 30 seconds to brushing each of the four corners of your mouth so that your brushing routine is 2 minutes in total.

Eat and drink for your oral health

The list of dietary exclusions your orthodontist will give you at your first braces appointment may be difficult to follow sometimes. Not only does it prohibit hard snacks like candies, nuts, popcorn, chips, and more, but it also suggests giving up tough meat, bagels, corn on the cob, soda, and a lot of other foods.

Just remember this list is designed to give you the best chance at maintaining the best oral health during your treatment. Every time you break our fourth rule and eat or drink something you weren’t supposed to, double down on rules 1-3 to try and make up for it.

Fight bacteria

We already mentioned water picks, fluoride toothpaste, and floss threaders as useful new pieces of your oral hygiene arsenal. Also consider investing in antibacterial oral hygiene products such as antibacterial toothpaste and a germ-destroying mouthwash, which you can use 1-2 times per day.

Choose Reese Orthodontics

If you’re an adult who is considering braces, you need professional advice on your treatment and payment options. For orthodontic treatments in Charleston, SC, Reese Orthodontics offers the latest technology and treatment plans. Our advanced and comfortable orthodontic treatments can be customized to suit your needs. A consultation with Reese Orthodontics includes scans, a comprehensive exam, and a conversation with the orthodontist to discover which treatment options are right for you. 

Schedule an appointment with us today to stay ahead of your oral health and receive the best possible treatment in your area.

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Easy Ways To Get Started

If you want to learn more about our orthodontic practice - where we offer extensive experience with a Board Certified Orthodontist, where we offer a satisfaction guarantee, and where we offer flexible payment options - Reese Orthodontics is here to serve you.

READ WHY PEOPLE CHOOSE REESE ORTHODONTICS FOR BRACES & INVISALIGN
"Dr. Reese and staff share an inviting personality with a clean and professional atmosphere. I am very happy with the service, the product and the final result. I would encourage any of my friends and family to consult with Dr. Reese around their Orthodontic needs."
- Austin H.
"It has been a great experience all around getting braces at Dr. Reese Orthodontics. It's a great office with wonderful and friendly staff. I am extremely happy with the results. Can't say enough good things about Dr. Reese and his staff. I highly recommend him!"
- Nicole S.
"Dr. Reese and his staff was referred to me by a friend, and I highly recommend them! They were friendly, professional, helpful and quick to respond. I could not be happier with the results of Invisalign. I wore them about 7 months and my teeth are as straight as can be. Thank you for the great care and results!"
- Dancy E.
"I chose the absolute perfect orthodontist to perfect my smile. Dr. Reese has a personality that calms you and removes the anxiety that may come with the process. Dr. Reese is a true artist. I am so excited with my new smile. Dr. Reese accomplished the goals I was looking for and I am forever grateful. Thank you Dr. Reese!!!"
- Melanie C.
"Just awesome! Dr. Reese is the one to go to. He knows what he's doing and is great at what he does. Makes you feel like family every time you go visit. I can't get over how great my smile looks now. Definitely recommended."
- Harsha P.
*The reviews listed are from actual patients of Reese Orthodontics.
Individual results may vary. Reviews are not claimed to represent results for everyone.
click here to read reese orthodontic reviews
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reese orthodontics west ashley sc

Our Charleston
Orthodontic Office

2057 Charlie Hall Blvd. STE D
Charleston, SC 29414

843.573.7279

Office Hours:

Monday - Thursday: 8:00AM - 5:00PM

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Dr. Reese McElveen, our award-winning orthodontist in Charleston, South Carolina has transformed the smiles of over 11,000 patients. Reese Orthodontics offers the most advanced orthodontic care for children and adults. Types of braces and orthodontic treatment include metal braces, clear braces, gold braces, Invisalign, Invisalign Teen, Damon Braces, SureSmile. Dr. Reese can even help you achieve your confident smile faster with AcceleDent.

Call 843.573.7279 today to schedule your appointment with our board certified orthodontist in Charleston, SC, at our conveniently located Charleston orthodontic office. Come experience Reese Orthodontics and you will see for yourself that we offer innovative and effective orthodontic care in Charleston, Downtown Charleston, West Ashley, James Island, Mount Pleasant, North Charleston, Johns Island, Goose Creek, Hanahan and Ladson, South Carolina (SC).