for the 40 and older crowd

[GRILLZ]

when i floss and brush at night, i do it in front of my 7X magnifying mirror and am able to see what i am doing pretty well.

but how do you handle doing these things away from home?? do you take a magnifying mirror w/ you everywhere.....or just rise well and brush as best you can until you get home...which could be 8 hours plus if you work

[hazel]

Hi Grillz!
I'm into my fifth month with braces-I don't eat anything at work. I have breakfast at home and then eat after work. At work I only drink water. It was hard at first but now I got used to it. It has saved me a lot of unneccessary snacking.

When I eat out, I give my teeth a quick brush as soon as I finish, then I wash them well at home.

[BraceFace2o1o]

I must admit I get up REAL close to the mirror when flossing because I feel like I really need to see just what I am doing.

If I eat away from home (which is quite rare) I always carry a bottle of water with me and after I eat (or drink something other than water) I rinse vigorously a few times to dislodge anything stuck under the wire (I do this at home too, just before brushing). I will brush in a public bathrrom if it's going to be a while until I get home, like at work. But if I'm only going to be about an hour I just rinse well with water and use a toothpick in a bathroom somewhere, then brush when I get back home.

I only floss once a day, at night before bed. My Ortho told me to brush 3 times per day, rinse with mouthwash once per day and floss once per day - I wasn't told I'd need to floss after each meal, just to brush. Sometimes I do floss more than once per day though. I don't really eat alot of snacks, mainly just lunch and then dinner (shame my thyroid is out of wack, those extra snacks would be nice! lol)

[GRILLZ]

thanks for the feedback! unfortunately i am diabetic and must eat regularly throughout the day....sounds like i will brush and rinse at work, and save the flossing for at home.

[drgnchsr36]

thanks for the feedback! unfortunately i am diabetic and must eat regularly throughout the day....sounds like i will brush and rinse at work, and save the flossing for at home.

I need a mirror too, but I just brush at work.. and I guess I'm weird.. I floss 3x .. after eating, it always feels like I have food between my teeth.

I hope one can't overfloss! Ironic, as a kid .. I was terrible at flossing.

[TraceA]

My ortho told me off for brushing too much! I've had my braces on 7 months now (just got elastics on Tues) & I'm getting less fussy about cleaning during the day. My ortho cleans/scales my teeth every time I have an adjustment & he says my teeth are staying cleaner because they are moving apart & therefore it is easier to remove the food. I have to admit I still don't floss often (I find it such a faff with the braces) but I do use a waterpik at least twice a day, a brush under the archwire & brush everytime I eat. I am 47 & I can even see that my teeth are cleaner than they have been for years. I do live in the UK though & we're not renowned for being extra fussy with our dental hygiene!