Metal Mouth Message Board

I had a problem flossing my lowers because the bottom six were so sore. I don't think I flossed them for the first week my lowers were braced. I did try my best to keep my teeth clean with brushing and using a proxybrush with a fluoride rinse.

I'm glad I searched for this subject - this thread is exactly what I needed to hear! I got braced yesterday and tried flossing last night and it was the most painful, frustrating experience. I was using SuperFloss and it just wouldn't go between my teeth - they were way too tight together! So after reading this, I'm going to try using a thinner floss and just know that it gets better. I'm also glad to hear that the amount of time it takes lessens over time - I was beginning to think my life would be taken over by eating and teeth cleaning!

I know that a WaterPick is not a substitution for flossing, but I find the WaterPick extremely helpful, more than flossing. It's a bit crowded in there to fit it in and around the braces and you have to be very careful, but it can be done, and it gets a lot out of there. I use warm water too which feels great.

I started flossing on day 1, it was extremely painful although it did get better day by day.

Just to let you know, Embrace - since I originally posted this topic a week ago, my flossing has got easier. I was braced last Monday and for the first four or five days I couldn't even touch my bottom front teeth, let alone floss! They are very crowded and the braces made them feel even tighter. I've now bought some Oral B Satin Tape and find this easier to use. It's actually fine to thread through the wires and I find it gets inbetween the crowded teeth better than the Superfloss. It's all a matter of trial and error for each particular case, I think, but I find the tape doesn't shred or get caught up as much on my teeth. I've still got pain when I try to floss, but not as much as a week ago - I'm persevering with it. Good luck!