Have been told by ortho NOT to floss?!

[Timetoshine]

Hi
On first (unofficial) visit to see ortho since braces on (needed more wax) he said I shouldn't be flossing as my teeth are too tight / contacts are too tight.

Hve only been braces for 3 weeks so far.

Has anyone else been told this? It can be hard to get a good clean without flossing?!!!

[Slack]

I don't know if any ortho has said that, but it's definitely true - if it's too tight, you just won't be able to do it properly. I'm using waterpik for now, normal flossing would be hard (impossible?) on some points. I tried once, and pulled 2 brackets off

[Papa Joe]

Hey , My ortho told me told to worry about flossing when they first went on, Yeah everything to tight, also sensitive and sore. He never told me to start flossing either. I think i started maybe a month into it. Try it but if its tight or sore , dont worry for now.

[Leebie3]

:s I'm naughty and only floss when there's something stuck :s Ortho and consultant today told me my teeth are incredibly clean so *shrugs* I guess if your ortho has said that then it must be the go enjoy!

[Chicken]

Thank goodness for my water flosser, thats all i can say as I am having trouble with flossing my lower front teeth they seem to have become more crowded since lower bracket was applied last week. I have decided to get a professional cleaning every 3 months instead of just twice a year for this reason. I'll will be P.O'd if I have any decay and need to have fillings after they come off.

[bbsadmin]

Crest/OralB Glide Threader Floss will usually work very well with very tight contacts.

[Kezza]

I'm struggling to floss, had upper ceramics on 2 and a half weeks now. Bought some Wisdom floss...no good at all...it shredded so easily I ended up in a right mess!

[Timetoshine]

Yep- no type of threader floss or anything is working for me - as I did have a sneaky try will wait for my next ortho appointment in 3 weeks and check again!

[klobird]

Glide Threader Floss is the absolute best for braces...now that my braces are off, I have a permanent retainer wire in back of my bottom front 6 teeth. I can only get the floss to poke thru 2 of the teeth. They are all soooo tight together....I was thinking about calling the ortho next week--I am an obsessive flosser. I forgot about the waterpik for flossing! Great alternative for now--I have used it in the past with braces just as an awesome cleaning tool.

[BracedSurgeryStudent]

My ortho didn't care that I didn't floss but when my braces came off, she said my gums will go down now that I can floss.