Flossing with braces can sometimes be difficult, so here’s our guide to help you make sure that you’re properly cleaning your teeth during treatment!
Flossing is an oral health habit that a lot of people have difficulty performing on a daily basis, and there’s no doubt about it that flossing gets more difficult while wearing braces. But it’s important for orthodontic patients to understand just how important flossing is in terms of maintaining oral hygiene throughout orthodontic treatment.
The wires and brackets within braces just so happen to provide a lot of room for bacteria and plaque to hide and subsequently grow, and braces of course pose some flossing challenges that make it harder to eliminate these growing bacteria.
But where there is a will there is always a way, and the JK Orthodontics team is here to help you better understand the proper ways to floss while wearing braces right here within this article. By going through this page, you’ll be flossing perfectly with braces and better ensuring the health of your smile throughout your treatment!
Why Flossing With Braces Is So Important
Most people have been instructed by their dentist to floss more frequently, but why is flossing so important?
The truth is that everything we eat and drink will introduce a ton of bacteria and acids within our mouths, which is why it’s so important to brush your teeth at least twice each day in order to have proper oral hygiene. But it’s the areas between your teeth that will undoubtedly require some added attention on a daily basis.
Addressing the areas in between your teeth are exactly why flossing is so crucial, because bacteria can hide rather easily in between your teeth and quickly turn into tartar and more serious oral health issues.
When you add braces into your flossing equation, there is even more surface area for bacteria to grab on and take hold of within your mouth. This makes flossing exponentially more important for braces patients, and forgetting to floss while wearing braces can lead to the following oral health issues:
- Yellow/Stained teeth
- Tooth decay
- Gum disease
- Bad breath
Follow These Steps While Flossing With Braces
The archwire that runs through each bracket is what generally makes flossing so difficult while wearing braces, because the archwire will prevent braces patients from flossing in a traditional way. The good news is that there are methods to floss around your archwire and effectively get your floss all they way into your gums between your teeth.
When you’re flossing with braces, you can always carefully thread your floss through each gap between your brackets, but just be careful not to pull on your archwire with your floss. Once the floss is through you can then gently floss in between your teeth like you normally would without braces, and you’d simply repeat this process until you’ve flossed all of your teeth.
One important thing to keep in mind is that you should be utilizing wax-covered floss when flossing with braces, and this is because non-wax floss can sometimes get caught within braces and be difficult to remove. Another useful flossing tool for braces patients is an orthodontic floss threader. This oral health tool makes flossing with braces A LOT easier as compared to conventional floss.
But no matter how you go about flossing with braces, you should always simply make sure that you’re flossing at least one time each day as a part of your daily oral hygiene routine!
Types Of Floss That Are Recommended For Braces Patients
Every orthodontic patient and parent will have many different options in terms of floss, and as we mentioned above we recommend wax-coated floss when braces patients opt for traditional dental floss. We also recommend single-strand (monofilament) floss when braces patients prefer traditional floss, because this type of floss is easier to maneuver between braces and will have a much less likelihood of getting caught between wires and brackets.
Another great flossing option for braces patients is an oral irrigator, which is also referred to as an electric water flosser. This is always a good solution for any orthodontic treatment patient that’s finding it pretty hard to use traditional dental floss, and this is because electric water flossers will utilize a high-pressure water spout to thoroughly clean out the areas in between your teeth.
Although some people in the orthodontic industry think that electric water flossers aren’t as effective as traditional dental floss, it’s still safe to say that using an oral irrigator is a lot better than never flossing! So if conventional flossing seems too difficult for your or your child during braces treatment, then an electric water flosser could be a really great alternative!
How Parents Can Support Their Child’s Flossing Habits While They’re Wearing Braces
Flossing on a daily basis is sometimes pretty tough, and this can be even harder on parents who are trying to get their children to adopt good flossing habits. And when a child is wearing braces it can lead to a parenting nightmare!
The best thing that parents can do in terms of ensuring that their children or teenagers with braces are flossing on a daily basis is to go over all of the proper flossing techniques with them so that they feel comfortable flossing on their own. You may also want to consider supervising your child’s flossing at the beginning of their braces treatment to ensure that they aren’t cutting corners.
Reach Out To JK Orthodontics To Schedule Your Free Consultation Today!
JK Orthodontics has been supporting patients throughout the Columbus Metro Area for over 30 years, and we’ve helped countless patients and parents when it comes to proper flossing techniques throughout the treatment process.
So always feel free to reach out to us online or call us at 614-766-0330 (Dublin office) or 614-471-6355 (Gahanna office) to get in touch with our team and schedule your initial consultation with Dr. Karpac!