Flossing question...

[**shinyhappybraceface**]

Please help me. This is my first day in braces and I thought I'd try to floss when I brushed after lunch since my teeth aren't yet aching.

I received some Oral-B Superfloss from my orthodontist, as well as a few GUM floss threaders. I do *not* like the Superfloss. My teeth are really tight and I need to use waxed floss to get the gunk out of my teeth.

My problem though is that I can't get the threader between my two bottom front teeth that overlap to pull the floss thru.

If anyone else has had this problem, I'd sure appreciate some insight. I don't know how I'm going to manage this.

Also, I used to floss after every meal, but I'm not sure I'll have time to floss after my lunch hour anymore. If I rinse and brush, will that be enough or should I schedule more time to floss then, too?

Thanks very much!

[bigant63]

Would you like to try a flossFish? If your teeth are really close together(1/32 inch or more) it won't work for you but if they are any wider apart then it should cut down your floss time. look at thread viewtopic.php?t=5896 and decide if you would like to try it. I'm still going through trials so it's FREE to try. I just ask that you submit feedback.

Thanks
AJ

[Tin Man]

I hated the superfloss because the spongy part kept getting caught in the clips of my braces (I have smartclips). I switched to the Crest Glide threader floss and I love it. It's the same as superfloss minus the spongy stuff.

[**shinyhappybraceface**]

Thanks, Mike. I'll try the Crest version!

AJ -
My two front teeth that I'm having the (current) problem with are the only really tight ones that I have. I'd like to try the FlossFish. I'll send you my info.

Thanks!

[HMA]

I don't think the threader is supposed to go through your teeth! It's just for threading the floss under your wire, then you just use the floss to go between your teeth.

[jennielee81]

I don't think the threader is supposed to go through your teeth! It's just for threading the floss under your wire, then you just use the floss to go between your teeth.

Exactly.

Slide one end of the waxed floss up through the archwire and grab it in the front then pull the other end backward and then floss.

I do also like the flossfish.

[**shinyhappybraceface**]

Sorry, I was unclear. I couldn't get the threader thru the space. The ligs on my two front teeth overlap slightly so there's no space between my teeth and the archwire to pass it thru.

The Crest threader floss works great, but the other two options I had didn't. The space just isn't big enough yet. Here's a picture to show what I mean...it's the middle bottom two.

[swan]

I also had two bottom teeth that were pretty much like yours. I had the same problem. It's really annoying that food tends to get stuck in there. After a couple of months when they have moved apart, you'll be fine, though.

[ricardo2]

Hi,

My 2 middle bottom teeth look quite similar to yours too, and it is by far the most difficult to floss out of all of my teeth!

I agree about the Oral B Superfloss - the spongy bit isn't great.

However, try and persevere....It takes me a good 10 minutes to try and thread it through and many attempts!! (I often find the threader bit bends so I have to keep trimming it) The only advice I've got is to hold it really firmly as close to the end as possible, and try and force it in at the gum - it bleeds, but for me anyway it seems that's the only way to get the thing in!!

Good luck.

LUCY xxx

[Chris]

You can't get the floss under the archwire?

The arch wire should be away from your teeth and there
should be some space. I would use the thinest floss, thread it under the arch wire by grabbing it with tweezers and then go between the teeth,
just slip the floss back through rather than up. Be sure to use waxed
floss.

[flowertowngal]

Just to add my two cents - I push the threader between my teeth, pull it through, and then floss. It's super easy that way and the way my ortho told me to do it. I tried threading the floss under the wire after reading it on this board but it was very awkward.

Anyway, if you can't get floss thru at all because its too tight, I'd just try every day - space will open up eventually.

[SuzyCentri]

My bottom 2 front teeth look about like that, and I asked my ortho about flossing, because it was so hard. I tried a threader; regular flat, waxed floss; and Superfloss. Sometimes I could get something through, and sometimes I couldn't.

My ortho said that he'd rather I didn't floss between those teeth, because the pressure (either the floss, or the pressure between the brackets themselves, I'm not sure) might make me pop a bracket. And they were very difficult to fit on there in the first place. Not to mention the ligs. I'm still not sure how she did it.

So, I'm just waiting until they get a little room, and using every brushing method I know of to get them clean. Of course, with as little space as there is, there isn't a lot of room for stuff to get in there. I'm not biting with those teeth, either. I'm not really having any trouble keeping them clean. But that's just me...

[bbsadmin]

I could never use the Superfloss until my crowding got better. The Crest Glide Threader Floss is a great product for people with tight spaces because it is so thin and slippery.

If you truly can't get the floss between those teeth, try to use a rubber-tipped gum stimulator to get under the gumline of the teeth to help prevent buildup of bacteria. A "waterpik" device would also possibly be helpful.