Metal Mouth Message Board

Forget needles - what a nightmare! Oral B Glide Threader floss, proxa brushes and water pik is it for me. Hope things are going better for you by now.

I really like Super Floss, also the individual flossers meant for braces that have one part of the U shaped thing way more thinner than normal. Of course Waterpik is a life saver and I use that like twice a day. However, I still floss once a day or every other day.I just feel like its good for my gums.

Flossing was so tedious, I gave up after a week! I did brush after every meal and use a interdental brush in place of a floss and it seemed to be fine. Is flossing really necessary?

My ortho's office sent me home with the BridgeAid threaders, which are plastic and thicker than normal threaders and I'm finding that they are easier to use and I have more control with them. They are thicker but I can still squeeze them through tight spaces.

I seem to keep snagging the floss on the bracket though, ugh. Popped off a ligature the other night.

littlething wrote:My ortho's office sent me home with the BridgeAid threaders, which are plastic and thicker than normal threaders and I'm finding that they are easier to use and I have more control with them. They are thicker but I can still squeeze them through tight spaces.

I seem to keep snagging the floss on the bracket though, ugh. Popped off a ligature the other night.

I have wondered if traditional flossing is more of a hazard than using a water flosser. The force I need sometimes to get the floss from between my teeth makes me think I'm going to pop a ligature or the arch wire. My bottom teeth are quite close together and have always been a challenge. With braces it's just more of a challenge due to the limited space to work with.

Flossing has always been a challenge for me, small mouth and severe crowdin. my braces went on a month ago (nearly) and flossing is the worst! I just shred everything...or cut off circulation in my fingers. I think I am going to have to invest in a water pik after reading all these comments.

I use floss threaders. They are reusable. I use waxed floss. Many spaces are tight. I absolutely HATE oralb super floss that spongy stuff gets caught on too many wires and just doesnt work. Plus, I like that snap feeling going between the teeth that only waxed floss produces.

Same here. My orthodontist harps on about super floss, which I have tried, but my mouth is small and I have even less space now to get my hands in, plus the floss snags on the wires. The different coloured interdental brushes are ok, but some of my gaps are too small for the smallest (pink or red?) and the oath said they can make the gums recede. I generally use the waterpik and the really thin, rubbery interdental brushes by Wisdom, along with a bit of flossing of my top wisdom teeth. It's all such a pain but I don't want rotten teeth and gums.

My absolute favorite floss is Glide oral b pro heath threader floss. It fits between the tight spaces and is so comfortable. I do miss my electric toothbrush, I'm afraid to use it as I don't want to break a bracket. I just ordered an oral b 5000... I think. Round small brush head for sensitive teeth. Has anyone had trouble using an electric toothbrush or are they pretty safe? A Waterpick would kill my sensitive teeth and I'd go through the roof.

carrieann wrote:My absolute favorite floss is Glide oral b pro heath threader floss. It fits between the tight spaces and is so comfortable. I do miss my electric toothbrush, I'm afraid to use it as I don't want to break a bracket. I just ordered an oral b 5000... I think. Round small brush head for sensitive teeth. Has anyone had trouble using an electric toothbrush or are they pretty safe? A Waterpick would kill my sensitive teeth and I'd go through the roof.

I only use Sonicare toothbrushes (and have only used Sonicare while I've been in treatment) and my brackets have been fine. If you're brushing hard enough to break a cement bond, you're brushing WAY too hard.

Plackers brand now makes a dental floss pik for braces! it makes it so that you can put it between the wire and your teeth! I use them everyday. I couldn't floss with regular floss, I'd be standing there all day doing that.