There’s no way around it. Flossing with braces is a pain. It’s a chore. It’s not fun. But I gotta do it.
At first I used the floss threader that my orthodontist gave me. I got pretty good with it. Now, I maneuver the floss without a threader, and it goes much faster. What works best for me:
- The stiffer the floss the better; that way it goes where you point it. So use stiff floss. Of the two flosses that I’ve reviewed, Desert Essence Dental Tape and Tom’s of Maine Natural Antiplaque Flat Floss, I recommend Desert Essence.
- Keep your floss as dry as possible. The wetter it gets, the limper it gets.
Unfortunately, at the very back top molars, the angle makes it impossible for me to thread the floss under the archwire without the threader. I’m resigned to this, though sometimes I skimp and skip it. Do as I say, not as I do!
I’ve never flossed as much as I have since getting my braces; this is no doubt a boon to my dental health… as long as I keep it up after I get the braces off, too. Which will be in 5 months! I’m due for a month 7 report tomorrow!
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September 28, 2007 at 9:33 am
braces: month 6 (half way done!) « What’s in a Smile?
[...] from my dentist, by the way, on my regular cleaning. Nothing like braces to put the fear in me to floss, and brush [...]
February 6, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Jeremiah
Hi, Just wondering what you thought of the FlossFish? Its a neat little device that seems as though it may work a little faster than a floss threader. FlossFish.com is the site. Have you tried it?
February 7, 2008 at 8:10 am
wakowa
Hey, that’s cool. I have never heard of them, but thanks for letting me know. I watched the video and it looks like a great idea. Flossing is a big pain. Two things that look like they might be challenges are:
1) threading through the small hole; just like with a real needle. The nice thing about the floss threaders is the hole is big.
2) Probably difficult to use it with the back molars, because of the angle.
Wish I had known about it earlier. Will you let me know what it’s like if you try?
Thanks!
February 22, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Jeremiah
Hey Wako.
Well. I have been away for awhile, But I wanted to give you feed back on the FlossFish. I ordered them relatively inexpensively, and they FLOPPED like a fish. They dont fit in between the braces correctly due to their thickness and its hard to utilize. So its back to the flosser for a little while. I will keep them around for a bit and see if there is a difference as my teeth start to turn. Hopefully they will work then.
CONGRATS ON THE BRACES COMING OFF!
February 22, 2008 at 6:29 pm
wakowa
Jeremiah,
THANK YOU for your FlossFish review. Definitely keep them to see if they work when your teeth move. You never know. Ahhh, the joys of moving teeth.
Thanks for the good wishes on my braces coming off. But I’m not going away; will continue with posts about the Post braces life.
September 2, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Dawn
What foods were your ‘comfort foods’ during the teeth moving phases? Must be something more besides protein shakes and mashed potatoes!
September 10, 2008 at 11:47 pm
Jason
I found the Oral-B floss quite good. I tried other floss, but it’s hard to take it off my teeth.
November 10, 2008 at 8:32 pm
beautyblogger88
you should try BrytonPick. It works so well…plus it looks cooler than other flossers and you can take it everywhere with you…
http://www.brytonpick.com
June 15, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Jack
Hi Wako, I just saw this, have you tried the platypus flosser? It is fairly new and has done wonders for my daughter. There is a video on youtube, it’s very very simple and quick. She enjoys it and now there is no crying at bed time! Good Luck!
June 19, 2009 at 5:18 pm
wakowa
My braces days are over, so it’s too late for the platypus flosser for me. Have you tried it? It’s always helpful to have more good options, so hope it works well.