Floss Reviews: Plackers, Superfloss, Glide, Reach Total Care

[Asdu]

Haha a review about floss... I have been braced since April 2014, and been having fun trying out dental cleaning products.
I have tried Plackers Orthopick, Oral-B Superfloss, Glide Threader floss, Glide Pro-Health floss and recently Reach Total Care floss.

Plackers Orthopick -
These are like regular floss picks, but with one side of the fork thinner than the other so that you can slide under the archwire. The first floss I attempted to use with braces. I picked them because it seem like it would help speed up the process of flossing with braces. But the problem was I couldn't get them in between most of my teeth for flossing. The picks would hit my wire before I could get in between my teeth. This would really hurt because I was extremely sore/sensitive the first days of getting my braces on. I didn't attempt to use them again because of what I mentioned previously and because I feel that I can't get that proper c-shape flossing with these. They were priced reasonably.
Price: ~$2 for 24 at Wallymart
Overall score: 3/10

Oral-B Superfloss -
These are pre-packaged floss segments for single use with three sections to them. First, the threader part to thread under your archwire, a spongy section to floss areas with larger gaps and finally a regular ("Glide"-like) floss section for regular flossing. It was actually difficult to use because my teeth are really tight with little space between them. The spongy part was difficult to use. The regular floss section was good. The threaded feature was nice so I don't have to use a threader. Individual packaging makes it easy for me to bring on the go. In the end, the floss was okay, but it just didn't work for me because of the tight spaces between my teeth. My local Target had like 100 boxes of these on the shelves!
Price: ~$2.50 for 50 at Target
Overall score: 4/10

Glide Pro-Health floss -
This floss is super thin and tape-like. They slide or rather glide right between the tight spaces between my teeth. They go under the gum line with ease. I have to be careful with these because if I am a bit aggressive I can end up cutting my gums. I had to use a threader to use this floss. The problem I feel with this floss is that they are too smooth. It feels like they aren't really scraping the plaque and bacteria off. Rather they are just gliding right over the plaque! I have the tendency to really rub up against my teeth to ensure I am scraping that plaque off when using this floss.
Price: ~$12 for a 6 pack at Costco (Should last forever!)
Overall score: 6/10

Glide Threader floss -
These use the same type of floss as Glide Pro-Health floss(see above), but individually packaged for single use and with a harden section on one end to use to thread under the archwire. Individual packaging and included threader makes it good for on the go uses. They are quite expensive for a box.
Price: ~$4.50 for 30 at Target
Overall score: 6.5/10

Reach Total Care floss -
This floss is thin and tape like, similar to Glide floss, but a bit thicker than Glide. They are made out of some type of rubber/plastic/elastic material. Because of this, they have a bit of a stretch to them. They also have little grooves along the floss which they claim help grab onto plaque and bacteria. Flossing with this sorta feels like flossing with a rubber band. I had no problems getting the floss between the tight spaces in my teeth and under my gum line. Compared to Glide, it does feel like it does do a better job in terms of removing plaque and bacteria because grooves on the floss. The stretch on the floss also is gentler on my gums. I needed a threader to use this floss. This is my favorite floss currently.
Price: ~$3 for pack at Target/Wallymart
Overall score: 9/10

[parsleysage]

Great reviews!

I feel the same about the plackers ortho flossers. I just don't have enough room to manipulate it in order to do the c-shaped up & down scraping I like to do. However, the thing that bothers me about the Glide "tape" style flosses is that I can't physically see the biofilm sticking to it the way I can with the traditional round floss style. LOL! I know that's weird but like you said, I'm paranoid I'm just moving the floss up and down but not actually getting anything off.

So for now I am doing a mix - for the wide spaces where I have more room, I use the flossers. For the tight contacts I use the Glide with a threader. However, I will try out the Reach since you said you feel like it does a better job due to its rough surface. Thank you for the reviews!!!

[Asdu]

It is a bit hard to find the reach total care floss, but definitely worth trying. Don't forget to tell me what you think of it!

[SparkleIce]

Thanks. Flossing seems to be a big challenge. Its good to have product review from someone with braces

[parsleysage]

I bought both the Reach Total Care and the regular waxed Reach and I like both of them a LOT better than Glide! Surprisingly, though, I like the cheap $.99 waxed Reach the best! I got the Spearmint flavored and it tastes great too.

Thanks again for your review!

[jfriend33]

Any waxed floss is amazing. With braces there is no need for Super floss or threaders! If you keep the floss dry between flossing each tooth, you can easily pull your cheek back with about an inch of floss and thread it through! Much faster than anything!