Questions about flossing!

[limvicky]

I just bought a Waterpik whitening Power Flosser today and was wondering if it is okay as a flossing tool for braces. I really don't like those tiny mini brushes that the doctor suggested because it doesn't go into the tight spaces of my back teeth. The power flosser actually goes into those hard to reach crevices.

Any thoughts or suggestions on other floss or flossing techniques?

[annabella]

We got a waterpik for our daughter. I don't think she's got the hang of it. But her ortho said it can sub for flossing. But I make my daughter do both. Maybe it her technique because when I use it it cleans around the gums really well. So just practice eventhough her little brush can get a lot of stuff out of her braces.

[Sunny]

Vicky waterpiks and machines similar to that are great for cleaning between teeth and around the brackets and archwire. Make sure they're always on low power and never aim it at your gums.

They can't floss the most important area, which is just below the gum line. This needs to be flossed once a day using a floss like oral b superfloss or the floss threaders that some ortho's give their patients to use. It will take longer to floss, but the more you practise the easier it becames and before long you'll be doing it quite quickly, but best of all your gums will be kept healthy and you don't have to worry about gum disease!

Good luck!

[Denise]

My orthodontist also told me that not flossing manually with regular floss can also hinder tooth movement, as food and other things build up between your teeth and can cause spaces to stop coming together properly. Another reason it's very important to not only brush a lot, but to floss and use mouth wash to prevent buildup!

[Brace Face]

Denise/Sunny......Thanks, just ordered all things floss related from Amazon, mine are getting desperate.

[catgyrl]

BF - What kind of floss did you order, if I may be so nosey? I thank whoever invented Glide Threader Floss. It is the only one that will fit between my teeth, including the molar bands. I bought 6 months' worth and wiped out the shelf at WalMart the other day. LOL!

[ksmoguy]

For me I floss all the time, and I then use a waterpik set to level 4. My ortho is a big fan of water piks as he feels that most people dont do a great job flossing so he recommends doing both. He recommends not going above setting #4 as well...

[catgyrl]

ksmoguy: My formerly-braced friend in Washington just mailed me her Waterpik yesterday (yes, she cleaned it first), so I hope to be using it by this weekend. I still cannot believe that I actually LOOK FORWARD to brushing and flossing my teeth every day. Before all this, I was lucky to get in one brushing per day... no flossing at all. Gross, I know... Now I can't stand "dirty" teeth.

I'll remember the "setting #4" thing...

[ksmoguy]

From what I gather if you use it on to high of a setting it can actually irritate the pocket which is not good.. So the ortho recommends lower settings..

[Sunny]

We advise our patients to use it on the lowest setting possible and to use them to clean their brackets only. The damage these machines can do to gums is irreversable. If they're used properly they do a great job of cleaning much from between teeth ... but they don't replace flossing. There have been hundreds (probably thousands) of things 'invented' to help with flossing, as it's a nuisance job for most people ... but so far not any of them can replace manual flossing. Part of the reason why flossing manually does such a great job is that you can feel when you slip the floss below your gum and you have that control to make sure it's not 'pushed' to hard against your gum, or too far down the side of your tooth under the gum.

I have permanent damage to my gums and some bone loss as a result of gum disease due to not flossing ... so I'm now a bit OTT when it comes to flossing ... and I love oral b superfloss!

I have two different waterpiks, a 'real' waterpik that was sent from a g/f in England an another similar machine that I bought here in Oz on ebay. I also have a 'hose' that attaches to my bathroom tap ... and all three toys were used religiously when I first got them ... but in the past two years ... well ... like any toys ... they're back in drawers, hidden away etc!

Enjoy your toys!

[catgyrl]

Aah... Sunny!!! You naughty girl...!! Hiding your toys away...

I promise - I only intend to use my Waterpik for getting food out of my brackets. Believe it or not... I rather enjoy my flossing. You're right about the sense of "control" one has while doing it, as well as the super-clean feeling afterward.

My friend, who is sending me the Waterpik, told me that it always took her about 30 minutes just to floss; even after months of having braces. She said her teeth were so crowded, they shredded every piece of floss. She didn't like Glide because she said it didn't get enough of the "gunk" out. I can't imagine how much "gunk" could've gotten in between her teeth, yet she couldn't even get a skinny piece of floss through them. I've actually gotten my flossing routine down to about 5 minutes (on a good day); 10 if they're particularly pesky, or if I'm more tired/lazy than usual.

[limvicky]

Thank you for all the replies!

I've already bought the Glide Threader Floss as recommended, I have spacing towards the front of my teeth but none in the back, so I hope the floss is good for the back also.

Today was the first time using Crest mouthwash and a bit of blue clung to the sides of my ceramic brackets, is that normal/will it go away? Help!

[catgyrl]

The Glide floss is great for the back teeth, which is where I have my problems, too. I think you'll like it. I do all my bracketed teeth first (all the front ones) and leave the molars for last; that way, if it starts to shred, there are only a few teeth left to use it on.

I've not tried the Crest mouthwash, so I don't know if it's normal to leave a "stain". I did try to use one of the ACT mouthwashes, and it definitely left a tinge of green, so... out that went! I use Listerine Total Care Anticavity mouthwash, which is lavendar in color, and it leaves no discernable color. (Either that, or my eyes have gotten really bad over the years, and I can't see it!)

[LMontro]

I got Oral-B Superfloss:

However... Problem 1. Still too painful to floss and 2. My teeth have moved a lot in just 6 days and I can't physically get between some gaps!

But I always floss once a day anyway, so will keep on persisting!

[Sunny]

Vicky the 'blue' bits that show up when you rinse are a form of bacteria and need to be cleaned away. I love mouthwashes like that, as it's an interesting way to see how clean your mouth is, even after brushing. The rinses don't highlight plaque like the disclosing tablets do, but they do still show a little of what's happening in your mouth.

[Denise]

I used the Crest mouthwash too, and got the same thing! The mouthwash was actually clumping into blue chunks in my teeth. It grossed me out after about 4 days, so I stopped using it and just dumped it out. I use Listerine Antibacterial now and I absolutely love it. It doesn't give me the 'burning' sensation anymore, but I'm not sure if it's because it doesn't really burn, or because I've been using it twice a day for so long that I just don't feel it anymore. Either way I absolutely love it, and my orthodontist is always happy with how my teeth look! I use that in combination with the waterpik, and admittedly I don't manually floss every day, in fact I typically only do it twice a week, but it's been 13 months since I had my braces on and never has my dentist (who I've seen twice now with braces on) or my orthodontist said anything about it.

[Brace Face]

BF - What kind of floss did you order, if I may be so nosey?

Cathy - I ordered Oral B Superfloss AND Glide Threader Floss, thought i'd try them both. I've also got those little bottle brush cleaning thingys and a pointy sticky descaler implement. Most of these things sit happily in my make-up bag and never see the light of day. Still, at least I feel like i'm making the effort.

[catgyrl]

BF - Cool! I have 2 boxes of the Oral B Superfloss that I've never used because I can never get the fuzzy part through my teeth - too tight! I'm hoping that later when they start spacing out (as the top teeth seem to be now), I'll be able to use it. I don't want it go to waste. (OR, is the fuzzy part to clean your wires and brackets? If so, no wonder it won't fit thru my teeth!)

What's the descaler implement? Does it scrape off plaque or tartar? If so, I should get one of those. I tend to get a buildup of it behind my lower front 2 teeth, though lately it doesn't look as bad as it usually does the month before my scheduled cleaning. I just checked, and my dentist's office said I didn't need to remove the wires before getting them cleaned. I can only imagine how messy that process is going to be, and how long it's going to take...

[Brace Face]

It's a Dentek Dental Scaler which is a scary looking implement that I don't really like but is good at removing the scale build up from around the brackets. I didn't need it at the beginning of treatment but I started to notice scaling around the brackets of my lower, front teeth since wearing powerchains or tie wires. Also, the elastic band that is adjusting my midline also runs along under the lower front brackets. It seems that the more 'gubbins' they put around the brackets the more prone to plaque build up there is.

Had my ortho appointment today, my midline elastic band has now been demoted to night times only (yay) but I acquired a new one which thankfully is in a square configuration just on one side on my back molars which can't be seen at all. I can live with that (so much so that i've swallowed three already today as it's easier to eat with them in). Also had my molar build ups removed which was a nice surprise, I presume that means my bite must be almost right now then. It certainly feels right if that makes sense? Overall, good progress and going in the right direction.

Now you go careful with any sharp implements won't you?

[catgyrl]

Now, why on earth would you not trust me with sharp implements? Afraid I might have one of my weird dreams about stabbing someone in the eye with one of them?

That actually sounds like something I could use to keep the placque and tartar buildup to a minimum in between cleanings. That's the part of my cleaning I detest the most - when she gets to the lower front teeth. I may look relaxed in the chair, but I'm white-knuckling it throughout. My normal cleanings (without braces) take about 45 minutes, so I can only imagine how long they'll take now.

I may have to swing by my favorite aisle at WalMart on my way home from work today.

By the way, I tried flossing at work today, and... no can do. If people think seeing my proxy-brushing is bad, flossing is way grosser. I tried a different floss today, which ended up getting stuck in my molar band, and when I ripped it out, it shredded something awful (WITH food attached to it). I yelled out "Oh gross!" and my coworker in the stall said, "Thank you for sharing! NO MORE SHARING!"