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*now* i know why the ortho said floss *once* daily. criminy! that took me like 20 minutes!
i know - it's day 1, and it's got to get better than that! and i'm including the use of that cool proxa brush. but: to put it in a positive light this experience will put me into a routine which i've never made myself follow before. an actual ritual before bedtime; a reason to start to bed early.
I tell you this: there will be no bedtime snacks after flossing!
seeing how long it takes now, once i get the bottoms on, i could get through both sides of "thick as a brick" before i'd get done! that wouldn't be a bad thing; i love that album... i should try that - get some tunes in the bathroom; music to floss by...
t
-tommy
top arch braced 3/21/07
new wire on top 4/19
bottom arch braced 4/19
buccal tube lost on 5/4, replaced on 5/5
new bottom wire on 6/26 (I think)
top & bottom chains (round 1) installed on 7/24 (ouch)
I can remember spending that long flossing one arch on day one, day two and maybe even day 3 and beyond. Now it takes me around 3-5 minutes to do both arches.
Jethro Tull played live in Sydney last year so I went to see them. They played all the old favourites. It was really fantastic, to think they're close to (older than?) 60...
I guess I need to practice more, it takes me at least 10 minutes or so just to do the fronts upper and lower. I still can't get my big hands to the back teeth, just no room. Good Luck
I've had uppers and lowers for a week, and my entire cleaning routine in the evening takes 30 minutes. That includes brushing, proxybrush, floss, interdental brushes, brushing my tongue, and mouthwash. I don't have a good sense of how long the "flossing" portion of that takes me.
It took me ages to floss at first. Now I am much quicker. Also at first your teeth feel much tighter but as they loosen up it becomes easier. I would imagine it takes me 5 - 10 minutes max to floss.
Regards
Joney
2 Extractions 2nd November 2006
Brace On 10th November 2006
Top brace off 26 June 2008 (19 1/2 months)
While my flossing speed and dexterity have improved, I think that flossing (with or without braces) always seems to take longer than it actually does. Its a rather mundane task and doesn't lend itself to multi-tasking. So it often seems like 3-5 minutes of flossing is taking 10-15 minutes.
I never noticed this until I was flossing with the bedroom TV on. I realized that I had completed flossing in just a little more than a 3-minute commercial break.
Expander in 8/9/06
Lowers on 11/30/06
Uppers on / Expander gone on 1/31/2007
Class III elastics added 3/14/2007
Expander #2 - 6/27/2007
20-24 months w/ fixed metal braces
I could get through both sides of "thick as a brick" before i'd get done! that wouldn't be a bad thing; i love that album... i should try that - get some tunes in the bathroom; music to floss by...
WoOt! Jethro Tull!
TAAB rocks (though I'm a bigger fan of Side One than Side Two )
I have been braced for a week now, it is taking about 25 to 30 minutes for flossing, interdental brush, 2 minutes of electric brush, tongue clean, apply was and a salt water rinse to complete.
The flossing is the long part, I am longing to get that below 10 mins!!
Stick at it,
Tim
Clarity ceramic uppers, In Ovation metal lowers, 18 by 25 archwires and powerchain on top front 4
It took me 20 minutes the first time I flossed my uppers. By the time I got my lowers on 5 months later I was down to about 3 minutes. Then the time jumped to about 15 minutes because of having to get a routine for the lowers too. Now I am down to 5-7 minutes max!
Keep practicing and the time will get better....I promise!
The floss used to keep coming out of the threader and that seemed to make flossing take so much longer. But now that I use the floss that is attached to the threader, my time has really reduced. It still takes about 5 minutes to do though
in my earlier post in this thread i said about 5 minutes, but tonight I've just done my first floss since getting my latest hardware (new screw and sliding jig wires on the top) and it took me about 20 minutes. I'm still sweating from the pain now
i'm also working on trying to floss without threaders or stiff-end floss.
it's either denial or hard-headedness, or maybe I just like to make my life harder, but you know: i can't be bothered, and it didn't take me much longer without the threader. i also use thick floss, so maybe that helps too.
i figure at some points i won't have a choice - i'll run out or lose a threader, whatever, so i might as well get used to it while i'm in control of it.
i learned to use windows without a mouse, i drive stick shift cars, i drink my coffee black cause i can't be bothered with always having the right amounts of this or that condiment... (besides that, those non-dairy creamers are made of nasty stuff!!)
-tommy
top arch braced 3/21/07
new wire on top 4/19
bottom arch braced 4/19
buccal tube lost on 5/4, replaced on 5/5
new bottom wire on 6/26 (I think)
top & bottom chains (round 1) installed on 7/24 (ouch)
I find I can use regular floss on my front teeth and most of my premolars, but getting the floppy ends to go between the wire right at the back is too hard.
I can't take coffee black and my PC mouse is my friend, but I wouldn't drive anything but a stick shift (manual) given the choice!
I got my braces on today, and my orthodontist said that you should brush/floss your teeth really well (which he said meant that it should take at least 15 minutes) at LEAST once daily.