Metal Mouth Message Board

i just got full metal braces yesterday.

flossing- i got oral b superfloss with the treader. flossing took a long time... i understand it will get better but i have a few questions.

how do you floss between the teeth? my wire is in the way.

for the gums, i'm able to introduce the threader from the front on some of the teeth and floss my gums that way.

other teeth i have to tread under the wire and pull up to the gums because there is not enough space to directly thread to the gums. the back molars that are banded- i cant get floss at all- there doesn't seem to be enough space to do either.

how do you all floss? suggestions?

YOU MUST floss by going under the brace. It's very important, if you don't go from underneath, you're not really flossing and your gums and teeth will suffer...

I know it seems like it takes FOREVER, but the more you do it, the faster you'll become . don't even use the threader anymore. The floss I use is called "Satin" from Crest or Colgate. When you tear it, the end is curved, so it's easy to pass under the wire and grab it from the other side. I floss in the morning...

Please don't skip this step, now that you're braced, your teeth need good hygiene now more than ever!!!!

Wow KK, that's an amazing video. Thnx for putting that up. Especially the floss part... its useful because I've never seen how flossing could be like with braces (only getting my braces next month so the ortho has not shown me yet)... though it look like its going to use up much more floss than pre-braces flossing!

I'd just like to know... is flossing going to be possible for the first few days after braces went on? I mean its going to hurt a lot, and gums will be tender...

I'm curious how people remove the floss once it's between the teeth and down in the gum line. Do you

a) pull the floss all the way through

or

b) pull back up and out the crack between two teeth being careful not to hit the archwire too hard (since that might pop a bracket off)?

Me, I'm doing it method b) very carefully The pulling it through thing got the floss so slimy I found it too disgusting.

Also, on some molars I start threading the floss through by poking the threader right through between the teeth at the gum line. Is that weird?

The floss threader package does say to poke the threader between the teeth at the gum line but for some people I think this is nearly impossible due to crowded teeth. I personally didn't like the way that feels so I thread between the archwire and my teeth then floss as usual. Push the floss between my teeth, clean each tooth at and below the gumline then if it slides out easily I'll "pop" it from between the teeth but if it doesn't come easily I'll just pull the thread all the way through from between the teeth. It is time consuming but I am getting better at it one month into treatment. I'm a big flosser..my dentist loved me cause I flossed nearly after every meal. I don't now though, just once at night.

I was never shown by the ortho or his staff how to use any of the gadgets. The assistant did pull each one out of the bag and show it to me but no explanation as to how they were to be used. Guess they just assume we, as adults, already know. And in the assistants defense, I didn't ask for a demonstration either...just figured I could work it out by myself

Just for the record although I said "threader" I'm not using the things in Meryaten's picture, just the braces floss that has a 2 inch long stiff bit at the end.

After I floss I use a water pick to finish off and always end up seeing a couple more bits wash into the sink. I've become a big fan of the water pick now and probably will continue to use one after the grillwork comes off. Wish they made a miniature portable one.

Meryaten, it's probably good that you can't do it. Like Karen I thread the self-threading floss through at the gum line on most molars and some bicuspids. A tight fit but does go through.

Maybe it indicates some gum recession on our part?

I myself use the floss threaders . They seem to work VEEERRYY well with me because like most of you my floss tends to get really slimey with saliva <yuck> . I tie my floss to the threader like a needle and thread and double tie it to the threader <I> , and I go over the archwire and pull up between me teeth doing a c bend to both of the teeth and pull back out . It may sound like to much but it works for me . My ortho told me I need to floss AT LEAST 3 times a day . After breakfast , after lunch , then before I go to bed.

Great mind's think alike spaced out After my floss kept falling out of the threader I ended up tying it too. Now, that's the only way I do it.

Exactly !!! You may go through an awful lot of them but flossing always goes quicker that way . With the superfloss stuff it would always get tangled up on my archwire or start to shred from the bracket now I don't have that problem.

I have been using Superfloss as well. It seems to work well.

Just to clarify - are people pusing the stiff end of the superfloss in between the teeth and flossing at the gumline? I push the floss from the gum half of my teeth though to the ends of my teeth under the wire. I THEN floss normally (since the floss is behind the wire) I don't push/thread the floss in between my teeth - that seems it would be too hard to do since my teeth are close together.

Also - I pull my floss out in between my teeth when I'm finished with the space. I don't pull it up and out, I feel nervous that I may break/bend the wire when the floss snaps out.

aschelkin - People are doing it both ways you described. Both ways are fine though it is harder if not impossible for a lot of people to actually push the stiff end through the space between the teeth because it is pretty tight for a lot of people. Sounds like you are doing it just fine to me

I am not in braces yet ( going through all the pre-ortho stuff first). I just had a gum debridement and I still need to do my ortho records and have my wisdom teeth removed. I am in LOVE with my flosser ( I use an Oral B hummingbird). Will I have to retire it until I get my braces removed or can that be used with braces?