How to Floss with Braces

How to Floss With Braces

You're standing in front of the bathroom mirror, looking at your braces with your dental floss in hand, ready to go. The usual flossing technique you're used to just doesn't seem right, because of all those brackets on your teeth and that archwire running between them.

We know that flossing your teeth with your braces is tricky, but with the right tools and correct technique, it's a job you can learn to do quite easily. Here is a step-by-step flossing guide that can help you learn the right way to floss so you can keep your teeth and braces clean and fresh.

Use Waxed Dental Floss and a Floss Threader

The first thing to do is make sure that you have some waxed dental floss to use. The waxed variety won't shred and fray as easily as unwaxed floss. Then you need to get yourself a floss threader, which is a simple tool that helps you get the floss under the archwire.

Once you've got your floss and threader and are ready to begin, here are the correct steps to take.

• Pull about 12 inches of floss from the dispenser.
• Feed one end of the piece of floss through the threader, in the same way you'd thread a needle.
• Pull the entire threader and the free end of the floss under your archwire.
• Grab each end of the floss and wrap it around your middle fingers.
• Slide the floss up and down on either side of each tooth, all the way down to the gum line.
• Pull the piece out and repeat for the next area. Then just continue on until you've flossed between all of your teeth.

As you can see, flossing your teeth well with braces is all about the floss threader!

We recommend flossing your teeth at least once per day, preferably at bedtime once you've finished brushing. This way, no decay-causing food or plaque will be left on your teeth overnight.

Check How You Did with Disclosing Tablets

There is a quick and easy way to check how well you've flossed using disclosing tablets that contain vegetable dyes. Just pop a tablet in your mouth and watch for the dye to appear as it dissolves away. Any area that has dye on it is an area you need to concentrate on the next time you floss.

Contact Mack Orthodontics

It may take you a couple tries to properly floss your teeth, especially if you've never used a floss threader. But keep at it because once you've mastered the technique, flossing with braces will be easy to do! If you still have problems flossing your teeth, please let us know the next time you come in to have your braces adjusted. We want you to always remember that the extra effort you put into your oral hygiene will be worth it in the end when you're left with a new smile that's both healthy and attractive!