Some Helpful Ideas For Flossing While Wearing Braces

WE KNOW SOME OF YOU DON’T LIKE TO FLOSS, especially with braces on. You may be surprised to hear us say, “we understand!” Flossing each day can be difficult. In addition to the impeding brackets and wires, perhaps you have sensitive gums, your mouth is small, or you feel like floss wrapped around your fingers cuts off your circulation. There are lots of seemingly good reasons not to floss—and as you can imagine, we’ve heard them all.

However, today there are options that can help make flossing easier, even when you have braces.

Many, Many Varieties Of Floss

Try ribbon-style floss instead of thread-style. Try waxed versus unwaxed. Try one that’s specially designed to glide easily. Try a different thickness, or a different flavor. The type of floss you use doesn’t matter nearly as much as the fact you’re doing it!

Consider Tools Like Flossers And Flossing Sticks

Look into some tools that are designed to help. Finding something that works for you will prove to be a worthwhile investment.

• Flossers and floss sticks eliminate the need to wrap floss around your fingers. These tools can also make it easier to reach back teeth without having to stick your hands in your mouth. There are even ones designed to work with braces.
• Toothpicks, from the most basic wooden variety to more specially designed tools, are a great help to clean your teeth and braces.
• Interproximal brushes (the ones that usually look like little Christmas trees) can help thoroughly clean the space between your teeth and your brackets and wires.
• Floss threaders help you string normal floss between teeth and through wires.

Never Underestimate The Value Of Flossing!

Flossing is an essential part of effective, daily oral hygiene care. Flossing helps guard against gum disease, the most common cause of tooth loss in adults. While you’re undergoing orthodontic treatment, it’s important to maintain healthy gums to ensure that your treatment goes according to schedule.

Make Flossing A Daily Priority

If you have questions about how to make flossing easier, please visit with us. We want to help you be successful.

Thanks for being our valued patients and friends!

Top image by Flickr user Hey Paul Studios used under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.