Dental floss is essential and this tooth cleaning accessory should be used even more often if you wear braces. Food residues can get stuck between the brackets or metal wires of the fixed appliance, and to keep teeth and gums healthy, it is also important to carefully clean the spaces between the teeth. While it may sound difficult, MC20 dentists remind patients that learning to floss with fixed braces is just a matter of practice. Let’s see how to do it and the answer to common questions.
Should I use dental floss even if I wear a fixed appliance?
Not everyone likes to use dental floss, however, this tool is vital when undergoing orthodontic treatment and using fixed braces. The risk of developing bacteria due to food residues deposited on the teeth is high, and the same danger occurs when food gets stuck in the braces. For this reason, those who do not use dental floss are more likely to suffer from bad breath, tooth decay, gum disease, and discoloration or yellowing of the teeth.
When should I use dental floss?
Scientific studies have shown that to remove the plaque effectively it is advisable to use dental floss before brushing your teeth. This is a sequence of actions that also increases the effectiveness of the toothpaste and reduces the possibility of tooth decay.
How to use dental floss with fixed braces?
If you don’t know how to floss with fixed braces, then you can follow these tips that MC20 dentists recommend to their patients:
- take a long piece of dental floss so that it wraps around the ends of your fingers when running it between your teeth;
- insert the floss between the braces and the tooth and align it with the space between the adjacent teeth where there is the soft tissue of the gum and the area most prone to plaque;
- wrap the thread between the index fingers and apply solid but not aggressive pressure to get rid of the plaque.
An extra tip, even when flossing with fixed braces, is to create a C shape to hug the tooth and repeat this technique to clean all teeth.
Does it hurt to floss when you have fixed braces?
Certainly, compared to using dental floss on free teeth, in the presence of the fixed appliance there can be discomfort and gingival bleeding. However, as you floss, your gums become healthier, and irritation reduces. The advice of the MC20 dentists is to pass the thread gently and, in case of difficulty, ask the dentists to teach you the correct procedure.
Dental floss: how many times should I pass it? Are there any alternatives?
The advice of the best dentists is to floss at least once a day. A valid alternative is given by the brush or the super floss, instruments suitable for the oral hygiene of those who wear fixed orthodontic appliances. These are small brushes and special dental flosses, perfect for reaching not only the spaces between the teeth but also the spaces between the brackets of the appliance. Also, you can use the water jet or dental shower, which cleans the areas where the toothbrush does not reach with a pulsating water jet and allows you to remove plaque and food residues.
However, to keep teeth clean when using fixed braces, the best tool is dental floss, to be included in the daily oral hygiene routine.
Remember: in case you don’t know how to use this tool effectively or have any difficulties in completing this food and plaque removal operation, you can consult MC20. Together we will find the best solution for the health and hygiene of teeth and gums, even and above all in the presence of the fixed orthodontic appliance.