Good oral hygiene is more than enough to keep teeth white with braces on. However, many people who wind up with orthodontic treatment notice that when the braces were removed the teeth were left stained directly on the edge where they were placed.
This is due to the accumulation of food debris that remains deposited on the cutting edge of the orthodontics. If not removed with daily oral hygiene, bacteria develop, forming what is known as dental biofilm.
Initially, dental biofilm comes in the form of white spots on the surface of the tooth. Over time, when oral hygiene is not adequate, the teeth become stained, ranging from a yellowish color to dark spots.
Stains appear especially around braces, where enamel demineralization occurs, allowing bacteria to penetrate the teeth to cause irreversible infection. The size of the stains depends on how long the tooth is exposed to the acids produced by the metabolic activity of the bacteria that are deposited on the surface of the teeth.
