Avoiding Flossing

[Winkos]

I should have gone to bed a half hour ago, but I am so avoiding the 20 minute floss that I am still awake, reading this forum. Does it get faster and easier with time? I have worn metal braces for 11 days and can't seem to cut the time down. The pesky molars are hard to get to, my cheeks keep getting in the way.

[Chicken]

It does get faster. I invested in a waterpik which I use prior to flossing before bed. I also use it after each meal it really helps get the food out.

[Tobilei]

10 minutes is about as quick as I've managed to get. I did get quicker temporarily, then they bracketed my back molar and added looped small powerchains across the top back 4 teeth on each side and I had to start from scratch. You do get quicker but never as quick as you were prior to being braced

[agrace90]

I just finished flossing and was so frustrated I turned here for some light too! Your definitely not alone. I've been braced for a week now and am starting to feel my teeth moving. They are so tight! They were before but now I can't even get floss between them, and when I do it shreads on the way out...so frustrating. I just had a deep cleaning before braces and don't want it to go to waste. Hopefully it's not too bad to miss a few teeth until they loosen up.

[OldBikerBag]

I cheat: I use the tiniest proxy brushes I can find and shove them between my teeth at the gum line. They're the green GUM Go Betweens. I get them at WalMart. After the little brushes, I brush with hydrogen peroxide about two to three times per week.

With my arthritis, it's impossible for me to keep hold of the end of the floss that isn't attached to the threader. The ortho and his assistants are always complimenting me on how clean I keep everything, so it must be working.

[Ciara]

It does get faster. I was doing really well until my ortho put bands on 2 molars. Now it takes forever to floss. And some days I really love my Waterpik

[Leebie3]

Me too oldbikerbag!!

[djspeece]

I do a modified oldbikerbag routine (MOR); I use the interdental brushes dipped in the purple Listerine stuff after first blast the braces and gumline with the waterpik. Then I rinse the rest of the purple Listerine in my mouth vigorously for what seems to be an eternity, and hten comes brushing with an OralB and the flossing tip, then rinse with a peroxide product (Crest makes it), then a flouride rinse, and then finally I am done. Oh and I have one of those tongue scrapers too. The hygienists are pleased with the result and they are a hard group to impress.

[beckyboo0205]

I was pretty slow at first then I got good and fast at it. THEN they connected my wire to my very back brackets and it's a little harder now. Those last ones are hard to get!

[plugnickel69]

FlossFish. Takes 3 minutes!

[xanidu2012]

Time wise I've gotten faster. Molars are another problem. I try as best I can but trying to get cheeks out the way is a pain in the butt. Some times I just leave and try to rinse as best I can.

[Sita]

I can do mine in about five minutes with Oral-B superfloss. It just takes practice.

[altesse7]

The first week took me maybe 1/2 an hour. I used the Superfloss, the othro gave me. But, I found it breaking and spreading. So, I got Glide brand Superflossers, that come individually packed. The threaders is so much better, it works 10 times better on banded teeth (it won't break), it just much studier.
Flossing takes me, 10 muni metes, now. I floss molars,last.

[Winkos]

I want to use those little brushes like many of you do for the molars as I can use those quickly, but the orthodontist said "absolutely not, use floss". Are those little brushes just as good as floss? I could cut flossing time in half if I used them. I am going to try the Glide superfloss next as suggested.

[Sita]

Are those little brushes just as good as floss?

In my experience, no. I used them only for a time earlier this year and found that my gums became irritated after a few weeks as they usually do when I don't floss. So I went back to flossing every day and it all cleared up.