Brace

Question

Hello, should CF patients disinfect their moblie braces daily, respectively can they be put into the vaporiser?
Thank you very much!

Answer

Hello,
a mobile brace should be cleaned after carriage, therefore a normal tooth brush or electric tooth brush is suitable.
A little tip: let the sink run full of water, then the brace is not going to hit the porcelaine hard if it slips out of your hands. Of course you can also use special cleaning tablets or agents, however it is not really necessary.
One should not clean with disinfectants, that would harm the synthetic material in the long runs. In general: the germs on the splint are of course the same ones, that are otherwise also in the mouth and you do not disinfect the mouth, either. If the brace tends to calcify (thus calculus is building up like on the teeth), then one can clean from time to time with diluted vinegar soultion.
One should not use a vaporiser, this would also harm the synthetic material.
Much more important is the storage in case of non-usage:
often the storage under water, therefore humid, is recommended. If one does not clean the box very very thoroughly, then it can come very fast to an accumulation of algae and germs. It is better to let the brace simply dry slowly on a piece of paper after cleaning.
An old orthodontical wise saying says: braces that look like on the first day, have not been used. Therefore it is allowed to see that a brace has been used.

Many greetings,
Michael Sies

02.04.2015