I need some cleaning advice....

[Crowded Mouth]

I use the Sonicare Elite 7500 three times a day for 2 - 4 mins. After I eat I gargle with water to release the food particles and once a day I use a mouth wash... however I am finding that when I clean my teeth I still have a soft white build up in between the teeth and around some brackets where its hard to reach with the brush.. I find it very hard to floss with a thread floss as some of my teeth are crowded and pressing against each other so this damages the floss and it sometimes breaks. I have been using those tiny brushes that you can put in between each tooth to remove build up. Also around a couple of brackets where I have crowding and there is very little room I can see a build up on the cement that fixes the bracket that is creamy coloured.. does anyone have any advice. I have a waterpik but it doesnt shoot out water.. do waterpiks that use water help in removing build up in between the teeth and around the bracket.. any suggestions.. thanks

[chinadoll]

Hi Crowded Mouth-- it sounds like you're doing everything right, but I can vouch for the effectiveness of waterpiks; now I've gotten to the point where I don't feel my teeth are clean 'til I've used it! I don't have an official "Waterpik," though. What I've got is even better, I think; it's called a "Quickpik." There was a thread about this awhile ago. It's nice because it attaches to your sink or shower, so you always have a water source. Here's the site: http://www.oralbreeze.com/OralBreeze-faq.html#1

[rsprouse]

Hi,

The "white build up" is plaque, which is the etiological factor that will cause your gums to get red and puffy and can eventually cause decay if left on the tooth. Some people build plaque faster than others but it is a fact of life. With all the brackets and movement going on you tend to build up more and it is harder to keep clean. There is NOTHING that can replace flossing. There is no human or mechanical way to get the bristles of a brush between the contacts of your teeth and below the gumline to get a consistant and effective clean surface. I would recommend trying Ultrafloss or Glide. It is a bit more expensive but is thicker and more resiliant. Try out a floss threader or the FlossFish, they will both alleviate some of the angst and annoyance of flossing. Go through a few pieces of floss and just keep at it. The sonicare is a great toothbrush and will help, as will mouth rinse, a proxy brush, or even a waterpick. But if you truely want a thorough clean you have to floss (sorry, nobody likes to hear that). You also may want to get a prophy/cleaning from your dentist every 3-4 months while in braces if you are concerned. A little overkill will keep those pearly whites clean and healthy for a long time. Good Luck!!

Best,
Rory

[Way Too Old For This]

I use the Waterpik at least twice a day. I have the countertop model and the cordless. I only use the cordless if I have to because it doesn't have the power that the other one does, plus I have to refill it about 4 times.

I can brush and floss for hours and not feel clean unless I use the Waterpik. Kinda like "its not clean until a river runs through it".....(my son in law's favorite saying about a different body part...oh well...

[jcdamon3]

I believe Crowded_Mouth is talking about the buildup that is around the bracket and probably under the archwire, not between the teeth. Floss doesn't help this, unless you can floss around your bracket - which is difficutl. I can waterpik, floss and brush forever and i still find the buildup there. It is MUCH better since getting the sonicare, which is one of the reason I got it, but it is still there. It is just that the archwire is keeping the brush from hitting that area. There is no way around it but to get a proxy brush and get it off. I sometimes you a dentapik type device to scrape it off.

[materialsgirl]

I have the same feeling as Way Too Old For This... nothing makes my teeth feel squeaky clean like the Waterpik. I LOOOOVE my Waterpik! I use it at least twice a day. I also brush 3 times a day, and floss at night. The Waterpik does an outstanding job of getting gunk off from around the brackets and under the archwire. So maybe getting yourself a Waterpik would help.

[NotBob1]

I have this same exact situation as Crowdedmouth. most of us may as well, whether we know it or not.

I use my ShowerPik (the exact one chinadoll gave the link to) in the morning followed by superfloss and brushing. I then Brush twice during the day and use the QuickPik version of the ShowerPik on the bathroom faucet. (I have the advantage of having my residence upstairs above my place of work) then, before bed, I brush, sometimes floss again, and use the QuickPik. I have never been a mouthwash person, but I may be going that route here shortly as it seems to me that my breath is now bad all of the time with all of this added gear in my mouth. More surface area I suppose.

One other thing, if you use the Shower/QuickPik for the first time after doing all of your usual routine, be sure to shoot a little up and around the molar bands where the band meets the gumline. You may find that you get a little something extra special when you do this. Don't breath too deep, though....it's a bit nasty smelling.....

Now....with all of that you would think that my teeth would be clean. Nope. Not at all. I have found this tartar/plaque/whatever the heck it is building up around my brackets. Mostly the front direct bonds and right up at the edge of the bracket. I have scraped this stuff off that was a hard chunk in the shape of the outer perimiter of the bracket. Some is soft and gooey. Both are white and it looks like you are scraping off the surface of your tooth. You're not, it's plaque & tartar.

I went to a drug store and purchased an Oral-B home tooth care kit. It comes with a cool lighted mouth mirror. (This is a fun toy!!) and a pick with an interchangeable head. It has a hook type tip and a scaler type. I use this to go around the brackets every now and then. I am amazed and disgusted with how much I can get after brushing, flossing, & QuickPiking! It is amazing.

My dentist knows that I do this and he is OK with it. You should ask your own dentist/Orthodontist prior to diving in.

Just talking about this is going to make me go upstairs to irrigate and brush! My teeth feel slimey now.......