Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi everyone. Sometimes when i floss i get this jaw pain afterwards .. i think it's because i open my mouth in a weird way so that i reach my back molars .. i had - have- a crossbite so there's something not quite right with my jaw joint... did/does anyone go through something similar? What do you guys think i can do to help my jaw having said that i don't floss regularly and never did before braces

And btw my gums got slightly swollen and turned red the last couple of days after flossing .. i am not sure if that's normal or maybe i was being too harsh

Flossing caused a lot of pain when I first got braces, but that was the pain of tooth movement. Your gums are probably irritated because you don't floss regularly. That sort of irritation is very common for non-flossers and is often a sign of gum disease. Let your dentist know you're experiencing pain and swelling and keep flossing if you can.

Loads of us on here are great advocates of the WaterPik.
It's waaaay easier than flossing with braces, and may also be more comfortable for you as you don't need to hold your mouth wide open in the same way!

You definitely want to get the gum inflammation down though - that's not a good thing to have at all, even more so with braces. Regular deep cleaning between your teeth (whether that's floss or WaterPik) plus a product with chlorhexidine in can get it down quickly but you should probably go and see a hygenist for recommendations...