Honestly, do you floss?

[Duncan5]

Every evening. Worth it when it occasionally pulls out some gunk that would have sat there festering all night. I also use a second, smaller, head for the electric toothbrush; it has a single central tuft, plus three outer tufts that are slightly smaller. Bought it on my hygenist's recommendation and it's really good for cleaning around the brackets.

Will find out how good my hygiene is when I go for my first checkup tomorrow. Humble pie is hard enough to chew without braces, so hoping it has been adequate...

D.

[fosterp]

I've flossed a few times after using the shower pik and the floss never picks up anything, so I don't really floss at all. Also using an electric toothbrush. Haven't had any negative comments from hygienist in two years. This is coming from someone who had pretty bad dental problems/perio issues as a teenager. But everyone's mouth is different.

[DrBlur]

When I had braces (up until a week ago today, woohoo!) I flossed every other night with Crest Glide threader floss...I got really good at it after the first week and it made a HUGE different. That, and brushing after every meal every day (which I still do with my retainers now) made a massive difference...my dentist always commented on how great my teeth looked, especially in braces.

[Snowglobe32]

Brushing without flossing is like taking a shower and only saoping up one side of your body...eww!

I waterpik, floss, brush, waterpik again then use mouthwash.

What is the saying, "Only floss the teeth you want to keep!"

Floss those teeth people!!!!

[Angel269]

I was using threader floss everday but my lower gums became sore and kinda itchy.

I now brush 99% time after a meal and before bed brush, water floss, interdental on braced uppers (which are only on up to pre molars) then use a floss harp for molars and non braced lowers. Then alcohol free mouthwash.

Seems to be working well for me-such a chore that I detest though

[Metal Mickey]

Yep! I was a big flosser before braces and was worried I wouldn't be able to do it with braces on. Ok it is more time consuming than before, but so is brushing. I brush, use the interdental sticks, floss and mouthwash.

To be fair I only floss at nighttime but this is the same routine I did per-braces.

[nikkibabie19]

Unfortunately i do..Not after every meal but once a day (mostly at night before bed)
You should too. Its a HUGE hassle but i mean its worth it..

When i think i have brushed sufficiently then i floss i'm AMAZED at some chunks of food that comes from between my teeth...Im like "Where did that come from, and where was it hiding?"

And imagine what damage it could have done if i had left it there.

I ordered a waterpik....so i might replace traditional flossing with it once i get it and compare the differences in outcome.But who knows i might still do both. You can never be too careful with oral hygiene.

[Ionika]

I didnt before braces, sooo tight spaces and any floss would rip apart...after braces, i tried, but then got a water pick...its amazing what i find even after brushing...

my Ortho commented that she can see the difference, since i started using the water pick... so much less plaque..


i am almost finished in braces and will keep water picking, i find it so mush easyer...

[junkfood1991]

yes i floss at night after dinner. even then i can still smell the bad odour on the floss (after flossing the very far back area behind my 2nd molars) so i know its important that you hv to floss cus its impossible to clean that area with interdental brush...

[gemini4]

To be honest, I was never good about flossing before I got my braces on. I've been lucky to have had no gum problems and only two cavities.

However, I got scared about plaque buildup and staining once the braces went on, so I have been very diligent about flossing every day. My ortho said it's only necessary to floss once per day, but some days I floss more than that if it seems I've eaten something particularly messy.

Thing is, nothing ever seems to be stuck in between my teeth! The floss is almost always clean (and I do floss pretty vigorously and get as far in the gumline as I can). Perhaps I brush thoroughly enough to dislodge whatever's there? I also use a proxi-tip brush behind my wire as part of my brushing routine. At any rate, I'm going to keep up the good work, because I like knowing that my teeth are as clean as they can be. I feel like they're already looking dingy and stained, but I think part of that is the shadow that the brackets cast.

My favorite flossing method so far is to use regular floss and a threader by the name of "BridgeAid." My ortho gave me a sample pack (and it looks like they're available from DentaKit). I've tried regular floss with the G-U-M Eez-Thru threader but find it too big and unwieldy compared to the BridgeAid. I've also tried the Oral-B superfloss and find its rigid end is inferior to a threader. I also got a sample of P-l-a-t-y-p-u-s (for some reason this shows up as "spam spam spam", hence the dashes) flossers from my ortho ... really don't like these at all because the floss shreds too quickly. A better flosser is made by Plackers. This is a good solution for when I'm away from home.

[cavomington]

Out of town without my Pik, forced to floss again.

[dojo]

I was able to floss with braces too, even if not as I would have flossed with 'clear' teeth. Just try to do the best job you can and you'll be fine. I did have cleaning during my braces treatment and it was OK, no cavities or anything. don't get discouraged cause you can't floss perfectly, but do try to be consistent with it.