Dental floss is a staple in any dental routine. It’s what makes sure you’re getting all the food out of your teeth, and it’s your best defense against cavities. But sometimes, you need more than just floss to get the job done right. That’s where dental floss picks come in! Dental floss picks are the perfect tool for cleaning teeth with braces, especially if you have trouble using traditional dental floss because of how close your wires are to each other or how small they are. Floss picks make it easy to get in between teeth and remove plaque from places that can’t be reached by traditional dental floss.
If you struggle with keeping your teeth clean even with regular brushing and flossing, don’t worry! Dental floss picks are a great option for helping people who have trouble reaching their back teeth or those who have tight spaces between their wires and brackets.
Read on to learn more about How To Use Dental Floss Picks With Braces, How to Floss With Braces Using Regular Dental Floss
How To Use Dental Floss Picks With Braces
I know not many people love to floss their teeth. Hey, even after going to dental school and working as a Brooklyn orthodontist, I wouldn’t say I find it the most thrilling part of my day. Yet, flossing is so important to your oral health because it removes plaque between the teeth and at the gumline that your toothbrush can’t reach. If you don’t floss, you increase the likelihood of developing tooth decay and gum disease. Since teeth move most effectively in a healthy oral environment, flossing with braces is even more crucial. Plus, getting cavities or gum disease could set your treatment back. In extreme cases, you’d even have to have your braces removed to receive dental care.
It does take a little while to get the hang of flossing with braces because you need to maneuver around your brackets and wires. The good news is once you get used to it, you’ll get a lot faster and more effective. To help you become a pro, I’m sharing how to floss with braces using a variety of different tools.
How to Floss With Braces Using Regular Dental Floss
When it comes to choosing the best floss for braces, I usually tell my Park Slope braces patients to either use regular floss with a floss threader or to use an orthodontic flosser. Both options are much quicker and easier than using conventional dental floss alone. However, if you don’t want to purchase specialized braces floss or tools, it is possible to do the job without them.
Your best bet is to use waxed floss for braces. Unwaxed floss can get shredded and stuck in your brackets. Once you have your floss:
- Use a piece of floss approximately 18 to 24 inches long.
- Thread the floss between your braces wire and your teeth with one hand. Grab the end of the floss with your other hand as it comes through.
- For easier handling, wrap the ends of the dental floss around your index fingers.
- Gently move the floss between any two teeth. Go up and down the side of one tooth with the floss, getting slightly under the gumline, and then go up and down the side of the other tooth, being sure to floss the gum line.
- Carefully remove the floss and unthread it behind the wire.
- Move on to the next set of teeth and repeat the process. Don’t forget to floss behind the back molars too.
How to Floss With Braces Using a Floss Threader
Using a floss threader will make flossing with braces a little easier. You can find this small tool at the grocery store, the pharmacy or online. It turns any regular old floss into floss for braces by making it easier to get the floss behind the wire. Here’s how to use a floss threader:
- Use a piece of waxed dental floss that’s 18 to 24 inches long. Pull the piece of floss through the eye of the floss threader.
- Guide the pointed end of your threader under your braces wire and gently pull the floss through until you can grab it with both hands.
- Wrap the floss around your index fingers.
- Position the floss between two teeth. Floss up and down the side of one tooth, being sure to floss just under the gumline, and then do the same to the other tooth.
- Gently pull the floss out and then use the threader again to get in between the next set of teeth. Do this until you’ve flossed your entire mouth, including around the back molars.
How to Floss With Braces Using an Orthodontic Flosser
An orthodontic flosser, like a Platypus flosser, is a special flossing tool for braces wearers. It’s the simplest and quickest way to floss with braces and it will shave a lot of time off of your oral hygiene routine. However, they are more expensive than standard floss. Here’s how to use an orthodontic flosser:
- Simply take the rounded end of the flosser and slip it under the wire of your braces so that the floss goes in between your teeth.
- Floss up and down the side of one tooth getting slightly under the gumline. Then floss up and down the side of the other tooth.
- Gently pull the flosser out and position it between your next set of teeth, repeating the process until all of your pearly whites are flossed.
Bonus: How to Use a Waterpik for Braces
Patients sometimes ask can I use a waterpik with braces? Yes, you can! However, keep in mind, a waterpik, or water flosser, doesn’t replace regular flossing and you’ll still have to floss once daily in addition to using your water flosser. It is a great extra tool though and I do recommend adding a waterpik to the mix because it helps get your teeth, gums and braces squeaky clean. Plus, it’s excellent for dislodging food particles. Most water flossers have orthodontic tips that are designed to more effectively clean around your hardware. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how to use a waterpik for braces:
- Fill the reservoir with lukewarm water and then insert your flosser tip.
- Lean over the sink and place the tip in your mouth. Set the waterpik at low pressure to start.
- Turn your water flosser on. Close your lips to avoid splashing and let the water run from your mouth into the sink.
- Start at your back teeth. Point the tip at the gumline and then gently brush between the teeth and then around your braces bracket.
- Move on to the next tooth and repeat the process until you’ve finished your entire mouth.
General Tips for Flossing With Braces
Now that you know the specifics of how to floss with braces, here are some general tips for amazing oral hygiene:
- Floss once daily and brush your teeth in the morning, after meals and snacks, and before bed. In addition to brushing and flossing, use an interproximal brush to clean around your braces brackets.
- Keep up with your regular dental exams and cleanings. No matter how dedicated you are to flossing with braces, hardened plaque, called tartar, can still form and you can’t eliminate it on your own by brushing and flossing. The only way to get rid of tartar and keep teeth and gums healthy is with a professional cleaning. During your exam, your dentist can also confirm whether your flossing routine is working and keep an eye out for any issues while they’re still easy to treat.
- If you don’t have any oral hygiene supplies on hand, rinse your mouth out really well after eating or drinking and brush when you get home.
- Ask the Fresh Orthodontics team for help! If you’re having trouble flossing with braces or you’re unsure of whether or not you’re doing it correctly, we’d love to help. A team member will walk you through it ensuring your flossing skills are top-notch.
Plackers orthopick
SAN DIEGO, CA, May 03, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ — Plackers, makers of the first disposable dental flosser, expands its family-friendly line of oral healthcare products with Plackers OrthoPick, a dental flosser designed to make flossing easier and more convenient for millions with orthodontics such as braces, bridges and other dental appliances that make flossing difficult. To help these individuals more easily maintain their daily dental hygiene routine, Plackers is giving away free OrthoPick flosser samples to the first 10,000 people who sign up on its website at http://www.plackers.com/FreeOrthoPick.
Plackers OrthoPick is designed specifically to meet the needs of those with orthodontics such as braces, bridges, permanent retainers and other dental appliances. The unique flosser design has a patented, thin flosser arm that fits easily between teeth and brace wire, offering an easier and more convenient alternative than floss threaders and other similar products that may be more time consuming. In addition, Plackers OrthoPick features an adjustable floss head to help users easily reach back teeth, a soft flexible pick to remove trapped food debris and a comfort grip that is easy to hold.
“Flossing regularly is one of the best ways to prevent chronic diseases such as tooth decay and gum disease – particularly while you’re investing in orthodontic treatments, ” said dentist and Associate Director, External Relations for Oral Health America (OHA) Anthony Stefanou, DMD. “Products like Plackers OrthoPick make it easier for those with braces, bridges and dental appliances to maintain regular flossing routines and help ensure a healthy mouth”
Plackers OrthoPick is the latest addition to the company’s complete flosser line that meets a variety of dental hygiene needs for the whole family.
“Maintaining one’s daily dental hygiene routine can be challenging for individuals with braces,” said Plackers’ Director of Marketing Tom Barman. “Plackers OrthoPick is designed to make flossing with braces and other dental appliances much easier, allowing individuals to help keep their teeth and gums healthy while undergoing orthodontic treatment.”
Those interested can sign up to receive one of the 10,000 free samples on Plackers’ website at http://www.plackers.com/FreeOrthoPick.
Plackers OrthoPick flossers are currently available at select retailers nationwide, or online at www.plackers.com.
About Plackers
Plackers, a leading brand of consumer oral care products, is a pioneer in dental flossers and other consumer oral care products. Having patented the first disposable dental flosser, Plackers is committed to developing high quality, affordable oral care products with innovative features that include a comprehensive line of dental flossers, dental accessories, and dental night guards including the Grind No More Dental Night Protector. Plackers holds over 20 patents and is sold in major retailers worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.plackers.com.
Best floss for braces
Flossing is an essential step in oral hygiene that most people overlook. In addition, it is crucial to maintain excellent oral hygiene while wearing braces to avoid developing white spots, cavities, and gum disease. It can be detrimental to your treatment if you do not adhere to proper oral hygiene, and in severe cases, your braces may need to be taken off sooner than you expected.
WHY IS FLOSSING IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU HAVE BRACES?
Braces create many hard-to-reach areas that are difficult to clean with dental floss alone. Food can get trapped between your teeth and under your braces, leading to plaque buildup and tooth decay. Another important reason for flossing is to remove food particles that become stuck in the brackets of your braces. This helps prevent cavities and dental diseases such as gingivitis. Gingivitis causes inflammation of the gums and leads to redness, swelling, bleeding during brushing or flossing, bad breath (halitosis), pain when chewing certain foods, discomfort when wearing dental appliances like orthodontic bands or bridges, etc.
RECOMMENDED TYPES OF DENTAL FLOSS FOR BRACES
#1: WAXED FLOSS
Waxed floss is made of thin filaments of plastic or Teflon coated in wax. The wax makes it easy to slip the floss between your teeth and glide against the surfaces you’re trying to clean. Waxed dental floss is recommended for those with braces, as it tends to slide better between closely-spaced teeth. Like dental super floss, you can use it around dental appliances for added cleaning ability.
#2: SUPER FLOSS
Super floss is a dental tape pre-threaded on a plastic, disposable wand with a dental tape-like tip on one end. It can be threaded along the inside of your teeth and around metal appliances such as braces or permanent retainers to aid in cleaning hard-to-reach places.
#3: FLOSS THREADER
A floss threader is made of two small loops attached to either end of a thin wire with a handle at the end. They allow you to floss between very tightly spaced teeth by threading dental floss through them.
#4: ORTHODONTIC FLOSSER
An orthodontic flosser looks like dental super floss with a handle. The handle allows you to place the dental floss against the wire of your dental appliance so that it won’t slip off while you are trying to clean your teeth.
#5: WATERPIK
A Waterpik is a dental appliance that shoots a pressurized jet of water between your teeth and under dental appliances. This helps remove food particles and dental plaque buildup, thus reducing the risk of dental disease such as gingivitis. In addition, some Waterpiks have attachments that move side to side or up and down along the wire of dental appliances for a more thorough dental cleaning.
To determine the best dental floss for braces, you need to consider how much space there is between your teeth and whether or not you wear dental appliances like orthodontic bands or retainers.
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS FOR FLOSSING WITH BRACES
With braces, flossing can be a little tricky and time-consuming at first, but the more you do it, the more efficient you will become!
Step One: Wrap dental floss around your middle fingers, leaving two inches between them. Use your thumbs and forefingers to guide the dental floss between your teeth.
Step Two: Gently slide dental floss up and down against one side of each tooth in a sawing motion until you reach the gum line. Do not snap the dental floss into place or force it in a back-and-forth motion along the teeth’ surfaces because this could damage the surface of your dental enamel.
Step Three: Repeat steps 1 & 2 on all sides of every tooth until you have flossed every space in your mouth that is visible with braces or dental appliances. If an area is difficult to reach with dental floss, you can opt for dental super floss or dental floss threaders.
Step Four: When finished with your dental flossing session, rinse the excess dental floss out in warm water and dispose of it properly in a waste receptacle.
Along with flossing, we recommend using an electronic toothbrush and visiting your dentist at least every six months for a checkup and cleaning.